10 Reasons To Go Vegan
1. A Plant Based Diet has been proven to reduce or reverse the risk of deadly diseases, including heart disease, diabetes & certain cancers.
2. A Vegan diet contains ZERO cholesterol.
3. 16 times more fossil fuels are needed to create one steak than to produce a plate of broccoli, eggplant, cauliflower & rice.
4. Cows expel methane, a greenhouse gas that is 23 times more potent than CO2.
5. Vegans live an average of 8 years longer than meat eaters.
6. Vegans require less pharmaceutical drugs than meat eaters.
7. Without a “Dairy industry”, there would no longer be a “Veal industry”.
8. Most meat served in America comes from Factory Farms, where animals are pumped with steroids, antibiotics and other harmful toxins, which end up in your body!
9. As meat production and consumption rises, so do cancer rates.
10. Last but certainly not least, animals on factory farms are raised under the cruelest of conditions. Debeaking, defeathering and scalding alive, are common practices with birds. Cows and pigs are are raised in such an inhumane nature, that it torture, plain & simple. Put into fewer words… #10 should simply say, “Eating meat is unethical”.
The Vegan Mom 
I’m a fairly brand-new vegan of 2 months now. Do you have any helpful tips or advice for me? Hahah i’m kinda addicted to pondering around in vegan blogs and me and my sister are trying out raw and seeing how that goes too! Please check out my blog, I would deeply appreciate it 🙂
Thank you and i love your blog!
First of all, I am totally impressed that you have made the switch to the healthiest & most compassionate lifestyle on earth!!! It is not easy, but it is really worth it! Many people will question you, criticize you, and even try to persuade you to go back to eating meat. You need to stay strong & proud, get educated on the benefits of Veganism and prove to the world that you are completely happy and healthy without animal flesh & bi-products in your body!!
Keep checking out blogs and communicating with other friendly Vegans. Subscribe to Veg News Magazine, buy some Vegan cookbooks, and get involved with some animal welfare organizations. My favorite is Farm Sanctuary!
Don’t be afraid to bring your own food & snacks to parties!
Check out Alicia Silvertone’s site & book “The Kind Diet” & get involved in her forums.
Please let me know if you ever have questions or concerns!!!
I tried to jump on your blog but it said it didn’t exist. Can you give it to me again?
Thanks & GOOD LUCK!!!!!!
I do bring my own food @ office and even on my sis in law wedding! 🙂
Hi there!
Since you are vegan, do you also use vegan products? Like shampoo, conditioners, vitamins etc?
I try to use only Vegan health & beauty products.
I tried going vegan for about 2 months. I am married and have 2 daughters ages 1 and 3. I was so afraid that I wasn’t giving them all the vitamins they needed. I also do not live near any decent cheap places that sell good produce. Do you have any suggestions? I would really love to give it a go again!
I really hope that you give it another try. It must be hard to not have good produce places near by, but most grocery stores carry enough fresh veggies to suit my needs. Whole, unprocessed foods are vital to a healthy Vegan diet. Maybe you can start a carpool to a better store that may not be in your area?? I do that with some local moms since our Whole Foods Market is an hour away. If price is an issue, stay away from all of the “fancy” Vegan foods that are unnecessary but very tempting, like Vegan meats, cheeses, ice-creams & specialty foods. Stick with fresh greens, dried beans, brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, almond milk, nuts & fruit. Your grocery bill should not be higher than usual. Good Luck!!
Hi there. I was a vegetarian since 12 and ate a vegan diet for nearly a year. Then I met my husband and began slowly eating meat again. Ive been eating meat now for 2 years and welcomed a new baby a couple of months ago. I hate how I don’t have as much energy after eating. I’d love to start eating a vegan diet again and get the hubby in on it as well, but with a new baby and two exhausted parents, can it be done? Any tips on easy transitioning? As of late we have been eating microwaved, over processed, artery clogging tv dinners
Help?
Hi Lisa,
I my wife, son and I have been eating the Vegan Diet for 7 years now. And we don’t miss eating animal foods anymore.
We started eating Vegan because I literally died in an ambulance from vomiting to death with Crohn’s Disease.
Fortunately, I lived to tell about it. And my health is totally transformed. No more Crohn’s Disease anymore.
My whole digestive tract is completely healed and I can eat almost all raw and cooked Vegan foods.
Strangely the Vegan Diet is not a “new” diet at all. GOD tells us in Genesis 1 : 29 in the Bible the original diet we were supposed to eat all along. . . .
“And GOD said, Behold, I have given you every plant bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth. And every tree, in the which, is the fruit, of a tree yielding seed. To you it shall be for meat.”
GOD is so smart. He really does know what is best for our bodies.
I just wish the Catholic church would embrace Veganism. My family skips every church dinner, which always consists of animal flesh.
I recommend doing what I did. Clean out your fridge, give ALL the animal products & junk food away, and refill it with clean eating food!! It sounds hard, but I tell ya- If the bad food is not in the house, you will not be so tempted to eat it. New moms need Nutritious food food for energy & also to set a positive example for your child! I got rid of my microwave too. I read “The Kind Diet” by Alicia Silverstone, and she recommended doing that. When you are working with fresh Vegan ingredients, a microwave is no longer needed! I reheat everything stovetop. Make sure you eat a nice big salad each day filled with greens, your favorite fruits & veggies, nuts & seeds! Try making green smoothies too!!
I would love some advice on my family making the switch to a vegetarian/ or vegan lifestyle. I was a vegetarian when before i had kids and I really want to make the change again, for health and moral reasons. Problem is, my husband is vehemently opposed. When i said something about our kids eating vegan at least a few times a week, he said he would just bring them home a cheeseburger. would really love some advice on trying to switch to a healthier diet for myself and my family with so much position!!!
Hi there!
I am not vegan nor vegetarian yet (though I have been vegetarian for a few brief times in my life) but I have been giving it a lot of consideration lately, mostly just wondering if being vegan is feasible for me, or if I’m just setting myself up for failure. Being vegan I imagine, much like being healthy in general, is difficult when surrounded by people who aren’t following your lifestyle. Do you have any advice for overcoming social and cultural hurdles that might make being vegan incredibly difficult?
I currently live in France (for a few more months) with a host family and the culture/family dictates an entirely anti-vegan lifestyle (cheese, red meat, butter – all staples of the French diet). My real family is from Latin America, where meat is the main staple in every possible meal. I fear that despite my best intentions, I will not be able to be vegan (or stay vegan for long) given my surrounding cultures and social environment (plenty of naysayers and people who make my healthy living in general incredibly difficult).
Is there any hope?
Thanks!!! And fabulous blog! I’m hooked.
I am very new to this and posted a comment earlier and can’t find it to see if anyone wrote back!! I went and looked for cook books today and just feel overwhelmed but so excited to just start this all. We were going to “get rid of everything animal based” in our fridge a d pantry first but the more I read the more mad I become thinking this was good for us all along…I watched “forks over knives” the third documentary we have see. And that is what did us in as a nurse with proof that’s the push I needed. I already was crying watching some of the other ones when I was pregnant feeling like I was listening my child. Because I was😪but after all this we were trying to do the whole foods and plant bases diet, but I’ve noticed lots of pasta in some books. Is that ok?
Welcome to the most healthy, & compassionate lifestyle on the planet. Veganism will offer your family all of the protein, vitamins & minerals needed to be strong & healthy. Your diet should consist of lots of veggies (much of it raw if possible) fruits, beans, nuts, seeds & whole grains. Pasta is ok, but try to buy those made of whole wheat, quinoa or spelt. Keep refined sugars to a minimum. I recommend using a once a day multi vitamin with iron & b12. Your family should be fine with getting enough iron, but include vitamin c with your dark leafy greens so your body will better absorb the iron. Ex:Kale with lemon or some orange juice with dinner.
Have fun with Vegan cookbooks and experiment with new exciting recipes!! Check out Dr. Joel Fuhrman. He offers a wealth of information on nutrition!! Best of luck!!
Being Vegan takes determination & can be quite challenging. But challenges make life more exciting!! It’s all in the mind set. If you want to be vegan… BE VEGAN!! 🙂 I know it’s tough when you are surrounded by butter and meat. But I know that france has some amazing markets that are filled with gorgeous fruits & veggies. Stock up, order a vegan cookbook & go for it!!! Try veganizing some of your favorite dishes from your heritage. I hope you are able to stick with this lifestyle because I must say, it’s pretty great!
Hi Lisa! I’ve just watched Forks Over Knives and needless to say, I’m interested in going Vegan. I have a 10 month old daughter whom I have on an all organic, homemade diet. I even make all of her lotions, diaper creams and wipes. She will be transitioning to whole milk in 2 months. Now that I don’t want to give her cows milk anymore, what are the alternatives? I tried finding help and advice about switching to Vegan on an Eco/Organic food lifestyle page on facebook but I got attacked by meat lovers who told me not to believe the lies on Forks Over Knives!!! I’m sticking to my gut on this one and I’d like to make the transition. Also, is fish ok?
Second question, do you know if a plant based diet can reverse a drug addiction too? A friend of mine got hooked on pain killers after an accident and now he’s turned to heroin after his insurance ran out. Thanks Lisa!
Please don’t let the meat lovers make you nervous. Vegans seem to make THEM nervous & I’m not sure why. Apparently they think we have the power to take over the animal agriculture industries & remove all meat, dairy & eggs from society. I have never seen people get angrier than meat defenders. I just laugh them off..
Great news that you are going vegan. Fish is not vegan & Dr. T Colin Campbell (Author of The China Study) states that ALL animal proteins are cancer causing. Even from fish. Plus most wild fish are filled with mercury and farm raised fish are quite toxic. There are lots of non dairy milks available. I love almond milk, but soy, coconut and oat milk are great too. Best of luck transitioning to a plant based diet! Read, read, and read some more. Knowledge is power!
Sorry about your friend. I’m not sure about drug addiction & diet. But veganism is healing on many levels. Mind, body & spirit!
Hello ladies,
I totally believe that education is key to everything. I educate people to use vegan products. Our everyday use products are filled with tallow (animal fat from rendering plants ) and alot of harsh chemicals. If you are interested to learning more, let me know and I can send you sample or We can set up educational sessions! We have over 450 products that are used daily.
I’m sorry that your comment slipped through the cracks.. I’m just seeing it now.
You are in a similar boat to many other parents out there. One spouse wants to go veg & not the other. I’m not sure if any progress has been made, or if you have given up. But I truly hope you and your husband can come to an agreement. As you know, the kids are his too, and he wants to be part of making decisions concerning their wellbeing. I’m not a therapist, but the fact that he threatens you with cheeseburgers, sounds like he is trying to uphold his “power”.
I’m sure that if he knew, without a shadow of doubt that a veg diet was good for the kids, and actually healthier than a Standard American Diet (aka SAD diet) he would want them to make the switch. Unfortunately proving this can be tough. I can only recommend trying to educate him through, dvds, books, articles, lectures, workshops etc..
I will send good vibes your way. I am curious what your children say they want to do? Are they old enough to understand the situation?
Dear friends, Brahmakumaris are vegetarian… and emphasize that when cooking in a peaceful, loving frame of mind, the resulting food will nourish the emotions as well as the body. There is Brahmakumaris meditation…that relaxes the mind…nurtures a healthy balance between inner and outer worlds… recharge… rejuvenate the inner-self…
My client is a doctor and very against factory farming, adopted a pig so it would not become a pork chop, has been on Martha Stewart’s talk show whose daughter is a vegan and has just released a great book called Willow-Mia PIg, 1 in 100 Million and I am sure your know the significance of that. The book is a fabulous read for children and at the end she talks about factory farming and alerts parents about it. Fabulous book that you might want to add to your list. It is doing great. Check out her website. She even has patents on five stickers, such as Dare to Care, Factory Farms Are Not Sovereign States etc. Very imipressive. If you buy her book off her site you get a package of the stickers. She does have a patent on them so they cannot be duplicated.
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I love reading reasons why the Vegan Lifestyle is perfect to live optimally both for your health and the health of the planet. Here is another great list of 10 reasons to be Vegan: http://www.bensvegankitchen.me/10-reasons-to-be-vegan/
Thanks for sharing the message!
I have been making the excuse to not become a vegan, due to my spouse not wanting to part take in the changes with me. But that ends this week! He was offered a new Job in a new city and what better time then now to start a new and healthier lifestyle for myself and our child. 🙂 I always was sure that it would be difficult to make this change if I can’t prepare the same meals for my son. But that was yet another excuse and there’s no reason why I can’t prepare him the same healthy vegan meals for him as i will for myself. In fact it’s MORE of reason to start now. I am so excited and look forward to reading your blog as often as possible for encouragement and ideas for my meal plan.
Hi! I’ve just started a vegan diet with my family but I am receiving criticism that my baby son may not be getting all the vitamins he needs such as b12, iron. Are theses concerns accurate. I literally give him veggies and fruit throughout the day and he’s drinking organic soy milk. Any advice?
I’m not sure if your son is still getting breast milk or formula, but a b12 supplement is a good idea. B12 is simply a bacteria from the earth. So animals obtain it from their diet. The animal is simply a middle man and not actually the source of b12. Don’t let pleople make you believe that animals actually make b12 in their bodies.
An iron test at the dr. will determine if you need an iron supplement for your baby.
Make sure he’s getting lots of healthy fats and protein also. Avocados, nuts, seeds and coconut oil are a great addition to his diet. As well as whole grains. Best! Lisa.