Unless you’ve been living under a paleolithic rock, you should be aware that March 24th-30th is National Meat Free Week. Whether you’re a stubborn skeptic, vege-curious flexitarian, or a diehard tofubitch/angry carrot mama like myself, this month is all about swapping your steak for a wholesome salad, and testing for yourself with an open-mind what all the hype’s about.
Contrary to the aggressively confrontational veganazi stereotype, I’m usually pretty reserved with asserting my values and beliefs. It’s literally always omnivores who try to challenge and 'convert’ me back to my old self-indulgent meat-eating ways. Occasionally I'll bump into the odd curious person who genuinely tries to understand my motivations, and the simplest answer I can give without seeming morally overwhelming is I am an advocate of health-conscious living, which is gentler to animals, our bodies and the planet.
Here are my top reasons why being vegan is so personally meaningful:
Speciesism isn’t egalitarian enough for my taste. In our culture, owning pets or volunteering at an animal shelter is almost exclusively associated with combating animal cruelty. Yet, rarely do we think to question why some animals are more equal than others, or why animals in general are deemed less equal than humans. I’ve always felt this vast, unexplainable reverence for nature that it’s difficult to perceive myself as separate and detached from the majestic, interdependent web of life from which we’ve symbiotically evolved. Their suffering is one and the same with my suffering, and if we can't help animals, we should strive not to harm them in any context.
"the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. the most violent weapon on earth is the kitchen fork." -mahatma gandhi
I believe all pain should be consensual. Cultivating a peaceful inner conscience to me isn't about suppressing what helps us sleep at night. Animals are voiceless, defenceless creatures, which don’t possess the ability to consent to profiting industries taking advantage of their sovereign livelihoods. The harsh reality is that our personal choices carry immense economic and political weight, driving the unquenchable demand for conveniently outsourced torture. I'm talking here about upper/middle class folks in the west who aren't geographically isolated/dependent on hunting or farming to feed themselves. Even if animals were anaesthetised and put down ‘humanely’, how many of us are diligent enough to only buy ‘organic, free range’ meat? The major fast food chains and supermarkets most people eat from are in the business of monopolising food security (which means cheaper, live-imported, factory-farmed meat.) We’re desensitised enough to violent media, there's no point in trying to guilt trip anyone into feeling the painless sting of a butcher’s blade — we simply need to recognise that the powerful industries we unknowingly support through our consumption choices aren’t primarily concerned with public health or environmental integrity.
"until he extends the circle of compassion to all living things, man will not find himself peace." -albert schweitzer
Plant-based diets are more globally sustainable. Cutting down on meat consumption has been identified as *the* most effective lifestyle change people can make to reduce their environmental footprint, according to the president of the Australian Conservation Foundation. Widespread meat production has caused alarming amounts of deforestation, water pollution, waste disposal, energy inefficiency, and greenhouse gas emissions; resulting in biodiversity loss and exponential threats of habitat extinction. If most of the grain fed to methane-emitting livestock was directly harvested and justly distributed for human consumption, we would effectively produce tonnes more food to alleviate famine and malnutrition on a vegan/vegetarian diet.
"nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution of a vegetarian diet" -albert einstein
The health benefits far outweigh the cons. Eating a plant-based diet drastically reduces our chances of developing cardiovascular disease, certain autoimmune conditions, diabetes, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, and many cancers. Vegans and vegetarians also have the lowest rates of obesity, and a higher life expectancy on average. Even if you reduced portion sizes, and started viewing meat as a side dish rather than a main, it would make a considerable difference. This makes a heap of sense, considering the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in seafood, as well as the unhygienic, toxic environments in which livestock are caged, slaughtered, injected with growth hormones, live transported, and chemically processed for consumption. Compare that to all the superfoods and nutritional powerhouses we know of like kale, quinoa, hemp and chia sseds, acai berries, cold pressed juices, vitamix-everything etc. The oversimplified idea that vegans don’t get enough protein or energy from our diets ignores other holistic lifestyle factors, such as submitting to an energy-draining rather than energy-conserving culture, which worships workaholism and represses relaxation. There’s evidence that people are getting too much protein from a western diet, so the real question is “where you do get your everything-else?” All those vitamins, minerals and amino acids are abundant on a well-planned vegan diet.
If you’re still wondering, “what’s in it for me? why should I give this whole meat free week (or indefinite meat free challenge if you're up for it!) thing a go?”, the easiest reason to embrace is simply because vegan food is fucking delicious. Trust me, it’s not all defrosted tofu patties and broccoli porridge. Thankfully, there are vegan substitutes for almost everything — you can make nine different types of bacon without all the creepy nitrates and cancerous preservatives. My omnivore friends always comment on how delicious my meals are, so the variety makes it feel a lot less restrictive than a conventional diet.
I understand that a permanent, strict vegan/vegetarian diet isn’t for everyone, but questioning our food philosophy should be an eye-opening exercise in empathy, self-discipline, and compassion.
Resources for those interested in learning more:
A Delicate Balance
Hungry For Change
Earthlings
Worldwatch: Is Meat Sustainable?
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