By Lauren Hammond

Opinion/Copy Editor

The topic of dietary preference can be just as touchy of a conversation as politics or religion.

Veganism is often labeled as radical and even dangerous, both for the diet’s limitations in food choices as well as its profound respect for animals’ lives. Vegans are not only concerned with who they eat but are often more concerned with the amount of nutrient density that comes with each bite.

My personal progression into veganism, or what I like to refer to as “plant-based,” has been a life changing experience in a number of ways. Growing up, my body had an inability to digest foods such as meat, dairy and gluten efficiently. Due to my body’s shortcomings, as a child and far into my teenage years I often found myself to be fatigued, bloated, having abdominal pains and suffering from degenerative arthritis. Despite frequent trips to medical specialists, there was never more offered to me than painkillers, laxatives and physical therapy. The notion of perhaps changing my diet was never mentioned.

It was at the age of 19 that I decided to begin searching for alternative ways to improve my health. After doing thorough research, I discovered the benefits of restricting my diet to the bare essentials. I came to find out, the most nutrient dense and easily digestible foods are produce items, such as fruits and vegetables.

For the past five years, I have been working towards transitioning myself into the plant-based lifestyle. Although it takes time, and is not something I advise anyone to do over night, it has helped to better my overall quality of life. I no longer suffer from exhaustion spells or irritable bowel. Even the joint pain caused from my osteoarthritis, which will affect me for the rest of my life, has dramatically alleviated. Even more so, the plant-based lifestyle has helped me become better associated to the natural world.

Not only do I love my own body, but I have found a new respect for the body of all beings. The innocence of animals and the maltreatment they face within the overly abundant amount of slaughter houses and factory farms spread across the United States is alarming. The industrial meat and dairy industries confine hundreds of animals into small areas where they are often exposed to chemicals, disease and injuries. These factories are also known for their practice of injecting antimicrobial agents and hormone supplements into the animals as a way to fatten them and eliminate illness. These animals suffer throughout their entire lives as they are restricted to cages and are unable to move about naturally.

My disapproval for the way factory farming conducts this grotesque sense of assembly line production has altered my initial decision to become plant-based into more of a compassionate, ethical stance. I believe strongly that humans have lost touch with nature, animals and plants alike. We have been responsible for innumerable amounts of innocent deaths for centuries and have now made this idea of slaughter and comfort consumption into a corporate conglomerate based solely on profit. 

I understand that the idea of converting everyone to a plant-based lifestyle is unreasonable. However, there are both health and ethical benefits into limiting animal product intake that most people do not consider or are even knowledgeable of. I urge everyone to take the time to understand what it is they are putting into their body and where it has come from. If and when choosing to eat meat, people should be sure to get it locally and organically. Local farmers are more invested in both the animals’ welfare and the consumers’ welfare. Still, raw vegetables and fruits are considered to be the most nutritionally substantial foods due to their live enzymes. It is time that humans begin to eat to survive rather than live to eat.