A Look into the Health Benefits of Veganism
Throughout my eighteen years of existence, I thought I was living a “healthy”, consistent lifestyle, working out every day and limiting my carbohydrate consumption. I no longer felt healthy but felt cheated from not knowing the truth behind the sickening meat production. The day I learned about the health issues involved with eating animal by-products, my definition of being “healthy” changed. I became more concerned with the way food was produced and harvested and stopped supporting mass corporations and businesses who lie to their consumers for the sole intention to make money. My meaning behind healthy now entails eating less processed foods and more organic products. Little did I know, that day would be the last time I would ever consume meat again.
This dramatic change in my lifestyle was not an easy one, but it helped me reinforce the healthy ideals I live by daily. I became interested in watching documentaries such as “What the Health” by Kip Andersen, which helped strengthen my knowledge about animal cruelty, the meat industry, and the tragic health issues that are entailed with eating animal by-products. Kip goes to great lengths to “uncover the secret to preventing and even reversing chronic diseases”, which brings plant-based diets into play. Being a vegetarian has been an eye-opening experience that assisted me in realizing that my health should be valued more than my taste preferences, which spiked my interest in being a member of the vegan community. By challenging myself more to learn about the health benefits of being vegan and eliminating all animal by-products from my diet will guide me into a new chapter of my life.
The vegan community entails so many opportunities to be a part of and share connections within the internet. During my research I’ll focus on the question, "What important texts exist in this community I am drawn toward, what genres do they belong to, and how are they functioning within the community?”, to focus on the ways this community keeps their close interactions and promotes one another through the internet. Popular forms of interaction within this community are social media accounts such as Instagram, YouTube, and blog posts. Kristina Bucaram is a vegan inspiration known to most as “FULLYRAW KRISTINA”. She is known to be one of the most famous vegan influences for her drive to spread the message of health and wellness benefits from a plant-based diet. Kristina is looked up to by many people and has encouraged hundreds of people to join the movement towards a healthier life (Kristina Bucaram). Documentaries are another way to stay informed about the health issues associated with eating animal by-products and will help enrich ones understanding of the health benefits of being vegan. I’ll further my research through articles online written by credible scholars or doctors to make sure the information I find is accurate.
Within this community, I’ll be interviewing a friend of mine, Alex McDermott, by questioning her motive in being a part of the vegan community and the ways in which she copes with her lifestyle, such as the foods she eats. My main interest in this community derived from my experience as a vegetarian and meeting friends like Alex, who live out such an incredible lifestyle and incorporate their passion and love for veganism in almost every aspect of their life. She was my main inspiration in wanting to become a part of this community and wanting to learn exactly how to live my life the way I want, without feeling restricted. I’ve never been included in a community of people where I can share a common interest and emotionally support others to challenge themselves daily and bond over our moral similarities. I’m intrigued in learning about the various lifestyles that are lived amongst those in the vegan community and the ways Alex contributes to her community. There’s so much to learn about the unknown sphere of the vegan community and I can’t want to build connections with others and be a part of it.
Regarding my research of the vegan community, I narrowed my focus towards a specific member of the community, Alex McDermott. I met Alex in my sophomore year of high school and she was an idol of mine that inspired me to become a vegetarian. She is a dedicated member of the vegan community and stood out to me as someone who is consistent with their views in every aspect of her life. Alex informed me of her main motives in becoming a vegan, which are centered around animal rights issues, as well as environmental factors. During her two and half year long journey as a vegan, she’s lost seventy pounds eating a plant-based diet and exercising daily. Alex was quick to learn the health benefits associated with eliminating animal by-products from her diet, such as a decrease in saturated fats that are found in large quantities within dairy products and red meats (Andersen and Kuhn). Her decreased consumption of processed foods allowed her complexion to clear up dramatically and gave her an increase in energy, enabling her to work out more frequently.
Alex is a part of a very interactive and friendly community of people who share common interests through the sphere of the internet such as social media posts like Instagram, YouTube, and personal blogs. She follows an Instagram account called “Fullyrawkristina”, to keep learning new ways to cook vegan recipes and explore the alternative ways to eat without animal products in her diet. Alex follows other inspiring vegan idols such as Ellen Fisher, who posts video logs on YouTube involving her family who are all dedicated vegans who display their daily lifestyles, along with the recipes they swear by. Documentaries such as “Cowspiracy” and “What the Health”, both directed by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn, are also popular to the vegan community in informing viewers of the health risks associated with eating animal by-products. A few of these risks include: the clogging-up of the arteries from fats and cholesterol, and an increased risk of cancer and diabetes (Andersen and Kuhn).
Alex sets an example for people by influencing them to think about the impact of their food choices and how to affects the world around us. She’s influenced a lot of her close friends to change their mindsets about what they put in their bodies and how it directly affects our surrounding environment. The biggest stereotype, Alex claims, is that people assume vegans are always trying to force their ideals amongst others; although she gets her message out by initialing respecting people’s choices and encourages them to live their life in a way that makes them happy. Knowing that she can live a sustainable and healthier life without harming other living species, motivates her to continue her life a part of the vegan community. Although becoming a vegan is challenging at first, Alex has proven it to be worth every ounce of time and energy she’s put into it, consistently presenting her morals throughout every aspect of her life. She loves being able to live a guilt-free lifestyle, always feeling satisfied with herself and her body, knowing she’s consuming foods that are neither bad for body nor the environment.
The vegan community is composed of a following of dedicated, morally consistent people, driven to accomplish the goals they set for themselves and society. They interact in extensive ways, branching their connections worldwide to other countries via the sphere of the internet. They successfully get their word out by encouraging others to join their movement against animal by-products and consumerism, “seeking an end to the use of animals by man for food, commodities, work, hunting, vivisection, and by all other uses involving exploitation of animal life by man.,” (Watson). They attract their audience with the use of influential sources of media such as documentaries like “What the Health” and “Cowspiracy” both directed by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn. These documentaries are aimed towards calling out the nation’s leading health and environmental organizations and “uncovering the secret to preventing and even reversing chronic diseases and why these health organizations don’t want us to know about it” (Andersen and Kuhn). The vegan community attracts viewers who care for the world that exists around them and can acknowledge the impacts that our actions as humans make on our planet.
The rise of veganism can be traced back as early as 500 BCE, when Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, followed a vegetarian diet and promoted kindness towards animals (Watson). Although veganism wasn’t a socially known concept until a group known as “The Vegan Society,” was founded in 1944 by Donald Watson. Watson and six other individuals are accredited for being the first members of the vegan movement who recognized the necessity of awareness needed amongst society about the issues regarding the environment, animal’s rights, and health-oriented issues.
Today, the vegan community consists of approximately 7.3 million people who follow a plant-based diet in the United States alone (The Vegetarian Times Editors). This is a growing, widespread movement as people are becoming more consciously aware of the health dangers of consuming animal by-products and the affects it has on the environment. This world-wide awareness is spread through the engagement of social media and the internet through blog posts, Instagram accounts, and YouTube posts. Famous vegan accounts that have large followings on social media sites like Instagram and YouTube bring more attention to the community of veganism and allow people to become more interested in learning the potential of maintaining a plant-based diet. Connections amongst people within the community are upheld through the bondage over similar moral ideals and creative ways to exist as vegan. People share food recipes with each other to find new ways to prepare snacks, meals, and desserts without the use of animal-by products. “FullyRawKristina” is one of many famous Instagram idols who is well known for her raw vegan recipes. She displays her foods in a way that is visually appealing and has a way of attracting viewers to be interested in knowing what her profile is all about. Kristina inspires many people to take that initial leap in switching to the vegan lifestyle and committing to eating a raw, clean diet. Kristina is amongst other vegans who began their journey due to a serve illness, Type 2 Diabetes, hyperglycemia. Becoming a vegan was a life changing experience that cured her of diabetes at eighteen years old. Over the last thirteen years of being a raw vegan, Kristina has inspired many individuals and has one of the largest followings in the vegan community (Kristina Bucaram).
Many people are drawn to the idea of a vegan lifestyle when they’re facing health issues or need a healthier diet to follow. Dairy and meat products contain the highest amounts of saturated fats that increases your risk of diabetes by 51% (Andersen and Kuhn). Eating large quantities of processed meats have been found to clog your arteries and put you at a greater risk for heart disease and forms of cancer (The Physicians Committee). A large following of vegans join the community to meet their fitness goals at a greater ease, granting them more energy to accomplish workouts by fueling their bodies with nutrients that work in their favor and don’t weigh them down. The food industry has finally caught up to the demands of society, and many food businesses now promote and encourage the vegan community by providing plant-based options on their menus. Many businesses have flourished during this rise in popularity of veganism and have opened restaurants specifically geared towards the targeted audience of organic, natural, vegan foods. Corner coffee shops are now serving vegan banana breads, muffins, and cookies to cater more to the community. This community is growing in popularity by the minute, and sooner or later, we’ll all be fighting in the freezer isle for the last box of veggie burgers.
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