Why i’m vegan

My journey from meat-eater to vegetarian to vegan. Why I became a vegan and why you should incorporate some vegan practices into your life.

Have you ever thought about going vegan, or maybe participating in Vegan January (“veganuary”) or meatless Mondays? Most of my clients are not vegetarian or vegan, and I come from a house of meat-eaters. I’m not in the business of converting folks to veganism. Food choices are highly personal – dependent upon an individual’s physical needs, cultural upbringing, economic station, and taste preferences, among many other things. What each person needs is highly individualized. As a coach, I make recommendations based on each of these individual needs. That said, there are significant benefits to eating vegan, either as a lifelong commitment or an occasional choice. It’s one of the most influential choices we can make regarding the health of our climate, and for that reason, I implore you to read on and learn more about why I chose to become a vegan and why you might benefit from incorporating more vegan meals into your life.

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I ate meat until I was 16/17. I don’t remember the exact date that I decided to become a vegetarian, and I wasn’t strict about it every day of every year. I haven’t eaten beef, pork, or lamb since I was a teen. I ate tuna fish sandwiches occasionally in college. When I was hospitalized with MRSA in Thailand (a long story for another time) when I was 19, the hospital staff only provided chicken dishes for me to eat as they insisted it was necessary for my recovery, though I ate as little of the actual chicken as possible. I ate fish on a visit to New Orleans with my sister as there was almost nothing else that I could eat otherwise.

Why am I starting here, with my “failures” to be a complete vegetarian? It’s important for me to show you now, at the beginning, that I am not writing to you from a place of extremist, black/white thinking. My ethos in life is to do one’s best, and frequently perfection and total adherence to a certain way of being causes ill-health. That said, I haven’t had any animal meat, fish or otherwise, since becoming a vegan 4 years ago.

When I first became a vegetarian and again when I first became a vegan, I noticed many people in my life bombarding me with the same questions. Vegans tend to be treated as though we’re militant, obsessive, and judgmental. All the vegans I know are kind people who are eating and living a certain way for their own personal reasons. It’s really that simple. That said, do I love when people ask or tell me: “Where do you get your protein? There’s no way you’re eating enough.” “A vegan diet lacks B12 so it’s inherently unhealthy.” “Eating animals is natural! What could be wrong with that?” “Cavemen ate meat! You should, too!” “Oh, okay, don’t judge me while I enjoy this steak!” etc.? No. It’s frustrating.

1)    I don’t care what you eat.

2)    B12 supplements are super easy to find and take.

3)    I’m as healthy as can be.

4)    Cavemen also ate plants.

5)    I get plenty of protein.

6)    I won’t force you to be vegan, to abstain from eating meat around me, or to sit and endure a long lecture about factory farming. I will happily tell you about the benefits of eating more plants and less meat for yourself, animal-welfare, the environment, and social justice, but only if you’re interested.

Okay, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let me tell you the story of why I stopped eating meat as a teenager.

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When I was a kid, I sang in church choir. We traveled around the US and England on yearly trips to sing at other churches. One year, when I was in elementary school, we went to Dallas, Texas. One of the “fun outings” that was arranged for us was a tour of a slaughterhouse. I truly do not remember a single thing about this tour except for the color of the wood on some fencing we passed. It’s a memory that has been fully repressed and blacked out. The tour was followed up by a lunch of hamburgers at a nearby restaurant. I recall this being one of the most upsetting experiences of food that I’d had in my short life thus far.

I didn’t stop eating meat then, but I wanted to, and it planted the seed of a meatless lifestyle in my young mind. My parents still cooked for me, and generally the rule was that if I wanted a different dinner, I needed to be old enough to prepare it myself. My sister stopped eating red meat as a teen and when I was old enough to cook for myself, I made the choice to become a vegetarian. It wasn’t difficult. I enjoyed ribs, salami, pepperoni, and bacon (AKA, pig), but even still, it wasn’t hard for me to stop eating these foods because I really didn’t want to. When you have the right motivation, it’s not as hard to change your behaviors as people might think.

When I was a baby, my parents discovered I had a milk allergy. It took a few years to solve the mystery of my inability to gain weight, chronic nausea/vomiting, and stunted growth. Once they figured it out, they removed all dairy from my diet, and I started to improve. When I was a little older, it seemed as though I had “outgrown” my allergy. I drank milk, though I really didn’t enjoy it. I ate ice cream and butter and cheese, my favorite food. I often felt sick after eating dairy, but we assumed I had lactose intolerance. When I stopped eating meat, I started eating MORE dairy. So much cheese. I was definitely not eating “healthier” as a vegetarian. I ate mostly crackers and cheese. Taking meat out of my diet didn’t automatically translate to increased vegetable intake. I was a teen, and I was eating what was familiar to me.

In college, I tried out a self-described “cheegan” diet, aka, a lacto-vegetarian diet: meaning, eating as a vegetarian but abstaining from eating eggs. I never loved eggs, so it wasn’t hard for me to stop eating them. As I got older though, I started noticing an increasingly adverse reaction to eating dairy. It started with a stuffy nose, then a sore and scratchy throat, and finally, issues breathing. At my yearly physical, I spoke to my doctor about my history of a milk allergy. He explained that I likely never “outgrew” the allergy, but that my young, resilient body had been able to tolerate the dairy more so than my now-adult body. Now that my symptoms were strengthening, my body was showing me that my allergy was getting more dangerous. He prescribed me an EpiPen, and advised me to cut dairy out of my diet.

At that same time, I happened to be starting a health coaching program with Michelle Baker of Fitvista. It was the perfect opportunity to fully go vegan as I knew she would help me determine new protein, B vitamin, and iron sources. She helped me seek out alternatives: vegan protein powder (plus tempeh, tofu, seitan, legumes, and grains) plus B12, Vitamin D/K2, and iron supplements. I had thought it would be really hard to stop eating cheese, and for a little while, it was. Thankfully, vegan cheese has come a LONG way in the last 5 years. If you haven’t had a non-dairy piece of cheese since the early 2000s, I implore you to try again. Surprisingly, over time, dairy has gotten less and less appealing to me. Now, you couldn’t pay me to eat dairy butter or cheese, even without the potential allergic reaction. I have no desire to eat it. Trust me, if you knew me as a kid, you’d know that this was the last thing I expected to happen when I became a vegan. As with cutting out meat, it wasn’t so hard for me to cut out dairy because I had a strong motivation.

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Up until now, I’ve focused on my physical reasons for becoming a vegan, but they are far from my only motivating factors. The biggest reasons why I eat and live as a vegan are animal-welfare and climate change. Climate change, especially, is the reason why I encourage you, dear reader, to adopt vegan behaviors. Here’s why:

 1.     Water

Water scarcity is an increasingly dire issue. You might be thinking: “Earth is mostly made of water – how could it be scarce?” While water might seem abundant, access to drinkable water has been devastated by climate change. In an article for National Geographic, Stephen Leahy writes, “Climate change has disrupted the Earth’s hydrological cycle (water cycle), changing when, where, and how much precipitation falls…Humanity is facing a growing challenge of too much water in some places and not enough water in others.”[i] Household water use only accounts for roughly 3% of total water use. What accounts for the majority of our water use? Agriculture.[ii]

In the United States, almost half our water is used for livestock.[iii] Water is used not just to quench the animal’s thirst, but also to grow the food that sustains them. Water is involved in the slaughter and factory processes that convert their bodies into the meat that we consume. According to the Humane Society, it takes about 3,000 liters of water to produce one hamburger’s worth of beef. [iv] Additionally, the cultivation of livestock contributes to water contamination. Soil erosion is accelerated. Excrement, fertilizer, fuel, and pesticides contaminate water supplies.[v]  An important takeaway: 700 million people could be affected by water scarcity by 2030[vi]. That’s only 9 years away. A meat-free diet can reduce water use by 55%. [vii] This is worth taking seriously.

 2.     Emissions

 It’s no secret that our global emissions are accelerating climate change at a scale so disastrous it will lead to consequences for every single person on earth. One of the largest contributing factors toward global carbon emissions is the livestock industry. In the article, “The Case for Plant-Based” for the UCLA Sustainability initiative, Dana Hunnes writes, “If each and every person in the United States gave up meat and dairy products on one or more days of the week; ideally, all days of the week, we would save the environment from thousands of tons of carbon emissions.  In fact, in one year, animal husbandry creates as much carbon emissions as the entire transportation sector.”[viii]

A 2019 review in Nutrition Reviews by Gardner et al. states that carbon emissions from a gram of protein from beef are 7.5 times higher than a gram of protein from plants.[ix][x] “Consumption of protein from cattle products accounts for by far the largest amount of carbon emissions and water usage, roughly 70% of the total annual greenhouse gas footprint and 58% of the water footprint of U.S. protein consumption. In contrast, all plant proteins currently contribute to just 4% of the total annual carbon footprint and 23% of the water footprint.”[xi] In short, reducing your meat consumption even by one day a week will help lower emissions.

3.     Land Use

 When you picture America, do you picture rows and rows of crops? Millions of stalks of corn, acres of amber waves of grain? Most of our crops are grown not to feed millions of Americans but to feed the animals that Americans intend to eat. In an article for Forks Over Knives, Dana Hudepohl writes, “Between 2000 and 2010, 80 percent of the plant proteins produced in the United States were allocated to animal feed, either domestically or abroad.”[xii] Call me crazy, but what if we took those plants and fed them to people instead of animals? Might we work to feed the millions of Americans who are currently trapped in food scarcity?

4.     Deforestation

 Land use leads us naturally to the issue of deforestation. Livestock is also one of the main contributors to deforestation, which itself then perpetuates further carbon emissions as fewer trees = more carbon in the atmosphere. “Trees release carbon dioxide when they’re cut down. Deforestation accounts for about 10 percent of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide, and cattle ranching makes up an estimated 80 percent of deforestation” - Dana Hudepohl. [xiii] Additionally, deforestation leads to the endangerment of vulnerable species.[xiv] We are literally planting (for feed) and destroying (for land) plants in order to maintain sickly, diseased, depressed, stressed, and tortured animals for our own consumption. It’s an inversion of a system that should be basic and structured to ensure that every person in our country has enough food to eat. I’m not saying animals shouldn’t be fed or shouldn’t have land to roam – quite the opposite. It’s the scale of the endeavor that’s the issue. The lack of ethical oversight and the height of consumer demand for more is perpetuating this faulty and corrupt system.

There are many and more environmental impacts from factory farming and the livestock industry. I implore you to investigate and research, especially in pursuit of the truth of the very food you consume. Inform yourself, make changes, and do your best to be part of the solution where you once were part of the problem.

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In addition to the environmental devastation created by our animal-based food system, there’s the nasty business of cruelty inherent to its existence. Not everyone feels the same about creatures as I do – I acknowledge this. It doesn’t take much investigating to see that the animals kept and used for food suffer greatly as a result. They are kept indoors in crowded and dirty conditions. Many never see the sun. They spend their short lives in pain. Even if you have no regard for life other than your own, I implore you to do some research on the sources of the food that you eat. Even if you don’t care about the wellbeing of the animals, know that the stress hormones and antibiotics in their bodies (which are at alarmingly high levels) stay in the meat of their bodies, which you then consume. This needs further study, but scientists posit this intake of cortisol could contribute to chronic illness. The antibiotics in meat lead to antibiotic resistant illness, which as someone who had and barely survived one (MRSA in Thailand, as mentioned above), I can attest is a horrific experience. Have you ever seen a video of “cage-free” chickens with their beaks cut off (so they don’t peck each other to death from the stress of their living conditions)? If you haven’t, maybe it’s time to watch and wake up a little bit about what you’re contributing to when you buy eggs. I suggest the same for our country’s beef and dairy production. Look it up; don’t look away if you feel sad or uncomfortable.

As to dairy production, that’s another very hard truth to face. Commercials would have us envision groups of happy cows, roaming wide green hills and valleys, gladly sharing their milk with a healthy family, milk mustaches topping their wide grins. This is far from the truth. In order to produce milk, a cow must have young. Therefore, dairy cows are constantly impregnated. Their young are then taken from them, often within the first 24 hours of life. The female calves are given synthetic milk, placed in pens, and left to grow until they too will turn into dairy cows. The male calves are sent to be turned into veal or to be fed into the beef-farming system, which will eventually result in their slaughter. After their young are taken, the dairy cows are hooked up to machines which milk them. The process then repeats after 3-4 months. Make no mistake, this process causes extreme distress. These mothers are meant to be with their babies. They demonstrate this distress and often die from the toll it takes, refusing food and water. They are kept indoors in cages hardly bigger than their own bodies. They cry for their missing children. It’s not a natural system, and the milk produced is full of artificial hormones and antibiotics, which are needed to prevent the cows from getting deathly ill in their dirty and crowded conditions. The milk is full of the cows’ stress, pain, and ill-health. Does this milk impart nutrients to you or your child?

With all that said, you might be wondering: is there a way to keep eating meat and animal products that’s safer, healthier, more ethical, and less of a strain on the environment? Yes and no. Generally, if you purchase locally-sourced pasture-raised dairy, eggs, and meat, you are making a more ethical purchase. Pasture-raised means that the creatures weren’t just kept “cage-free” but were allowed to roam on and consume grass (rather than eating feed made of oats/corn/etc. and living in confined albeit ‘cage-less’ indoor conditions). This means they have much happier and healthier lives, meaning they give healthier meat and dairy. They get to be outdoors, to eat their natural food source, and just be cows. In their review, Gardner et al write: “Animals raised on pasture or in the wild (eg, marine fish) will have substantially different impacts than animals raised in partial or full confinement at high densities, which rely heavily on feed inputs.”

The BBC has a tool available called the climate change food calculator, which allows you to calculate your cost on the environment by food item and how often you consume said item. I encourage you to check it out, whether or not you consume meat. Find it here: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46459714

An important note: I want to take a moment to briefly discuss a crucial element of a vegan diet: accessibility. Simply put, good-quality fruits, vegetables, and vegan proteins are not available to many in this country. Those in food scarcity and food deserts are much less able to choose vegan food options. Those who are economically oppressed will also find it hard to purchase vegan items regularly. While beans and rice are an affordable vegan option, many vegan proteins and most high-quality produce is only available to the well-off. As with all things regarding health, we cannot ignore the disparities in who health is available to and what health even means. Health is a status-marker, going hand-in-hand with wealth and whiteness. I do not mean in any way to intend that those who cannot eat vegan for these reasons are lesser, purposefully harming the earth and animals, or in any way responsible for the system that prevents them from accessing health.

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I know I just threw out a lot of information and facts, and it might be a lot to process. Here’s the bottom line: “If each and every person in the United States gave up meat and dairy products on one or more days of the week; ideally, all days of the week, we would save the environment from thousands of tons of carbon emissions.” -Dana Hunnes. Hunnes also writes, “If we all eliminated meat and milk from our diets and went to plant sources of these foods, we would be saving at least 50% of our water use. We would be saving untouched habitats (Rainforests, marshes) from being destroyed to produce more livestock feed, and we would be creating less pollution in our waterways, streams, and oceans that indirectly threaten human, animal, and plant lives.” By adopting occasional meat, dairy, and egg-free meals and educating yourself about the sources of not just the food that you eat but the products you purchase and use, you can help offset your negative impact on the world. Knowledge is the first step. The second is action. I promise you will find vegan food that tastes delicious, reminds you of nostalgic food from your past, and nourishes you completely. I’m not saying you must eat and live vegan every day of the year. Just start somewhere. Try. Any effort will make a difference, and that’s all that I can ask.

Have you ever thought about going vegan? Did this article inform you of something unexpected? Has this information changed your mind about your food consumption? Leave a comment below - I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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RESOURCES AND WORKS CITED:

[i] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/03/world-water-day-water-crisis-explained/#close

[ii] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/03/world-water-day-water-crisis-explained/#close

[iii] https://www.forksoverknives.com/wellness/vegan-diet-helps-environmental-sustainability/

[iv] https://www.hsi.org/news-media/world-water-day-2019/

[v] https://www.forksoverknives.com/wellness/vegan-diet-helps-environmental-sustainability/

[vi] https://www.hsi.org/news-media/world-water-day-2019/

[vii] https://theconversation.com/meat-free-diets-could-cut-our-water-footprint-in-half-say-scientists-102926

[viii] https://www.sustain.ucla.edu/our-initiatives/food-systems/the-case-for-plant-based/

[ix] https://www.forksoverknives.com/wellness/vegan-diet-helps-environmental-sustainability/

[x] https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/77/4/197/5307079

[xi] https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/77/4/197/5307079

[xii] https://www.forksoverknives.com/wellness/vegan-diet-helps-environmental-sustainability/

[xiii] https://www.forksoverknives.com/wellness/vegan-diet-helps-environmental-sustainability/

[xiv] https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation-and-forest-degradation

[xv] https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/77/4/197/5307079

https://www.ciwf.org.uk/factory-farming/your-health/
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/08/how-animal-welfare-leads-to-better-meat-a-lesson-from-spain/244127/
https://www.worth.com/stress-is-edible-heres-how-we-can-avoid-it-in-our-food-system/

https://sentientmedia.org/dairy-cows/