Reason for Vegan?

I am a vegetarian, not a vegan. But I saw this post titled "The Vegan Arguments" on a blog the other day, and I thought it was awesome information. A lot of it can apply to vegetarianism as well.

The vegan arguments....

The Hunger Argument

Number of people worldwide who will die of starvation this year: 60 million
Number of people who could be adequately fed with the grain saved if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%: 60 million
Human beings in America: 243 million
Number of people who could be fed with grain and soybeans now eaten by U.S. livestock: 1.3 billion
Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by people: 20
Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 80
Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90
How frequently a child starves to death: every 2 seconds
Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 20,000
Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 165
Percentage of U.S. farmland devoted to beef production: 56
Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce a pound of feedlot beef: 16

The Environmental Argument

Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect
Primary cause of greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels
Fossil fuels needed to produce a meat-centered diet vs. a meat-free diet: 50 times more
Percentage of U.S. topsoil lost to date: 75
Percentage of U.S. topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85
Number of acres of U.S. forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 mllion
Amount of meat U.S. imports annually from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras
and Panama: 200,000,000 pounds
Average per capita meat consumption in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras
and Panama: less than eaten by average U.S. house cat
Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pound hamburger: 55 sq. ft
Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses: 1000 per year

The Cancer Argument

Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat four times a week vs. less than once a week: 4 times
For women who eat eggs daily vs. less than once a week: 3 times
For women who eat butter and cheese 3 or more times a week vs. less than once: 3 times
Increased risk of fatal ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs. less than once a week: 3 times
Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs. sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times

The Natural Resources Argument

User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the U.S.: livestock production
Amount of water used in production of the average cow: sufficient to float a destroyer
Gallons to produce a pound of wheat: 25
Gallons to produce a pound of meat: 2,500
Cost of common hamburger if water used by meat industry was not subsidized by the U.S. taxpayer: $35 a pound
Current cost of a pound of protein from beefsteak, if water was no longer subsidized: $89.
Years the world’s known oil reserves would last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13
Years they would last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260
Barrels of oil imported into U.S. daily: 6.8 million
Percentage of fossil fuel energy returned as food energy by the most efficient factory farming of meat: 34.5 percent.
Percentage returned from least efficient plant food: 328 percent
Perccentage of raw materials consumed by U.S. to produce present meat-centered diet: 33

The Cholesterol Argument

Number of U.S. Medical Schools: 125
Number requiring a course in nutrition: 30
Nutrition training received by average U.S. physician during four years in medical school: 2.5 hours
Most common cause of death in the U.S.: heart attack
How frequently a heart attack kills in the U.S.: every 45 seconds
Average U.S. man’s risk of death from heart attack: 50 percent
Risk for average U.S. man who avoids the meat centered diet: 15 percent
Risk for average U.S. man who consumes no meat, dairy products or eggs at all: 4 percent
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of meat, dairy products and eggs by 10 percent: 9 percent
Amount you reduce risk if you reduce consumption by 50 percent: 45 percent
Amount you reduce risk if you eliminate these foodstuffs from your diet entirely: 90 percent
Meat, dairy and egg industries claim you should not be concerned about your blood cholesterol if it is: “normal”
Your risk of dying of a disease caused by clogged arteries if your blood cholesterol is “normal”: over 50 percent

The Antibiotic Argument

Percentage of U.S. antibiotics fed to livestock: 55
Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13
Percentage resistant in 1988: 91
Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: ban
Response of U.S. meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: full and complete support

The Pesticide Argument

Percentage of pesticide residues in the U.S. diet supplied by grains: 1
Percentage of pesticide residues in the U.S. diet supplied by fruits: 4
Percentage of pesticide residues in the U.S. diet supplied by vegetables: 6
Percentage of pesticide residues in the U.S. diet supplied by dairy products: 23
Percentage of pesticide residues in the U.S. diet supplied by meat: 55
Pesticide contamination of breast milk from meat eating mothers vs. non-meat eating: 35 times higher
What USDA tells us: meat is inspected
Percentage of slaughtered animals inspected for residues of toxic chemicals including dioxin and DDT: less than 0.00004

The Ethical Argument

Number of animals killed for meat per hour in the U.S.: 500,000
Occupation with highest turnover rate in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker
Occupation with the highest rate of on-the-job injury in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker
Cost to render animal unconscious with “captive bolt pistol” before slaughter: 1 cent
Reason given by meat industry for not using “captive bolt pistol”: too expensive

There you have it, PLENTY of reasons haha

For me it starts with one and snowballs into an all encompassing belief. I was a vegetarian for years and soon it didn't make much sense. I started reading and the Vegan Sourcebook (mainly) convinced me that it is not other better for myself, but everyone involved. My best friend and I created vegan weeks once a month. At 16, it was so hard :laughs: and we were just buying unnecessary boxed stuff at the co-op to share. I've definitely grown and learned far more. It isn't just about the little baby animals anymore, it is about myself and surrounding environment. So I guess I am more the ethical type.

I am going vegan mainly for health, but also for the environmental aspects. I guess right now I am "flexitarian" in that I keep a vegan kitchen at home, but mainly eat vegetarian/ sometimes pescetarian outside of home. I'm planning to become a bit more strict in the upcoming months and really focus on making the change completely.

But I'm probably not considered a "real" vegan as I do eat local honey (now, at least.. maybe I'll give it up in the future) and wear leather. Again, maybe I'll give that up in the future but I'm not about to throw away good shoes or makeup that may have been tested on animals .., just become more aware for future purchases.

I'm vegetarian, transitioning to vegan (cold turkey works for some people, I'm not one of them). The long list of reasons above pretty much sums it up. I got to the point where I realized the only good thing about dairy and eggs was that they tasted good--and an animal (and the planet) shouldn't have to suffer for a moment of my enjoyment.

I am vegan for ethical, health, and environmental reasons. Primarily ethical, but environmental is a close second, and my blood work, etc, is amazing.

VergingOnVegan gave a very nice explanation. Veganism can cause all sorts of debates within and without the community. Many dietary vegans prefer to say they follow a "plant-based diet" as "vegan" does have a certain ethical connotation. Some of the biggest debates within the community tend to over things like honey, sugar, and wearing of already owned animal products. Many (kind of the PETA vegans, I love a lot of what PETA does, but I also think they can really scare people away with some of their tactics) vegans will staunchly hold that you are not a vegan if you consume honey, nonvegan sugar, wear old animals products, don't research your beauty products, go to zoos, etc. I personally think *some* of it creates unnecessary tension, but the use of the term "plant-based diet" can avoid some of that.

I try to live as ethically as possible, my goal being to reduce suffering where I can. So, I do not currently consume honey or nonvegan sugar, but I don't consider those who do nonvegans. I do, however, wear old shoes that are leather, which for some would mean I'm not vegan. But then comes in my environmental beliefs - I see no reason to waste what I already have and I simply cannot afford to donate it and replace it with nonvegan alternatives, as much as I would really, really like to. So I have to wait for them to wear out, and not buy new animal products. I use minimal beauty products. I am scent sensitive and health conscious, so for me finding products that are not tested on animals and contain no animal ingredients is pretty easy since I look for natural products and not all the chemical-laden stuff. I absolutely do not support using animals in zoos or circuses or medical testing. Again, I try to make choices that reduce suffering as much as possible. I am not living in a third world country. I am not a member of an indigenous tribe following ancient ways. There is simply no reason that I need to contribute to the suffering of animals for my (fleeting) gustatory pleasure (and it's not like I didn't like meat and cheese) - and living in an industrialized nation I can make other choices and live quite happily without deprivation.

To end - I know many vegans who started out for one reason and as they learned more other reasons followed. Oftentimes they just stopped eating animals, but then also became more conscious about their clothing and beauty products. My first step was simply taken for ethical reasons. It doesn't much matter to me what a person's reasons are, after all, we all ended up in the same place. However, I think it is very important to note that in the U.S. farmed animals are not protected by any federal law for their lifetimes, and nearly all state laws either exempt them from their anti-cruelty laws altogether or allow the practices that are inhumane - which is effectively exempting them from protection anyway. I find this very, very disturbing. Companion animals get a lot of protection, but farmed animals make up 98% of all animals that humans in the U.S. regularly interact with and they have no protection for their day-to-day welfare. So, that's ONE reason (and only one) why it's an ethical choice for me.

^^^^ Yep. Humans are meant to eat both plants and animals. A diet that leaves out one or the other is not healthy.

@DanMoffett. Please understand that I believe you sincerely believe this.

I spent 20 years as a medical information specialist, finding refereed medical research literature to address specific clinical problems in a hospital setting. That means that I am pretty demanding of my sources, and have a high standard for research validity and reliabilty.

I will listen to anecdotal reports such as the one by Lierre Keith, and I may even conclude there was something about her constitution that made veganism sub-optimal for her. But, I will not take a case study of one, and apply it to all of humankind.

I have been a vegetarian for almost 40 years. Grew two healthy babies with plants. Raised two lifelong vegetarians (normal height, weight, and ahead of schedule academically, e.g. my 19 year-old graduated college in May, and is now in law school). Do you want to use MY anecdote to determine optimal nutrition? I doubt it, if you want to prove that meat, paleo or whatever you want to call it is superior.

I do. Plus they taste good.

For all the meat-eaters who are joining this very polite discussion about what the word 'vegan' means, I give you this:

http://vegansaurus.com/post/254784826/defensive-omnivore-bingo

Bear in mind, that I have been that young fire-breathing vegan in the past, and am now very much in a 'Live and let live' state of mind. Of course, if people get all argumentative with me over a 40-year life choice which is core to my being, I will ask you very politely what your problem is.

I don't believe that animals exist for the benefit of humankind. They are not ours to exploit.

Also, I believe that vegans are vegan and that is that. There's a part of the vegan community that seems to enjoy pointing out that they are "veganer" than others - this is silly and counterproductive. Any time a person chooses veganism, dietary or ethical, they are taking a step toward a more compassionate lifestyle. None of us is perfect (though it's fine to strive for perfection!) so each of us can only do our best in our given situations.

This is so true. I think the 'veggier-than-thou' dynamic is ridiculous and divisive. I respect all efforts to reduce animal suffering. Meatless Mondays, replacing some of the meat on your plate with veggies...it's all good. I agree with the previous posters who have said that your initial motivation to go vegan can be one thing, but as your awareness of the lifestyle grows, you may find more reasons you think it's a great idea.

Went vegan for health reasons.....as in my cholesterol was out of control and was considered "pre-diabetic". I've had a host of digetive problems for most of my life as well. Taking animal products out of the equation changed that completely. I am not really sure how people might consider this unhealthy...my doctor certainly doesn't!!
My diet is vegan, but I know some of my friends have a problem with my wearing leather still. Here's the deal. I'm really hardcore about recycling and part of that is purchasing as much as possible 2nd hand. if there is leather belt at goodwill i am going to choose that over a new plastic one. same goes for shoes...resoling, my docs are over 20years old...i can't justify tossing them and buying new. but that's just my deal.

I know that most people don't eat eggs because of the detrimental housing of the birds, but I have chickens - only 3 hens and a rooster - and they just roam about our yard, eating spare grain and veggie/grain leftovers that we through out for them then come home to their little roost and lay eggs.

Would a vegan find this okay? I mean, they may not eat the eggs still but at least I treat my chickies like pets so I didn't know if it was a complete riot against owning farm animals or just the mistreatment of them.

I also have a similar query about sheep and wool - if it wasn't for the poor care and housing, would they find wool clothing more acceptable?

I'm aiming to eventually become a vegan. Bump this for the motivation, thanks guys!

Bump! Good stuff to ponder...

From what I've gathered, you can't really be "vegan" for dietary purposes only. You either are or you aren't, and if you ARE vegan then you're not buying/wearing leather/wool/etc either.

I started doing the vegan challenge awhile back, but it wasn't for me. So.. I don't know what I am now, a pescatarian that doesn't eat dairy?