Do you think of animals as living beings that experience suffering, pain and happiness just like us, or do you think of them as a source of food, something we can control at will ? own will? I imagine that most of you, if not all, grew up eating meat, consuming dairy products, and wearing clothing made of leather and wool. I also imagine that most of you don't think about the impact of using or consuming these products. However, supporting the use and consumption of animal products has a negative impact on our environment, and consuming animal products likely has a similar negative impact on your body. It is also responsible for the death of thousands of animals every day. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayIt is very difficult for humans to make the connection between the food on the plate and where it came from. Being vegan means not consuming meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, honey, eggs, etc. Vegans don't eat anything that comes from an animal. Furthermore, vegans do not use leather, wool or products that are not cruelty free. Going vegan is a step you can take to end the animal product industry, improve your health and the environment. Vegans tend to be called extremists because they eat whole foods, take care of their health, protect the environment, and reduce the amount of animals that are brutally killed. Yet meat eaters who pollute the environment and waste resources that could be exploited elsewhere, and cause the slaughter of more than 50 billion animals a year, are considered normal. So why do people go vegan and what impact does it really have? It may not seem like eating a piece of chicken or drinking a glass of milk would affect the earth, but it does. The animal products industry uses excessive amounts of natural resources and pollutes the environment. To put this into perspective, it takes 2,400 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat. Yet it only takes 25 gallons to produce one pound of grain. You would save more water by not eating a pound of meat than you would if you didn't shower for 6 months. Animal agriculture uses 30% of the world's land surface. The industry emits more greenhouse gases than the entire global transportation sector combined; and causes water pollution, deforestation and air pollution. According to veganoutreach.com, switching to a vegan diet prevents the release of 1,533 pounds of CO2 per year that would be produced in the animal products industry. Most people don't realize the amount of resources needed to produce animal products. To give you yet another idea, it takes a thousand liters of water to produce 1 liter of milk (veganbranding.com). Most of you most likely didn't know the impact this industry has on our planet because no one tells you when you're growing up. Because it is normal to consume and use animal products. Because no one tells you when you eat a hamburger that almost 700 liters of water are needed to produce it. Feeding animals pounds and pounds of grain reduces the amount of food resources they desperately need in other countries. So imagine if we were to stop focusing so many of these resources on the production of animal products and focus more on producing whole, plant-based foods, which are not only immensely healthier, but have less of an impact on the environment, how we could reduce the negative impact of our population on our planet? Going vegan not only drastically reduces your impactindividual on the environment, but can also directly affect your health. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that those who follow a vegan diet have lower cholesterol, lower blood sugar, lower body weight, and a lower risk of diseases such as colon cancer, breast cancer , cataracts, osteoporosis. Meat and dairy products contain a lot of saturated fats which, if eliminated from your diet, can greatly improve your health. Humans are the only species that drinks the milk of other animals. By eating more plants, you would also consume more antioxidants, which fight cancer and improve cell health. Going vegan has also been shown to reverse type 2 diabetes and heart disease in some people. Going vegan also gives people more energy. That's why so many athletes and celebrities switch to a plant-based diet. Vegans can easily get all the nutrients they need, and despite belief to the contrary, plants contain a lot of protein. By switching to a vegan diet, you can significantly improve your health. Now we come to the reason why most people go vegan: to save animals. If you could live a life where you didn't pay someone to constantly kill animals, would you? I can't answer this question for you, but I encourage you to think about it. For most people it is sad when a dog dies. And for some people, when they hear that a cow has died, it's also sad. But those people continue to consume animal products that require the death of thousands of animals every day. Many people would say they love animals, but how can you say you love animals if you are responsible for their death and suffering when you eat animal products? I will give you a briefing on the life of a cow. When it is born, it is immediately taken away from the mother because she needs the mother's milk for human consumption rather than giving it to the calf who needs those nutrients. If it is a male calf, it will most likely go to one of two places: a farm where it will grow up, although separated from its mother, living in dirty, cramped conditions its entire life until it is slaughtered; or it will be sent to a butcher soon after birth to be slaughtered for veal. If it is a female cow, she will most likely be sent to a dairy farm, where she will be repeatedly injected with hormones, have numerous offspring that she will never see, and live her life in harsh conditions. All types of animals related to the animal product industry live this way. Consider having to live this life even for just one day. You are stuck in a small habitat. Most chickens have a living space the size of an iPad screen. You are only fed, so that you can produce products for others. You have to give up all the children you would ever have. Ultimately, you're just waiting for your inevitable massacre. The belief that humans and animals deserve the same amount of compassion may not resonate with all people, but humans are animals, we are mammals. Eating a steak, or milk, or eggs, is not worth the suffering these animals suffer. If I were to ask you why you wouldn't go vegan, what would your answer be? Don't have time? Is it too expensive? Do you need meat to live? Would cows overpopulate the earth? Do you love bacon or cheese too much? I heard all this. Being vegan doesn't necessarily take longer. It just takes a little more effort, but if you want to make a difference, it shouldn't matter. Going vegan is not expensive and can actually be cheaper as long as you prioritize sustainable diet, rather than processed substitute foods. Meat generally has a cost.