What is veganism?
So what is veganism? Veganism refers to people who do not consume food that has been derived from animals such as eggs or chicken. The same people often avoid the use of other animal products this could be products that are made from animals such as leather or suede. Veganism is something that is growing over time and there are still many people that do not understand it.
However, with the uprising of vegans, we have seen a lot of fast food chains and food companies changing products or becoming more accommodating for vegans. Now when you go out for food there are options on the menu for animal-free alternatives or when you go for coffee there are now alternative milk options so that rather than consuming cow milk you may have milk that has been made from nuts instead.
The question we need to ask ourselves is does this lifestyle impact our modern world? Is that impact for worse or for better? so how about we take a deeper dive into veganism? Is this the ideal lifestyle? Is this just a trend for social media? or is there something more to it?
Should veganism be for everyone?
You will have noticed on social media or in the streets there are a lot of vegan activists who that preach veganism is the way of the future and that we should not consume these animals as it is cruel, but is this the case? Let us think about it. What would happen if we stopped killing animals? well, first of all, we would have a serious overcrowding problem these animals would keep producing and we would have to find places to put them which would become a serious problem and we would have to eventually slaughter them just for humans to live and have homes that aren't overtaken by these animals. What effect would this have on the climate? well due to this overcrowding issue that would be created, there would be an excess of greenhouse gasses due to the amount of carbon dioxide these extra animals create just by simply breathing not to mention the methane they would create which are all created naturally but it would be more controlled if we kept consuming these animals and keeping the increase of these gases at a gradual increase that we can slowly handle over time.
Although this doesn't mean veganism is the enemy there are plenty of ways that veganism helps to improve our environment. Veganism helps to improve our water systems it would make them much cleaner than they currently are. our rivers and streams are in biologically poor condition as a result of nutrient pollution. This is caused by animal excrement and chemicals running from cornfields used to feed livestock into waterways. This in turn leads to "dead zones".
What does this mean for the future?
Everyone has their own views on opinions on Veganism. Do the pros outweigh the cons? Should you make the switch? Do what makes you happy, if you want to eat a full tub of ice cream, do it! if you'd rather enjoy a tofu stir fry, go for it! we might only have one earth but we only have one life too its hard to make a decision from the facts alone when they both have their pros and their cons not just for how they affect our environment but also our health too. So rather than giving in to peer pressure or the influence of social media, you choose what is best for you because no one knows you better than you know yourself.
If you do not want to make the switch if it's not for you but you still feel like it could be a good way to help the environment you can always try to make a simple swap instead. Next time you get a coffee, try alternate milk, next time you buy a jacket get faux leather instead of real leather many changes can be made without having to fully commit to veganism
In my personal opinion, I think people should be able to do whatever makes them happy, I myself still eat meat but I have made some smart swaps, I drink soya milk rather than cow milk and get ice cream made from almond milk it does take a while to get used to but after a couple of weeks the change feels natural and I wouldn't think to change back.
You too can help make a change one small step at a time!