Veganism is becoming more popular as a lifestyle choice. In 2018, 8% of the population were vegetarian and/or vegan (Source: The Vegan Society).
Thanks to the changing attitudes of society and vegan-friendly foods and products available, it’s never been easier to be a vegan than it is today. If you’ve been thinking about making this lifestyle change, here are some reasons you may want to remove animal products from your diet and other products.
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Reasons to become vegan
Moral
There are a number of reasons that people might choose to become a vegan. It might be that you no longer wish to consume or use animal products as you disagree with it from a welfare perspective.
Health
Research has shown that vegan diets rich in fruit and vegetables significantly lowers the risk of heart attacks. Of course, being vegan doesn’t automatically mean that you’re going to be healthier. You must also make the right decisions when it comes to the foods that you do eat.
There are also ranges of vegan-friendly supplements, vegan CBD edibles, and medicines that previously were unable to be taken by strict vegans.
Environmental
The numbers of people moving to a vegan or flexitarian style diet for environmental reasons is growing.
With the Earth’s population increasing, and the subsequent rise in the use of natural resources is becoming unsustainable. By reducing the number of meats and other animal products we eat, we can significantly reduce the carbon emissions produced. These emissions contribute directly to climate change.
According to the Vegetarian Society, up to 30% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions are produced by the process of getting food from farms to our plates.
Things you might not realize aren’t vegan
How far are you willing to change your lifestyle to become vegan. Alongside giving up meat, fish, and dairy, there are many other products which, surprisingly, aren’t vegan either. These include:
Marshmallows and jelly
Not only are they filled with sugar and deliciousness, but they also contain gelatin, which is produced from cows or pigs.
Avocados
What’s more vegan than an avocado? Well, bees are exploited in the production of avocados, which means that technically, vegans should steer clear of them.
Apple juice
Again, you might think you are on safe ground with apple juice but many make use of fish membranes to clarify the juice.
Tattoos
The ink used in tattoos is derived from charcoal that is created from burning animal bones.
Cola
Most of the leading cola brands use dyes derived from insects to color their products.
Makeup and toiletries
Many people make the mistake of seeing a ‘cruelty-free’ label on their cosmetics and assuming that it’s vegan. It isn’t, cruelty-free means that the products were not tested on animals and that no animals suffered in the making of the product.
When you become vegan, you will begin to realize just how many products and ingredients use animal products in some way. It will mean a different way of thinking but luckily, there are vegan alternatives to most products available today, it’s just a case of finding them.