People continually learn about diets and eating habits from their parents and elder generations. However back in the day, people didn't have much else to eat besides meat or dairy items. Compared to now, they didn't have as many choices and some of them could only afford the minimal needs. If they didn't know what it was or if it was healthy, they couldn't refuse to eat, even if it didn't taste good. Everyone had to create their own food because there were no machines available to produce it. Nowadays, there are countless meal options available, and there is always something that people would like. Now we don’t have to eat meat and dairy to live because now we have food that is as good as those and better for our health. Animals have become victims of our diets and habits because we choose to and prefer to do whatever we were taught to do.
Sections in this article:
● Results of eating meat
● The benefits of vegetarianism and veganism
● Who is Earthling Ed?
● Everyone has the freedom of eating anything. but
Results of eating meat:
There is a big process behind eating meat but for you it's probably just going to the market, buying something, and eating it. When you buy any type of meat, you give a sign of encouragement for hunters to kill more animals. Killing animals means you need more animals which means animals have to be grown by certain chemicals for a faster process. This may cause unnatural births which will need more food and space for them.
A major cause of deforestation is because of industrial meat, according to GreenPeace. A significant example, according to GreenPeace, is how farmers in Brazil are internationally setting forest fires for cattle ranching in order to grow food for animals, like Soya, which contains huge amounts of protein for growth. According to GreenPeace, the biggest percentage of Soya is grown in America, and almost half of it comes from Argentina and Brazil. Forest fires impact the environment by accelerating global warming due to billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide.
The benefits of vegetarianism and veganism:
Choosing vegetarian and vegan food is the healthiest choice someone can make. There are many reasons behind that, including: a safer future, stopping animal cruelty, and that a vegetarian diet produces 2.5 times fewer carbon emissions according to World Atlas. There are millions of people who are vegetarian or vegan not because of bettering the environment, but because of their religious beliefs. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), India is the number one country with the lowest rate of meat consumption.
Everyone has the freedom of eating anything. but:
People who usually eat meat and have the ability to, usually say that they’re free and can do anything. Freedom is an amazing thing to have, but it becomes an issue when there are victims of your actions. The victims are the animals and animal products that you choose to eat. People prefer for animals to suffer only because the meat tastes good and they can’t bother to change their diets. Now we have so many options to choose from, such as plant-based meat, that contains healthy elements like protein. We now also have healthy vegan dairy products, such as soy milk, coconut milk, and vegan cheese. Another important thing we now have is the internet, which has almost any information that you’re not sure about, such as not knowing how to start a vegetarian diet or what is the best vegetarian food to eat.
Earthing Ed has been known to be a vegan since 2015, and grew up in a family against veganism. Something that Ed is known for is interviewing people who are not vegan and discussing why they’re not. A question that was asked by Ed to a non-vegan person in an interview at the University of California, Berkeley was, “why do they (chicken and cows) exist in the first place, obviously for eating but how do they get here”
The answer: “I have no idea which comes first, the chicken or the egg; whichever one comes first, it’s the reason they’re on this planet. So, we decided to take advantage of that and we started eating them.”
In many interviews, Earthing Ed asks if anyone can give a justification for eating meat. Answers given for this are mostly about how the meat tastes good, plant-based food doesn’t have protein, and animals are meant to be eaten.
Statistics about vegetarian and veganism by Health Careers:
● Veganism reduces the risk of prostate cancer by 35%.
● Vegan junk food is the most popular vegan meal option.
● Only 40% of the world population will be vegan by 2040.
● If everyone was vegan, there would be no cancer cases related to eating
Animals deserve a fair life just like every human does and there is so much scientific evidence that we need to pay attention to. Animals shouldn’t be suffering just because of our decisions. This also means that we shouldn't be using them for our entertainment such as with the circus and horse riding. Our elders didn’t have a choice and did whatever it took to live, but we don’t have to do that because we have options and choices which enable us to have a better environment and future.