Vegan Month

It's November! Which means we are celebrating world vegan month and we thought we’d kick start the month with a post dedicated to veganism to spread the positive aspects of what it means to be vegan and to inspire those who are looking to adopt a vegan lifestyle.

Veganism vs Plant Based 

Veganism is more of a lifestyle as opposed to a diet choice. The lifestyle of vegans excludes all forms of cruelty to animals for the purpose of human consumption. This includes wearing or using any product that has been tested on animals. 
Whereas plant based is where someone predominantly eats plant based food, avoiding meat, diary products, fish, eggs and honey.

Why people choose to go vegan?

There are typically three main reasons for choosing to be vegan: ethics, health and environment. Let's break these down for you...

Ethics 

Vegans respect that all forms of life deserve the right to live with freedom and are against ending life for consumption, especially when alternatives are available. Therefore, going vegan means putting an end to animal cruelty because when we stop purchasing animal products it reduces the demand for them and therefore less animals are bred to suffer and die. 

The conditions these animals endure are horrific, profit is the priority above all else. They are simply bred to produce quickly and cheaply and therefore the animals are given the bare minimum needed to survive. Animals are crammed together causing injuries, mutilation is a method used to reduce these injuries and psychological problems develop as a result of the mistreatment. 

Health

A plant based diet is considered a very healthy diet that is beneficial to our health. This is because a vegan diet is rich in nutrients and low in saturated fats. The diet is said to improve: our heart health, protect against cancer and lower the risk of type two diabetes. 
We love this article on 9 scientific benefits of following a plant based diet

Environment 

We’ve already touched upon the vegan diet being beneficial to our environment in our steps to sustainability blog, so check out step 4 if you haven't already! 
But the overall consensus is that our eating habits can have the biggest impact on the planet and that a vegan diet is the best choice to lessen this impact. Let’s discuss why… 
Animal agriculture is the leading cause of rainforest deforestation and it is the second largest contributor to human made greenhouse gas emissions. So with the percentage of animal production increasing, more natural resources are  required to keep this industry running. A vegan diet is so important in reversing this damage, so much so that if everyone adapted to veganism, the world's food-related emissions would drop 70% by 2050. 
So go vegan and by doing so you will save water, reduce the destruction of rainforests and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and CO2! 

 

Why Our CEO Ellie decided to go vegan

"I went vegan in 2017. Prior to this I had started transitioning to a pescatarian diet and eventually ditched dairy and fish. Veganism really is a belief system and it took a while for it all to sink in and to question my own hypocrisy. I have always described myself as an animal lover, saying things like ‘I only eat free range meat’ but I didn’t even know what that meant. I had watched a documentary about veganism and started learning about animal agriculture, it was absolutely heart breaking. The pain and suffering these animals have to endure for just a few moments of human pleasure is unjust. So after I ditched meat, not yet wanting to confront the atrocities of the fishing and dairy industry, I was scrolling on social media and two videos made me stop in my tracks and ditch the two for good. The first was a baby cow being driven away from its mother and the mother chasing the car. It still feels me with sadness. The other was a fishing trawler pulling in hundreds of thousands of fish, it seemed so destructive. I think the most important thing about veganism is connecting the dots between ‘food’ and where is comes from. Realising that there is no difference between eating a dog or a pig, it’s just your perception and all animals are capable of feelings and emotions, just like any beloved pet. Veganism is easier than ever now and it’s only going to get easier. My biggest tip would be to eat what you normally do and swap the meat for a vegan alternative. Slowly you can start experimenting with your food! We have the data that veganism is the single biggest things you can do to reduce your environmental impact, its also better for you health. Why not give Veganuary a go this January?"