In today’s day and age, being a vegan or even vegetarian is not that uncommon. However, such plant-based lifestyles receive a lot of backlash. Vegans are often stereotyped as being malnourished or unhealthy. Despite the misinterpretations, veganism has many benefits.

One common misconception is that veganism is just a trend. People often think that it is a diet that will come and go. Even though this may be true for some people, veganism is a very compelling lifestyle after understanding the facts. One large reason people go vegan is the environmental impact. Meat and dairy production is responsible for 60% of greenhouse gas emissions today, according to The Guardian. Not only do these industries pollute our air, but they also strip us of another natural resource: trees. Forests are burned down daily in order to make more space for cows, chickens, and other farm animals. 

Did you know that being vegan also saves water? According to PETA, it takes over 2,400 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. It only takes 180 gallons of water for one pound of wheat. That means it takes 13 times more water to produce beef than wheat! The United Nations has declared that creating a vegan world is one of the necessary steps we must take to fight the climate crisis our globe is facing.

Another myth circulating in society is that vegan food is expensive. Yes, the vegan burger at an artsy LA cafe will definitely cost you a large sum of money. However, home-cooking vegan food is the most cost-effective way to live. Sophomore Arina Miyadi, a vegan said, “I always encounter people/friends telling me they could never be vegan because of the cost which I find really untrue.” Fresh fruits and vegetables are far cheaper than meat, eggs, and dairy. In America, boneless chicken breasts average to be $3.18 a pound. A pound of white rice, on average, costs $0.71! Another example is that the grocery store Aldi sells avocados for $0.10 apiece. That means you could buy 10 avocados for a dollar! What it comes down to is this; eating whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds is a very low budget way to live. So even if you can’t commit to fully becoming a vegan, by implementing more whole foods into your diet, you will see a drastic change in your monthly spending. 

You have most likely heard people say, “I would love to be vegan for the animals, but I can’t give up my favorite foods.” This creates a stigma that there are a scarce number of vegan options, let alone ones that will taste good. However, most foods are either vegan or contain only one or two non-vegan ingredients. Therefore, it is fairly simple to recreate your favorite recipes. By replacing one or two ingredients, vegans are able to enjoy bread, pasta, cookies, cakes, tacos, and more! Better yet, they can enjoy these products without contributing to industries that harm animals and the environment. 

Junior Devon Wong, also vegan stated, “If anybody took a quick second to research the stats of veganism and how eco-friendly it is versus other methods of earthly conservation, veganism trumps all of the above.”

Lastly, the most common misunderstanding is that veganism is unhealthy. With just eating fruits and vegetables, how can you survive? We are taught that we need meat and dairy to get nutrients such as protein, calcium, and iron. Although animal products do contain those vital dietary elements, they also come with high cholesterol content and saturated fats. On the other hand, there are many vegan sources that can give you those same nutrients, minus the negative counterparts found in animal sources. As displayed by Google, just 1 cup of tofu contains 84% of your daily recommended value (DV) of calcium and 44% of your DV of protein. Other plant-based foods packed with calcium and protein are beans, chickpeas, lentils, almonds, seeds, quinoa, and leafy green vegetables. Sources of iron include sundried tomatoes, seeds, nuts, spinach, dark chocolate, dried apricots, and Cheerios, which surprisingly contain 45% of your DV! The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics explains that vegans are less likely to have cancer, heart disease, or diabetes.

If that was too much all at once, here’s a short and sweet summary. Regardless of misconceptions, vegans are saving the environment, saving the animals, and saving themselves. 

Graphic courtesy of THEGUARDIAN.COM