7 good things will happen if you go on a plant-based diet

Yukitchen encourages plant based foods. And I noticed that people tend to ask why quite often, so I decided to make an article about it to clear things out.

Going on a plant based diet basically means you are a vegan. So yeah, I don’t eat meat, at all. My diet choice has made my life so much happier, but I did realize that it’s not really making people around me happy. I think it’s because I’m Asian, and Asians eat meat like Cookie Monster eats his cookies. My family and friends from Japan kept asking me to stop being vegetarian just because I’m making other people upset.

I’ve been traveling several places and so far, Japan is the worst place for non meat-eaters. They usually think I joined a crazy religious group or simply want to loose weight. The most vegan/vegetarian friendly country I’ve noticed, on the other hand, was surprisingly the States. No one there so far told me to stop doing whatever I’m doing just because I look already skinny.

Some people have serious problem with me and tell me that I don’t eat anything. These people surely don’t know what plant-based diet is defined by, and what it includes: –lots of plant foods! This means eating more veggies, fruits, beans, peas, lentils, whole grains, nuts, and seeds instead of animal products and processed foods.

Here are the top 7 reasons I can think of so far why people should go plant based diet. If you are vegan and you have your own reasons, I’d like to hear that. Please comment or email and let me know why you decided to go vegan.

1) YOU CAN LIVE LONGER:

There was a study in 2002 by the German Cancer Research Center which involved 1900 people, divided into 60 vegans, 1,165 vegetarians; and moderate vegetarians (occasional meat and fish eaters). Studying the mortality rate in comparison to the general population 52 deaths occurred for every 100 reported deaths. The results showed a 50% increase in longevity to male vegetarians and 30% for women.
(Reference here)

2) YOU CAN SAVE THE WORLD HUNGER: ​
60% of the world’s usable farmland is being stripped and destroyed by live stock. An acre of prime land can produce 40,000 pounds of potatoes, 30,000 pounds of carrots, 50,000 pounds of tomatoes; but only 250 pounds of beef. It takes 23 gallons of water to produce a pound of lettuce, 33 gallons for carrots, 4 gallons for apples. To produce of pound of Chicken it takes 815 gallons, for pork 1,630 gallons, and for a pound beef 2,500 gallons.
(Reference here)

3) YOU CAN REDUCE THE RISK OF GETTING CANCER:​
There has been a few studies that have came out lately saying a vegetable based diet can halt and in some cases eliminate Cancer. Though some people are saying going vegan is the cure for cancer, I would not be one to say that, as that’s ridiculous. However it is proven to assist in controlling the growth of cancer.
(Reference here)

4) YOU CAN LOOSE SOME WEIGHT:​
I do not mean that eating vegan is the perfect fad diet to shed those pounds, and I’d never tell someone looking to lose weight that they should go vegan and vegan alone, as exercise and eating right are both essential to giving one a healthy body. But its been shown many times that vegan diets have less fat and cholesterol than other diet forms. On top of that it has been stated many times as a great way to help with Diabetes.
(reference here)

5) YOU CAN STAY AWAY FROM DISEASE:​
I don’t mean you will never get sick if you go vegan. But if you watch the news you, see all the time that meat recalls from contaminated meat. Spinach was contaminated a few years back. But it seems like all the time we have some strand of bacteria or some food poison scare hitting the meat industry.

6) YOU CAN SAVE THE EARTH:
​
The environmental impact of livestock causes more damage than driving cars. Cattle rearing places a major impact on land and water degradation. When emissions from land use are included, the livestock sector accounts for 9% of CO2 deriving from human-related activities, yet it produces a much larger share of even more harmful greenhouse gases. It generates 65% of human-related nitrous oxide, which has 296 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of CO2. Most of this comes from manure. And it accounts for respectively 37% of all human-induced methane (23 times as warming as CO2), which is largely produced by the digestive system of ruminants, and 64% of ammonia, which contributes significantly to acid rain.
(reference here)

7) YOU CAN SAVE THE ANIMALS: ​
Many vegetarians give up meat because of their concern for animals. Ten billion animals are slaughtered for human consumption each year. And, unlike the farms of yesteryear where animals roamed freely, today most animals are factory farmed: —crammed into cages where they can barely move and fed a diet tainted with pesticides and antibiotics. These animals spend their entire lives in crates or stalls so small that they can’’t even turn around. Farmed animals are not protected from cruelty under the law——in fact, the majority of state anticruelty laws specifically exempt farm animals from basic humane protection.

I’ve pointed out several things why we should go plant based, but it actually comes down to one thing: -the animals. Everything changed after I learned what was behind of the meat industry. I used to see tasty dinner when I sew the beef packages at store before, but now I just see slaughtered cows in a queue with blood splashing from their cut throats.

I love animas. I don’t want to eat them. I want them to live with family just like I do with mine. Everyone deserves to live.

Let’s start considering plant based diet. Good things will happen and we can do it together.

 

-Y