103 Terrific Reasons To Go Vegan

I think you will agree with me when I say the vegan movement that’s happening now is HUGE! This is no joke and it is here to stay. Going vegan has been proven to be one of the best things we can do to protect our future here on this planet and the health of the human race.

If you have been considering making the switch to a vegan lifestyle, in this blog you will you will discover 103 terrific reasons to go vegan that will help substantiate your decision. Or, if you are already vegan these reasons will remind you of why you chose this lifestyle.

Where Do You Get Your Protein?

I recently sat in front of a client asking her questions about her diet. With every meal she mentioned she made sure to highlight the meat protein she was eating so that I, a health coach and personal trainer, would see that she was doing her due diligence and eating her protein.

As I sat and listened to this, I suspected she was focusing on the protein because trainers in the past had told her how important it was for her to get her protein in order to lose weight, or that she heard from the media that in order to lose weight she needed to eat meat.

At one point in our conversation my client asked, “I hate eggs…is that ok? Do I have to eat eggs to get protein?”

This was the perfect moment for me to say, “YES! Absolutely! Why do you think it wouldn’t be ok?”

She replied, “Well, because trainers in the past have said that I should eat eggs as they are a good source of protein.”

I laughed at that moment and said, “it’s fine by me and besides you’d probably be healthier because of it.” At that moment I knew it was the right time to let her know I was vegan.

Then, a cool thing happened… she said, “that’s great! I’ve often thought about going vegan. I really don’t like eating meat that much.”

I huge smile came upon my face. I knew we were going to get along just fine.

Years ago, when I first made the switch to a plant-based diet I was bashful about mentioning that I was vegan for fear that someone would judge or ask me questions such as, “where do you get your protein,” or “isn’t being a vegan dangerous?”

Often I wouldn’t say anything about my lifestyle choice and then cringe every time I heard someone boast about the ridiculous amount of dead animal flesh they were eating. Then, in the next breath complain about the gout, heartburn, acne or excess weight they were dealing with.

Now that I have been eating a pure plant-based diet for about 10 years (vegetarian for 10 years before that), and I have done a vast amount of research on the many benefits of a plant-based diet, I am not shy at all to let someone know I am vegan.

That is, if they ask or I feel it can help them in some way. Don’t get me wrong…I don’t run around shouting, “I’M A VEGAN” at the top of my lungs to the world at every moment I get but I am no longer worried about saying that I am if the moment presents itself.

Vegan vs. Vegetarian: What is the difference?

Many people have heard the word vegetarian and have a clear understanding of what that means. Most vegetarians are those who do not eat the flesh of animals but often still eat the products of animals such as eggs and dairy.

There are a few categories of vegetarianism. These include:

Pesco, ovo, lacto vegetarian – eat fish, eggs and dairy but don’t eat red meat, pork or poultry.
Ovo, lacto vegetarian – eat eggs and dairy but no fish, red meat, pork or poultry. This tends to be the most common type of vegetarian diet.
Lacto vegetarian – eat dairy products but no eggs, fish, red meat, pork or poultry.
Ovo vegetarian – eat eggs but no dairy, fish, red meat, pork or poultry.

A newer type of vegetarian diet is the plant-based or vegan diet. Veganism is defined as a way of living that exclude all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty. For these reasons, the vegan diet is free of all animal products, including red meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy.

Veganism can be traced back about 2000 years ago; however, the first modern-day vegans, who established The Vegan Society, started practicing this way of life in 1944.

Today, the amount of people who identify as vegan has increased by upwards of as much as 600% in the United States and veganism has been named a top consumer trend.

People choose to follow a vegan diet for various reasons but the top three reasons are:

Ethical reasons. This stems from the desire to not support, or contribute to, any industry or practice that harms or is cruel to animals in any way. This includes, not buying meat, dairy, eggs, leather, fur, or products that contain, or have been tested on, an animal.

Environmental concerns. It has been shown that agriculture places a huge strain on the environment so people often choose to eat a vegan diet so they don’t contribute to the destruction of the planet.

Desire to improve health. Much research exists to support the positive health benefits a plant-based, vegan, diet can provide. Often if someone has a health concern a medical professional will recommend a vegan diet to reduce negative symptoms and improve health.

This list of 103 reasons to go vegan will give you the information and inspiration you need to make the switch.

By going vegan for ethical reasons, you will:

1) Save hundreds of animals per year just from not eating meat alone.

2) No longer be supporting factory farms that cause harm and suffering to millions of animals per year around the world.

3) No longer support companies that torture and kill animals for their fur.

4) No longer support companies that pull down off live animals to use in coats, comforters and other products.

5) No longer support companies that test their products on animals causing great suffering and harm.

6) Show that you love all animals regardless of species.

7) Encourage compassion around the world with your lifestyle choice.

8) No longer be ingesting the negative karma and energy from the slaughtered animals.

It has been thought by spiritual leaders all over the world that ingesting an animal, especially one that has been treated in an inhumane manner is bad karma and that the negative energy from the animal is passed on tho the person that eats it.

9) No longer be eating sick animals.

Many animals from factory farms are sick. When you eat a sick animal you will be sick.

10) Reduce the risk of species extinction.

Many of the earth’s species are on the brink of extinction due to agriculture, human over-population, deforestation, poaching and hunting and habitat fragmentation.

11) Develop a deeper connection with your soul and Divine energy.

I was speaking at an event one night about going plant-based and I had a participant come to me after asking why he feels like he can no longer tolerate eating meat he has consumed all his life.

One of the first questions I asked him was, “have you recently been upgrading your spiritual connection?”

He was shocked by that question because he actually had been doing some spiritual work and wondered how I would have known that. It seems to happen a lot.

Once a person starts to explore a deeper spiritual path often the heaviness of meat is no longer tolerable by the body and if the person is self-aware they will sense it and will no longer be able to eat meat.

However, the same can be true the other way. As you begin to cut out meat and animal products you might begin to open up to a higher level of spiritual connection and consciousness.

If you want to become more in tune with your inner self consider cutting out animal products to help your body heal and connect to the Divine.

12) Learn interesting facts about the farm animals who are normally raised and slaughtered for their meat, secretions, fur and skin.

The following facts about animals raised in factory farms are all reasons why going vegan is a terrific lifestyle choice:

13) Farm animals, who are normally consumed as meat because humans think they are dumb, are very smart and unique animals.

Research has shown that all animals, that are currently consumed and exploited for human consumption or gain in some way, are intellectual beings.

14) Cows are artificially impregnated for their milk and have their babies taken away from them at birth to prevent the calf from drinking the milk that is sold for human consumption.

15) The bond between a calf and its mother is very strong.

When a mother is separated from her calf she will frantically call and search for her calf one after it has been taken and sold to a veal or beef farm.

16) Cows can live up to 30 or more years when not in a factory farm.

The average life span of a factory dairy cow is only about five years old.

17) Cows can smell odours from over six miles away.

18) Cows hear frequencies higher than humans.

19) Cows are highly intelligent beings with strong decision-making capabilities.

20) Pigs are considered the fifth most intelligent animal in the world, which is more than dogs.

21) Pigs are capable of playing video games with more focus and success than chimps.

22) Pigs experience joy, loneliness, frustration, fear and pain just like every other animal we share our lives with.

23) Pigs are social animals who recognize their own names, learn tricks for treats and lead social lives.

24) Pigs love having their belly’s ruined just like dogs.

25) Chickens are just as smart as your household pets.

Chickens have been compared to have just as much intelligence as monkeys… and we all know how smart monkey’s are.

26) Turkey’s love giving hugs and are very affectionate.

27) Factory farming is not what you think it is.

There are many dark truths about this type of farming that many people are not aware of when buying a piece of meat. Most meat is displayed in pretty little packages in the grocery store but how it gets there is a gruesome story.

Some interesting facts about factory faming that are all good reasons to go vegan include:

28) Animals are fed food such as corn, wheat and soy that are grown using large amounts of pesticides that are passed on to humans when ingested.

The intake of these pesticides cause many health problems in the human body.

29) The beaks of turkey’s chickens and sucks are often removed to prevent cannibalism of stressed birds in over populated cages.

30) Chicken today contains about 50% more fat and 1/3 less protein than they did 40 years ago.

31) 70 billion farm animals are raised for food worldwide each year.

32) Commercial laying hens are forced into small cages with four to eight other birds to lay their eggs.

33) Male chicks are tossed into large bins and ground alive because they can’t lay eggs.

34) Piglets often have their teeth crushed and tails cut off without anesthetic.

35) Sows, female pigs, are forced into small pens, gestation crates, to have their babies who then taken away.

These poor mamma’s are not able to turn around in the small two-foot pens.

36) Over two million turkey’s are consumed for Thanksgiving in Canada alone.

37) Over three million turkeys are consumed at Christmas in Canada alone.

38) You no longer support killing, and exploiting, insects, like bees, for their products.

Factory farming not only effects the animals but also the people who work in the facilities. Many poor immigrants are forced into this line of work and face brutal working conditions.

For these reasons, going vegan will prevent many of these human issues.

39) Workers in meat packing plants suffer a great deal of trauma, injury and exploitation.

40) The meat-packing industry often exploits small farmers and force them out of business.

41) Pollution caused by factory farms can cause numerous health problems such as spirally problems, skin infections, nausea, depression and death to people living nearby.

By going vegan for the environment you will:

42) Reduce the vast amounts of waste products that result from factory farms that cause water, land and air pollution hazards.

43) Cut down on your contribution of environmental destruction.

The agricultural industry is one of the largest contributors of pollution and climate change. Cutting out meat and animals products is more effective for the environment than switching to an electric car.

44) No longer support destruction of the rainforest.

45) Cut down on water consumption.

It takes millions of gallons of water to produce meat and animals products.

By going vegan for health you will:

46) Be healthier (says the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics).

Many of my family members and friends who are hard-core meat eaters have, or have had, some major health concerns all caused by eating too much meat and animals products. I’m saddened by this fact every day as I watch the people on our world die from chronic conditions such as heart disease when it is fully preventable. If you want better health, consider going vegan.

47) Eat flavourful food.

Too often people think they will have to live off lettuce salads for the rest of their lives and that food will have no taste if they switch to a vegan diet. This is so far from the truth! Vegan food is bursting with flavour.

48) Discover new recipes.

49) Discover new ways of cooking and preparing delicious and healthy food.

When I used to teach cooking classes I remember one of my participants came dragging her husband into the class. He sat there with his arms crossed and so obviously didn’t want to be there. I didn’t pay too much attention to him and taught the class; sharing many of my favourite recipes with the group. At the end of the class this man came to me and said, “That was some of the most delicious food I have ever tasted. Can you teach my wife to cook like that?” It was so nice to see that I had won him over with the rich flavour of plants.

50) Increase your intake of micronutrients.

Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that are essential for good health. To learn more about some of these essential nutrients read, “How To Get Fat Soluble Vitamins On A Vegan Diet.”

51) Feel fuller longer and not have to eat as much.

Plant-foods are full of fibre and nutrients so they give your body the feeling of fullness keeping you satisfied longer.

52) Still be able to eat vegan junk food.

There are many great vegan junk food options out there if this is something you’re worried about giving up. A lot of candy, dairy-free chocolate, desserts and comfort foods like Mac and Cheese and grilled cheese, etc. can me made vegan-style very easy.

Try a few of these dessert recipes and you will never need to eat dairy again.

53) Learn how to make and enjoy a variety of dairy-free cheese.

Check out this recipe for Baked Almond Feta and Cheezy Kale Chips.

54) Experience the delight gf raw vegan cookies and other desserts.

55) Have a clean digestive tract because your guts won’t be full of rotting, decaying flesh.

It has been documented that a person can hold up to 60 pounds of waste in the digestive tract. Often this is the result of not eating enough fibre and too much animal products.

The body has a really hard time removing animal products from the digestive tract without enough fibre and water. Therefore, it sits there and rots. Often turning septic and hazardous to your health.

56) Eat less calories.

Pound for pound plant foods have less calories and fat than meat products.

57) Reduce incidence of food poisoning.

Meat is truly gross when you think about it. It is often contaminated with feces, especially since most of the time the animals are sitting in their own waste for most of their lives, blood and other bodily fluids. Animal products are the top sources of food poisoning in North America.

When I ate meat I suffered from food poisoning numerous times. If you have never had food poisoning it is the worst! Your body desperately works to get rid of the bugs that are attacking your system and it comes out of you any way it can and with fury. Since going vegan I rarely get sick and have not had food poisoning. It is glorious.

If you don’t like being sick and would rather not be spewing waste from both ends considering going vegan.

58) Release excess weight.

Although I prefer not to talk about weight loss since there are so many factors that go in to losing weight it is often a positive side effect when a person starts eating a plant-based diet.

Plant food is usually lower in calories, free of saturated fat and cholesterol and is rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals. In saying that there are a lot of really tasty processed vegan foods on the market now so it’s important not to eat too much of these or weight will not come off.

One of the biggest reasons why I went vegan was to help with my digestion and to lose excess fat. I had always had a hard time keeping fat off of my body because I loved fatty foods such as burgers and cheese. Although I still have to watch I don’t eat too much of the process vegan junk food it’s still easier to keep weight off.

It has been shown that a person can carry up to 60 pound of waste in the digestive tract. If you have excess weight to lose consider eating a diet rich in plant foods as it will help clear the digestive tract and remove toxins from the body resulting in weight loss.

59) Smell better.

When the toxic foods are out of your system you will notice you might not need to wear as much deodorant.

60) Feel better.

Your body will have more energy and your mood will be lighter.

61) Look better.

Studies have shown your skin will glow and you will be leaner (depending on what food you eat).

When I started taking a whole food supplement, that provided me with 30 different fruits and veggies each day one of the main things I noticed was that my skin looked significantly brighter and my acne went away.

62) Be stronger.

63) Feeling lighter.

64) Have better digestive flow.

AKA… you will poop more often and have healthier bowel movements.

Avoiding animals products has been linked to:

65) Reduced risk of heart disease.

66) Reduced risk of diabetes.

67) Reduced risk of cancer.

68) Reduced risk of high blood pressure.

69) Reduced risk of high cholesterol.

70) Reduced risk of osteoporosis.

71) Decreased risk of crohn’s disease.

72) Decreased risk of mercury poisoning from fish consumption.

73) Greater longevity.

Eating a diet of plant-foods has been shown to keep you looking younger and living longer.

74) Increased intake of fibre, which will keep your digestive tract healthy.

75) Reduced intake of saturated animal fat.

The American Dietetic Association recommends no more than 7% of the diet be saturated fat.

76) Reduced intake of cholesterol.

77) Reduced intake of steroids that are often found in meat and animal secretions.

Research shows:

78) Women who eat meat are almost four times as likely to develop breast cancer then those who don’t eat meat.

79) Dairy consumption is linked to ovarian, lung and breast cancer.

80) Red and pressed meats linked to bladder and colon cancer.

81) Plant-based foods have more than enough protein to not only support healthy body function but also build muscle.

82) Men who eat meat are four times more likely to contract prostate cancer than men who don’t.

83) Men who eat meat are 50% more likely to die of a heart attack than men who don’t.

84) Animal foods are high in sodium and more likely to cause cardiovascular disease.

Many athletes are choosing a plant-based diet because:

85) Vegan athletes thrive on a plant-based diet, contrary to popular belief.

86) Plant-foods reduce inflammation and allow quicker recovery after workouts.

87) Plant-foods offer more than enough protein to build muscle tissue as well as other nutrients.

88) They experience better cardiovascular endurance.

Some other great reasons to go vegan, include the fact that:

89) Many delicious meatless options are now available.

If you like the taste of meat but know it’s probably not the best choice, choose one of the many meatless options that are now available on the market.

Companies such as Beyond Meat, Gardein, Yves, Daiya and Tofurkey have mastered the art of meatless options such as burgers, sausages, chicken style strips and more.

Although these options should be kept as treats, as any other processed foods should be, they are a great option if you’re craving a meat-style meal.

90) Being vegan helps feed the world.

Did you know that according to PETA it takes over 13 sounds of grain to produce just one pound of animal flesh? Think of all the starving people in the world all that grain could feed.

I still can’t wrap my head around this statistic. How do leaders of the world know this and yet still allow it to happen while there are people all over the world, including North America, who don’t have enough to eat.

If you are concerned about the hunger crisis we have in our world consider going vegan because the less meat people are eating the less demand and the more affordable food, like grains, there are available to everyone.

91) All the cool people are doing it.

There are many celebrities who have now gone vegan and are inspiring millions of people to do the same.

92) It’s the future.

Although many people will fight this fact it is true that in order to feed the amount of people that will be on this planet in the next 20 years the we will have to rethink the way we feed people.

Since I started cutting out meat and animal products about 20 years ago there has been a huge shift in how the world views eating and using animals.

It was quite hard back then to find vegan substitutes, such as mayonnaise, milk, butter, etc., where now these items are common place. Most people I spoke to didn’t even know what the word vegan meant and now celebrities are going vegan and it’s talked about often in the media. More and more young people, even children, are making the choice to go vegan even without the influence of their parents.

93) It is far less expensive to eat plants.

When you purchase vegetable based foods you will save money. It is very expensive to buy meat. Much of it is funded by the government to keep costs down because it costs a lot to feed and slaughter an animal for consumption.

In comparison, beans, rice, tofu and pasta cost little compare to animal products. PETA mentions that, “according to a 2007 MSN MoneyCentral article, the cheapest cuts of beef, such as ground round, average $3 per pound; boneless chicken breasts cost $3.40 per pound; and canned tuna costs around $2 per pound.

In comparison, dried beans and lentils cost less than $1 per pound, and rice is cheaper than $1 per pound. Tofu usually costs less than $2 per pound. Even vegans who buy costlier products like soy sausage and nondairy ice cream can still spend less than people who load up on beef, chicken, and fish.”

By making the choice to go vegan you:

94) Will be a role model for many other people.

95) Are making a stand against an outdated belief system.

96) Are no longer supporting the greedy consumerism and gluttony that is happening all over the world with meat consumption.

97) Can be passionate about something that represents positive energy and compassion for not only the animals but yourself and the world.

98) Are taking a courageous step to get out of your comfort zone and try something you may thought you never would.

Anytime we make a stand for what we believe in and step out of our comfort zone we grow as a person and encourage others to do the same.

99) Are saying that you are not afraid of being different.

As a vegan, you will be a minority, at least until the rest of the world catches on. People who choose to be different and step outside of the box are change makers and leaders, which is a fun, and gratifying, experience.

100) Show the world you are not afraid of learning and speaking the truth.

Many people fear going vegan because deep down they know it is the best way. People know an animals has to be killed in order to be eaten and many know how animals are tortured and exploited while they are alive. Yet, they choose not to see, or speak, the truth out of fear and old belief systems.

101) Being vegan a long-term, sustainable food source.

102) There is absolutely no reason not to!

103) You have an important choice to make.

Now what?

I hope that by reading these 103 reasons to go vegan you are inspired to at least take the first step in doing so.

However, you might be thinking you have no clue what to do now. Right?

Don’t fret! That’s why I’m here. I have been vegan myself for almost 10 years and have helped many people choose this compassionate, healthier lifestyle.

What I’d like you to do right now is:

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Read “How To Align Your Spending With Your Core Values to gain more insight into what your beliefs are and how going vegan will help you align with those beliefs.