To be honest, I changed to a plant-based diet for health reasons but over a year down the line and after watching and reading lots of information on the Vegan lifestyle, here are my 10 reasons for going Vegan.
1. For the animals
I was one of those cheese lovers, believing I could never live life without it, so thank goodness for Gary! And I enjoyed a bloody steak, yes my taste buds loved all those animal products but this had always conflicted with my view of myself as a huge animal lover.
After watching the films Earthlings and Cowspiracy that was it, it was like being woken up by a lightening bolt to the head, I couldn't do this anymore, my taste buds were not going to rule over my mind. And with my mind made up, I have gradually moved towards a more compassionate life.
2. New and exciting food
Now lets get this straight, Vegans no longer eat just lentils and kale. I know shock, horror. After signing up to Veganuary, I knew if I was going to stick at eating a plant-based diet, it had to be tasty. I didn't want my taste buds to be tempted in the slightest, so I purchased and was kindly gifted lots of Vegan cookery books by my supportive family and friends, I say 'supportive' because not everyone is going to support you to start but just keep going, they all get over it eventually.
So armed with all my new books, my meals have never been so exciting, tasty, creative and amazingly colourful. And you don't need to buy books, the internet is full of exciting recipes.
3. Health
We all know we should be eating more fresh fruit and veggies, I definitely eat way more on a plant-based diet. I feel healthier and there are lots of studies out there to back this one up and whilst everyone else is getting cold after cold, I'm still feeling good. However, you can eat a plant-based diet by eating chips, popcorn and crisps which wouldn't be good for your health, so you still need to think about what you are eating, even on a veggie diet.
4. Energy
So this one is closely linked to health, I now have way more energy, not every day, if I've had a very busy day, I still feel exhausted at the end of it, I'm not super woman but on the whole I wake up in the morning full of energy and ready to go.
5. The environment
So studies show that going Vegan shrinks your ecological footprint, as plants need less water than beef. A good documentary to watch is Cowspiracy if you are looking for more information on this and there is also a link to global warming, as more carbon dioxide comes from cows than cars. If you're thinking why don't I know all this stuff, I never knew either, it's shocking that it isn't on the news everyday, seeing as we all get told to car share, ride our bikes to work etc.
6. Better skin, hair and nails
To start, I'm not going to lie, my skin got worse, a lot worse before it got better and I guess looking back now, it was part of a detoxing process. Now I rarely get a spot, my nails are stronger and my hair is thicker and healthier looking.
7. Cancer prevention
Regularly eating a diet more rich in fruit and veggies is associated with reducing the risks of cancer. I've heard meat eaters say 'well I could die in an accident' against this one, but with research suggesting 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with the disease at some point in their life, I think I'd rather reduce my risk.
8. Live longer, Age slower
According to studies us Veggies outlive meat eaters by 6 years and plant based diets that are high in antioxidants slow down the ageing process, kale yes to that ladies. You can still keep your beauty cream, as long as it's cruelty free.
9. Help to end world hunger
If we used the crops grown to feed animals and used them to feed humans instead, there would be enough food to feed the world's population.
10. Be the change
I believe in being the change you want to see in the world and that one person becomes two and so on, so by being Vegan or plant-based, others will follow and each year more and more people are changing their diets, Veganuary grew from 3,000 people in 2014, to 12,000 in 2015 and 23,00 in 2016. By being the change, you are promoting the change and things will change!
Here's to keeping it kind in 2017.
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