Veganism : More Than A Diet

[Guest guest]

Alright folks, here is the first paper that your answers to the questionnaires helped write. I t had to be short, so I couldn't use all the information I gathered in this paper, I will be doing a persuasive speech later thatI will use some of the information I gathered for. And, because of the great response to my questionnaire, I am now thinking of writing a book this summer. Thank you folks for all your help, and I will let you know when I get my grade and when I do my speech. Thank you again,

Veronica

Thank you to Meghan, who helped provide some inspiration and a nice quote that I probably would not have otherwise found.

 

Veganism: More Than a Diet

Veganism is more than just a diet; it is a life-style. Historically it is derived from vegetarianism, which has played a large part in many religions. In a parallel fashion, many vegans begin as vegetarians. Veganism entails abstaining from ingesting or wearing animal products. Veganism is an extremely healthy life-style which avoids the exploitation of all animals in any way; it is essentially a compassion-based life-style.

Veganism finds its beginnings in vegetarianism, which can be traced back as far as 3,200 BC, when the Egyptians favored a vegetable- based diet because of their karmic beliefs. They thought that if they ate meat they would be doomed to be reincarnated as an animal to be eaten. Vegetarianism was also a tenet of several early religions, including Hinduism and Jainism. Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras, Socrates, and Plato were vegetarians. In the 18th century philosophers, such as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Locke, eschewed animal exploitation in general.

The Vegetarian Society was formed in 1846 in the United Kingdom. It was from this society that veganism was brought into being by Donald Watson of Leicester, England. There were some members of the Vegetarian Society, including Mr. Watson, who wanted to abstain from dairy products as well as from animal flesh. The Vegetarian Society did not accept their proposal for creating a subset of non-dairy vegetarians, so they went on to form a group of their own. They took the word vegan from the word vegetarian in order to have a name for their lifestyle that could easily be associated with the existing concept of animal flesh abstinence.

The wordreference.com website defines vegan as “n. a person who refrains from using any animal product whatever for food, clothing, or any other purpose”. This is an important definition, because it encompasses more than just food choices. When questioned, most vegans will state that being a vegan means that they do not consume anything that an animal had to die or suffer for to include materials such as wool, leather and silk, and byproducts such as gelatin (derived from the bones and cartilage of animals), whey (a dairy protein), and even isinglass (a product from the swim bladders of fish that is used to purify wine).

Established in 1944, the Vegan Society advocates the use and manufacture of animal-free products as well as a plant-based diet. They explain veganism as a lifestyle in their Articles of Association:

“Veganism denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude – as far as is possible and practical – all forms of exploitation of and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose; and by extension promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment.”

Veganism is very healthy life-style that provides for all the nutritional requirements of humans with plant products. A misconception that many people have is that they need animal products to survive. That cannot be farther from the truth. Many scientists believe that the Standard American Diet can be directly blamed for most of the common diseases and conditions plaguing our society such as cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, allergies, breast cancer, colon cancer, and obesity. However many studies, including a 1997 study done by the American Dietary Association, show that following a vegan diet can greatly reduce the risk of these diseases.

Many vegans have taken and devoted their entire lives to helping animals in all ways. They keep save-a-pet kits in the trunks of their cars in case of a roadside stray that may need a helping hand. They go to demonstrations and stand vigils in order to make sure that animals are treated correctly. Recently a group of concerned vegans in Connecticut grouped together to close down a pet store that was sited as letting the animals die of starvation in their cages. This type of demonstration and concern is an example of the activism of dedicated vegans.

Veganism is more than a mere diet, although that is a large tenet of it. The reason being, that the simplest step that can be taken to ease animal suffering is the food choice that people make. After that, other compassionate choices and actions seem to naturally progress. Many vegans begin as vegetarians and slowly but surely move to the conclusion that they need to live their lives completely free of animal suffering and cruelty. Veganism encompasses lifestyle, diet and philosophy, all coming together to help end animal suffering.

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