6 Reasons to Become a Vegan

Veganism is a lifestyle that promotes health, the environment, money, and versatility. Avoiding animals products isn't as hard as you might expect. By making the right choices you can develop compassion and a healthier lifestyle!

A good reason to become a vegan is the animals. By eating fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains you can save many lives. What better way to teach your children compassion by not killing. Animal cruelty extends not only to people like Micheal Vick, or the millions of others who torture animals, but also the ones who support the horrible acts of killing. Many animals located on factory farms are packed so tight they never get to do anything natural. Cows can't graze, pigs don't get to roll in the mud, and chickens often die from the bad conditions. We often buy our pets gifts and treat them like royalty, but when it comes to our appetite many farm animals get the short end of the stick.

The next reason to become a vegan is your health. Meat has no fiber and is laden with with fat and cholesterol. Obesity is an epidemic in our country. What better way to make a change then to start eating fruits and vegetables! Heart disease is the number one killer and you can reverse unclogged arteries by following a vegan diet. Erectile dysfunction is another medical issue that can be mixed with a vegan diet. A USDA study found that 98 percent of broiler chicken carcasses had detectable levels of E. coli, indicating fecal contamination. Avoid harmful illnesses that live in flesh foods. There are more than 50 million cases of meat-related food-borne illness every year in the United States, thousands of which lead to death.

Help the environment by eating vegan-friendly foods. Climate change, water pollution, land degradation, and a decline in biodiversity are the effects of animal agriculture. Veganism uses less of our environmental resources and causes less damage than an animal-based diet. According to the University of Chicago, switching from the average American diet to a vegan diet would reduce CO2 emissions by 1,485 kg per year. Extensive farming of the land to grow feed, for the animals that we plan to eat, damages the land. Why not just grow vegetables to feed ourselves?

Veganism can save you money! Meat is expensive. The average price for a 10 pound bag of potatoes, that can feed a family for a week, is $4. The price of a pack of 2 pounds of meat, that may last one night, is $8. Lettuce, lemon and olive oil dressing, with some tomatoes makes a nice salad at around $5 or less. Meat, salad, and a vegetable for dinner will run you about $15. Veganism not only promotes quantity you will also get better quality food.

It's said that a clean conscious sleeps well at night. When you purchase popular brands of organic vegan-friendly foods they donate portions of their money to charities. Paul Newman states this on his brand. Soy Joy is another good brand. Amy's makes wonderful frozen foods that are available in all popular stores like Publix and Kroger. You'll feel better at the end of the day knowing what your money is being used for. Be a conscious consumer.

Not only will you gain these benefits from becoming vegan, but you'll get to experience some wonderful tasting food you never knew existed. You may love tofu, soy milk, vegan "fake" meats, or fruits and vegetables never tried before. Express your creative side and create some delicious vegan meals!