Reasons to Ditch Animal-Based Diets

In 2014, 0.5% of Americans identified as vegan. In 2018, 3% of Americans identified as vegan, a 500% increase from 2014. At the end of 2018, The Economist even declared that 2019 would be the “Year of the Vegan.” Sure, you’ve likely heard some passing tidbits about animal cruelty and environmentalism. Certainly, you can list off at least ten vegan celebrities. But more likely than not, you haven’t really grappled with what making the switch can do for you and the world.

Here are some realities that motivated me to go vegan.

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1.     Livestock accounts for 18% of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions (NYT). 

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2.     On average, adult vegans are up to 20 pounds lighter than adult meat-eaters (PETA).

3.     Vegetarians are 40% less likely to develop cancer than meat-eaters (PCRM).

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4.     By 2030, climate change will push 100 million people into poverty (World Bank).

5.     If vegan, an individual’s carbon footprint from food is reduced by 73% (Oxford).

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6.     In a lifetime, one meat-eater will consume 7,000 animals (USA Today).

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7.     By 2048, there will be no fish in the ocean to harvest (National Geographic).

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8.     It takes 1,800 gallons of water to produce just one pound of meat (VICE).

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9.     If every American dropped one serving of chicken per week, it would be the environmental equivalent of taking nearly 500,000 cars off of the roads (HuffPost).

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10.  According to law, chickens and turkeys don’t have to be humanely executed. Many even accidentally survive the execution and are subject to slow, painful deaths. (USDA).

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