Join the New Year’s challenge millions are doing in 2022!
Good riddance 2021! Time for new beginnings. Not only does this flip of the calendar mark a New Year but also an ever-growing January challenge that millions are doing. The 1st of January is the start of Veganuary, a popular diet and lifestyle initiative that challenges people to go vegan for the month’s 31 days. Here’s why it should be your New Year’s resolution too…
HEALTH.
It’s been two years since COVID-19 began and the world pandemic still isn’t over. The virus outbreak is at its worst and numbers are at an all time high.
This is a virus that was transmitted from animals to humans, the probable source being markets in China where exotic animals are sold and eaten -the same cause of the SARS virus outbreak that appeared in 2002.
Dr. Michael Greger, author of How to Survive a Pandemic, discusses the source of coronaviruses in his book on outbreak prevention, which links back to animal agriculture. While vaccinations are on the way, prevention is crucial. If we do not learn from the past and make the appropriate changes, we are doomed to see more coronavirus outbreaks and pandemics in the future.
We can treat the cause and prevent future animal-to-human disease outbreaks like COVID-19 if we reduce our consumption of animals.
Changing to a plant-based diet rather than continuing the demand for meat and animal products is certainly beneficial on an individual level as well. After transitioning to a whole food, plant-based diet, you will likely experience improved sleep and energy, decreased weight, and an overall sense of wellness. The Imperial College London reports:
A fruit and vegetable intake above five-a-day shows major benefit in reducing the chance of heart attack, stroke, cancer and early death.
It may also lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer! Thousands of studies have been completed showing amazing health benefits of a plant-based diet.
Go vegan for your health! There are endless health advantages to making the dietary switch.
ENVIRONMENT.
An Oxford University study, the most comprehensive analysis regarding the damage farming does to the planet, found that:
Avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth, as animal farming provides just 18% of calories but takes up 83% of our farmland.
Consuming animal products and byproducts is not environmentally friendly and is one of the worst things for the planet. Not only is meat production wasteful, it causes enormous amounts of pollution. The animal agriculture industry is one of the biggest causes of climate change.
A 2010 United Nations report said that:
A global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world the worst impacts of climate change.
Go vegan for the planet! 2021 has shown us that climate change is no joke and is showed itself in the form of record-breaking wildfires, hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters. We must take action now before it’s too late.
ANIMALS.
Animals of factory farms and the livestock industry are suffering. They live in horrific conditions that include confinement, physical abuse and unnatural environments…so much so that they need to receive antibiotics to keep from getting ill or spreading disease. They’re injected with growth hormones to become fatter faster and live short lives, being slaughtered as soon as they finish growing and are killed prematurely, well before their natural lifespan.
According to Sentient Media:
More than 200 million land animals are killed for food around the world every day. When including wild-caught and farmed fishes, we get a total closer to 3 billion animals killed every single day.
Because we cannot see for ourselves how these animals live and what they endure does not mean it isn’t happening. The meat, poultry and dairy industries do everything they can to distance us from knowing how our food comes to be in order to keep us in the dark about what we support each time we buy animal derived products and byproducts.
Go vegan for animals! It’s the best way to help our furry and feathered friends and it’s not as difficult as you may think. Speak for animals with your actions since they cannot speak at all.
LABORERS.
Animal agriculture is a tough job. In fact, so tough that many slaughter house workers and farmhands are immigrants who sadly don’t have many options for better work. Would you want to kill animals for a living? I’m guessing not. That’s why the workforce who does are typically those without much choice. And it is a dangerous job at that. Most work accidents occur around heavy and sharp machinery which is exactly what must be used for animal slaughter. It’s a physically and mentally straining job for everyone involved in meat and dairy production. Stop buying animal derived products and know that you’re reducing the need to include more people in this dirty, dangerous industry.
CONCLUSION.
If you’re going to change just one thing for 2022 consider the many positive results of going vegan. Ditching animal products has numerous benefits not only for animals but also people and planet.
For the sake of your own health, others and our environment it’s well worth trying 31 days of buying foods, clothing and other cruelty-free items that are not animal derived. Research shows it’s an effective means of preventing illnesses and achieving optimal health. It’s not as difficult as you may think.
Perhaps this 31 day resolution will be one you decide to keep for good.
