Like with any lifestyle choice there are many different reasons people go vegan.  Some people make the choice to go vegan or animal rights while others worry about their personal health or the health of the planet.  Regardless of the reason they choice this lifestyle being vegan means frequently justifying your choice to others and explaining why you believe being vegan is important.  From my research I have found that the main arguments vegans make in favor of their lifestyle are animal rights, health benefits, environmental benefits.  Lets break each of these down and see why those who follow the vegan lifestyle say these are the main reason they became vegan.

Ethical beliefs or a belief in animal rights is a very common reason for people becoming vegan.  The essence of this argument is that the lives of farm animal are worth just as much as the lives of any other animal.  Animal rights groups argue that the only difference between a dog and a pig is how they are viewed by society and that all species should be protected in the same way.  These groups, most notable of which being the very vocal group PETA, frequently put on graphic and controversial protests in an effort to raise awareness for their campaigns to end animal agriculture.  The overall goal of those who express this argument is that raising animals for what they produce is a cruel practice that should be abolished.

The health benefits of being vegan are another reason many people argue in favor of this lifestyle.  Those who have cut all animal products out of their diet claim that due to the change they feel much more energetic and have lost weight.  Many sources also suggest that eating a vegan diet can help reduce the risk of many health conditions including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

The benefits for the environment is another reason may people cite for going vegan.  Those who follow this diet claim that their diet is less straining on the environment and is a more sustainable due to how much feed and land it takes to raise animals.  Many want to ensure a livable future for the generations to come and with climate change becoming a large threat to our world vegans argue that cutting out animal products is the best way to help the planet.

Now that I know the arguments behind veganism, I want to go more in depth to these specific arguments and see if there is evidence behind them.  Over the next three weeks I plan to dedicate a post to each of these arguments.  There are many documentaries on these topics so I would like to take the chance to view one that is based on at least one of these arguments and expand my research beyond online sources.

Where I got my information:

  1. Why Go Vegan? – The Vegan Society
  2. Benefits of Being Vegan – I Love Vegan
  3. The Strongest Argument for Veganism – Effective Altruism Foundation
  4. A Complete Vegan Arguments Guide – Vegan Speak