Why Do Vegans Always Talk About Being Vegan?

Vegans do tend to talk about their choice to avoid animal products and to encourage others to do the same. But why?

Factory farmers treat animals in ways that are simply out of step with most people’s values, and it takes speaking out and educating others to change things. Billions of farmed animals suffer at factory farms, and there’s no question that the best step we can take to help end animal cruelty is simply to leave animals off our plates.

In fact, going vegan saves the lives of roughly 31 farmed animals (and protects many wild animals and endangered species) each year! But that’s far from the only reason that people are so passionate about their vegan diets; here are a few more:

• Protecting the Planet

Climate change is easily one of the biggest issues threatening our existence, and animal agriculture produces more greenhouse gases than all forms of transportation in the world combined! And factory farms pollute waterways and destroy air quality, making eating vegan one of the best ways to protect our planet. By ditching meat and other animal products, we can significantly reduce our carbon footprint.

• Preventing Disease

Research continues to prove that a nutritious plant-based diet is beneficial to your health. Vegans have lower rates of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease—our nation’s number one killer. And according to a report in Men’s Journal, a large-scale study of 73,000 Americans has shown that eating a vegetarian diet promotes longevity. A vegan diet is a win-win situation: You get to live a longer, healthier life while sparing animals a life of suffering.

• Reducing Food Waste and Conserving Resources

Animal agriculture is an extremely cruel, inefficient, and resource-intensive way to produce food. It pollutes our environment while consuming huge quantities of water, grain, and fuel. And with the rising global population and impending resource shortages, the move away from these wasteful foods has never been more crucial. By using the millions of acres of land used to grow grain for farmed animals to grow food for humans instead, we could help not only the billions of animals killed for food each year but the 795 million people who do not have enough to eat.

• Taking a Stand for Workers

Farm workers are exposed to numerous workplace hazards, including injuries, respiratory illness, PTSD, and exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In fact, the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine published a study that found that of the 22 workers tested, 10 carried potentially deadly bacteria.
Simply put, we talk about our choice to be vegan because our reasons are important. The violent and irresponsible nature of factory farms is contradictory to many shared values.

Fortunately, we can all work toward a more peaceful, compassionate, and sustainable world just by eating vegan versions of our favorite foods. Click here for delicious vegan recipes, meal ideas, and tips on making the switch.