Frank Nedwidek - English 15 - Section 25 - Kem Crimmins - Proposal Paper

There is an old saying that there is more than one way to skin a cat, and that is true for many things. More importantly, though, is the fact that there is only one best way to do a certain task. When it comes to consuming food there are three choices as to how one may do so. Types of diets can be broken down into three distinct categories, carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores. A carnivorous diet consists of “feeding on animal tissues” meaning meat, while an herbivorous diet means, “feeding on plants” (Dictionary). The most common type of diet for humans is an omnivorous one, meaning that one consumes both flesh (meat) and plants. From immense research, I have found that the most beneficial diet for humans is herbivorous as in vegan. There are also many different advantages of converting to veganism, ranging from health issues to social ethics.

Veganism is a type of diet that consists of eating things that are not animal products or byproducts. Veganism, although it is mainly a dietary choice, is also the belief and practice of not using any animal products or byproducts in daily living. This belief is in part due to the cruel nature of the production of food and products made from animals.

Veganism is an alternative to the conventional standard of living, so one may wonder how veganism compares to a traditional lifestyle. In comparing a vegan diet to a customary one, there are great differences as well as huge similarities. The biggest and most obvious difference is the actual substance that is consumed in either diet. While regular, omnivorous humans consume many of the same things as vegans, the difference is seen mainly in terms of how proteins, which are commonly thought to only come from animal flesh, can be taken in without eating animals. Unbeknownst to many, is the fact that different plants, most commonly bean-sprouting plants, provide valuable amino acids that make up proteins that the body needs, “vegans can get all the protein they need from legumes (e.g., beans, tofu, peanuts) and grains (e.g., rice, corn, whole wheat breads and pastas); calcium from broccoli, kale, collard greens, tofu, fortified juices and soymilks; iron from chickpeas, spinach, pinto beans, and soy products; and B12 from fortified foods or supplements” (Vegan Action). Also, many vegan products have been made to model the taste of various traditional products that can’t be consumed under a vegan diet. These two diets are also similar because the same kinds of vitamins and minerals and included within each diet, meaning you can get the same nutrition from a vegan diet as you can with a traditional one. A surprising similarity is the fact that many vegan foods taste identical or nearly identical to what a common person is used to. The benefit is that a vegan diet is healthier than customary food. This is because, “vegan foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans, are low in fat, contain no cholesterol, and are rich in fiber and nutrients” while, “the consumption of animal fats and proteins has been linked to heart disease, colon and lung cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, obesity, and a number of other debilitating conditions” (Vegan Action).

Veganism lifestyle controls aspects of life outside of what kind of food you consume such as attitude towards animals and the environment. With the current traditional diet and lifestyle, animals are put through terribly cruel procedures and lives just to become our food one day. The chickens that are used for their meat grow up so unnaturally that they, “grow so quickly that their hearts, lungs, and limbs often can’t keep up” (GoVeg).
The hens that produce eggs are put in cages so small that many of them die from different causes, “hens can become immobilized and die of asphyxiation or dehydration” (Factory). It is a known fact that, “decomposing corpses are found in cages with live birds” (Factory). It gets even worse for the hen when she grows old because, “when her production declines, a U.S. hen is either slaughtered or ‘force molted’—deprived of food and water for days in order to shock her body into another laying cycle” (Factory). Cattle used for their meat have such a terrible life such that they are, “castrated, their horns are ripped out of their heads, and third-degree burns (branding) are inflicted on them, all without any pain relief” (GoVeg). Milk cows go through a whole different type of hell than cattle, they, “are drugged and bred to produce unnatural amounts of milk; they have their babies stolen from them shortly after birth and sent to notoriously cruel veal farms so that humans can drink the calves’ milk” (GoVeg). Pigs live in cages so small that they cannot even turn around in them. “The Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI) Animal Welfare Program guidelines do not require that a sow (mother pig) have enough room to walk or turn around, but rather that she actually has enough room to fit in the cage without being forced against the bars” (Factory). Other animals grown for food endure terrible lives, such as turkeys which are genetically manipulated so they grow too large for their legs to hold them up, fish live with conditions, “so horrendous that 40 percent of the fish may die before farmers can kill and package them for food” (GoVeg). When it comes to the environment, there is proof that veganism is far better for the Earth than traditional ways. This is because conventional animal agriculture leads to the erosion of topsoil, waste that pollutes groundwater and rivers, and production of greenhouse gases which depletes the ozone layer. Another benefit of converting to veganism is that it is better suited for highly populated countries. “The United Nations has reported that a vegan diet can feed many more people than an animal-based diet. For instance, projections have estimated that the 1992 food supply could have fed about 6.3 billion people on a purely vegetarian diet, 4.2 billion people on a 85% vegetarian diet, or 3.2 billion people on a 75% vegetarian diet” (Vegan Action).

Veganism is a choice that affects many aspects of an individual’s life. But, it is well worth converting to veganism for many different reasons. The diet is better suited for a healthy lifestyle that will lead to a longer life. Veganism saves millions of animals that usually would have been killed and forced to endure unthinkable pains so they can now live a normal life. This alternative way of life is also better for the environment because of how it doesn’t lead to erosion and pollution. Perhaps the greatest thinker of the 20th century, Albert Einstein, can persuade you when he said that, “nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet” (History).

"Carnivore." __Dictionary.com__. 31 Mar. 2006 <http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=carnivore>.

"Factory Farming." __GoVeg__. 31 Mar. 2006 <http://www.goveg.com/factoryFarming.asp>.

"Herbivore." __Dictionary.com__. 31 Mar. 2006 <http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=herbivore>.

__History of Vegetarianism__. 31 Mar. 2006 <http://www.ivu.org/history/northam20a/einstein.html>.

__Vegan Action__. 31 Mar. 2006 <http://www.vegan.org/about_veganism/index.html>.

__Why Vegan__. 31 Mar. 2006 <http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/animals.html>.

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