By Anne Lin Surely, you have heard of Okinawa. This is the place on the islands of Japan where the highest number of verified centenarians reside in the world. Go ahead: guess what they eat in their diet? You are probably thinking… lots and lots of fish, and of course unpolluted environment and lots of exercise. False. Well, more specifically, the fish part. Contrary to popular beliefs, the majority of what they consume is not animal product. They eat more tofu and soya products than any other parts in the world, and plenty of different vegetables and fruits. What about the Abkhasia’s People, dwellers of the Caucasus Mountains of southern Russia? These people primarily eat fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as nuts and whole grains, with very few animal products. The Vilcabamba, residents of small village in Southern Ecuador, or the Hunza people, who live a simple life in a fertile valley high up in the mountains, isolated from the rest of the world. What do they have in common? They all live a healthy, long life, and eat a diet that is predominantly vegan.
Not convinced? Rather eat that steak rather than living till your 100? Here are five reasons why going vegan will do you a huge favor! 1. The hamburger’s killing you Okay, let’s admit that being healthy means what you eat the majority of the time. Let’s face it: eating chicken once a week probably won’t do it anything. Still, the majority of the time, an abundant plant based diet is the way to go. Loads of studies have shown that going vegan can save you some years. Not to mention all the detrimental health problems of a modern meat eating lifestyle. 2. You will be healthier, and look better Having trouble losing the weight, want to bulk up? That’s right, not only is a vegan diet done right super healthy and sustainable, it makes it easy for people to get the weight that they desire. From bodybuilders, NFL players to famous actors, these people have opted for a vegan diet and have no trouble staying as fit as ever! 3. Pigs are smarter then your dogs For the records, pigs are social, playful and quick learners, often said to be smarter than dogs or a 3 year old. The reality is, we eat animals for our personal convenience. They are consumed due to tradition and our selfish likings. The choice of animals we eat is solely based on which culture we live in. Hindus refuse to eat beef, Muslims are forbidden to eat pork, while most people would scream murder if some tried to roast a puppy for lunch. Is one specie really cuter, smarter, more worthy of living? Who are we to judge? Besides, the farm factory industry is definitely more gruesome than you think: tons of yellow fluffy baby chicks are ground up ALIVE everyday in the egg industry. Why? Simply because male chickens are no use for the industry, thus a waste of time and money. 4. You can save the planet Care about the planet? You’ll soon learn that you can’t be an environmentalist if you still eat meat. Here’s what it takes to make that little piece of quarter pound meat stuck inside your hamburger: 3.4 kg of grains and forage, 199.9 kg of drinking water and feed crops irrigation, 74.5 square feet for grazing and growing feed crops and 1036 btus for feed production and transport. Which is enough to power a microwave for 18 minutes. What’s more, if every American reduced one serving of chicken per week from their diet, it would save the same amount of CO2 emissions as taking 500,000 cars of the road. 5. It’s super easy, and super yummy! Maybe the biggest misconception of a vegan diet is that you only get to eat salad. With no meat. No dressing. Trust me, to the majority of vegans that sounds terrible as well. We live in 2015, and there’s a huge selection of gourmet vegan dishes, ranging from super fancy to really down to earth. There’s Italian, Chinese, Thai, French, Mexican, Spanish, Vietnamese… you name it. All these dishes can be made vegan and taste as amazing as it looks! Conclusion The good news is that we CAN do something about it! Every time we order food in a restaurant, every time we eat-we can choose to help the animals, the environment, and our health. As customers, we have the right to decide what kind of world we want to live in, and three times a day, we can vote with our dollars. a
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The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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