Clearing the Misconceptions Around Veganism: Final

Clearing The Misconceptions Around Veganism

Why a plant-based diet is essential for health.
      By Ambar Aneja

What if I told you that everything we've been taught about health and diet is wrong? Let me begin with my own personal story, when I was a kid growing up in India, my daily breakfast was two eggs and almost half a gallon of milk. It was normal for me to consume animal protein and dairy on a daily basis. I was told that this was good for me and would contribute to my growth in my teen years. In fact, even today, doctors still tell us to consume a diet consisting of enough 'protein', which all of us automatically presume to refer to meat and poultry.

A plant-based diet is a diet based on foods derived from plants, including vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and fruits, but with few or no animal products. In this article, I will be clearing the many misconceptions around a vegan diet and provide specific and important reasons for adopting a plant-based diet over an omnivorous diet.

THE 'NOT ENOUGH PROTEIN' ARGUMENT:

Takeaway: A plant based diet can provide enough protein.

The biggest argument against a plant-based diet that is prevalent in society is that a plant-based diet doesn't meet the body's protein requirements, however, this is a myth. Exploring plant based foods would make you realize that most legumes and lentils are rich in protein and amino acids. In fact, this image below would probably be enough to break the misconception.

Not only is a plant based diet better for nutrition, it's also much more sustainable and beneficial for the environment.

THE 'NOT ENOUGH VITAMINS' ARGUMENT:

Takeaway: It's possible to get enough vitamins and minerals through a plant based diet.

The argument is that there are 4 essential vitamins and mineral that a plant-based diet doesn't fully supplement. These are-

• Vitamin B-12-
• Vitamin B-12 is commonly found in animal products such as dairy, meat, insects, and eggs, however, it can also be found in plant based milks like almond milk, soy milk etc. Another option is get a Vitamin B-12 supplement, which is till a much better alternative to animal based products.
• Vitamin D-
• Dairy products are a rich source of Vitamin D, however, Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin! You don't need a lot of sun exposure to get your daily dose of Vitamin D. About 30 minutes in the sun is more than enough to fulfill the body's daily requirement.
• Iron-
• Iron from plant based products is not as easily absorbed, however, eating a varied rich diet in plant-based foods is more than enough to supplement the body's iron requirement. Iron can be found in green leafy vegetables, whole grains, lentils, peas and dried fruits.
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• The Omega-3 Fatty acid is extremely important for maintaining heart health. Fish Oils and Eggs are considered as rich sources of this fatty acid, however, there are several plant-based alternatives like flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, etc. that are equally rich in Omega-3 and can fulfill the body's requirement

MEAT IS THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF CANCER:

Almost all the meat that is consumed in America is processed meat or red meat. The World Health Organization(WHO) has now classified processed meat as a group 1 carcinogen which means that there is a strong link between processed meat consumption and cancer.

Processed meats include-

• Ham
• Salami
• Hotdogs
• Bacon

Red meat, such as beef, lamb and pork has been classified as a ‘probable’ cause of cancer. 

A study done in Australia in 2010 concluded that one in six cases of cancer in Australia was linked to red-meat consumption. 

COW'S MILK IS MEANT FOR THEIR OFFSPRING, NOT OURS

Takeaway: Dairy is NOT good for the human body.

"Dairy is nature’s perfect food — but only if you’re a calf."

-Dr Mark Hyman                                             

This quote by Dr. Mark Hyman is the best way to describe why dairy is not good for human consumption.

Talking about the negative effects of Dairy in America is like taking on religion or motherhood. It's frowned upon and most people don't like to hear it. This is because dairy has a lot of cultural significance for us and has been a staple in our diet since birth.

Higher intake of dairy increases the risk of prostate cancer. Although calcium is good for the human body, dairy is not. Research suggests that almost 75% of the population is lactose intolerant and dairy causes digestive problems for those that are lactose intolerant. In fact, there is no link between the many supposed benefits of milk. Some of them are-

• Dairy enhances athletic performance. (It doesn't)
• Dairy helps strengthen bones. (It does the exact opposite, countries with lower rates of dairy consumption have extremely low rates of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become weak and brittle)

PLANT-BASED DIET: HOW NOT TO DIE EARLY

Takeaway: Plant-based is the future.

The human body is a self-healing machine. It has the ability to heal itself if it receives the right fuel(food). However, meat and dairy products actually reduce this self-healing ability of the body. The analogy is the same as smoking a cigarette. The moment you finish your cigarette, the body starts healing itself, trying to remove the toxins from the body and cleansing the tars from the lungs. This process happens until you light up the next one, every puff thumping out the progress that the body made.

In fact, the Dairy and Meat Industry can now be compared to the tobacco industry in the late 60s, when doctors were prescribing cigarettes for all sorts of ailments ranging from digestion to anxiety. It took 25 years and over 6000 studies, as well as countless deaths for the Surgeon General to finally release an official report outlining the ill-effects of smoking.

The same can be seen with the dairy and meat industry. There are over 14 million deaths every year due to consumption of animal products and processed meat. Thus, a plant based diet can now be seen as the equivalent of quitting smoking.

Works Cited-

1. FACLM, M. G. (n.d.). HOW NOT TO DIE: The Role of Diet in Preventing, Arresting, & Reversing Our Top 15 Killers. Retrieved February 8, 2018, from https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-not-to-die/
2. Dairy: 6 Reasons You Should Avoid It at all Costs. (2017, January 03). Retrieved February 8, 2018, from http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/06/24/dairy-6-reasons-you-should-avoid-it-at-all-costs-2/
3. World Health Organization Says Processed Meat Causes Cancer. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2018, from https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/world-health-organization-says-processed-meat-causes-cancer.html
4. Does eating meat increase my cancer risk? I Cancer Council NSW. (2017, August 16). Retrieved February 8, 2018, from https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/21639/cancer-information/cancer-risk-and-prevention/healthy-weight-diet-and-exercise/meat-and-cancer/