Is Vegan Diet The Most Sustainable Diet

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 1

IS VEGAN DIET THE MOST SUSTAINABLE DIET?

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Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 2

Is vegan diet the most sustainable diet?

Abstract

In this paper, the sole purpose is to find out how sustainable a vegan diet can be. We get

to compare it with the vegetarian and the omnivore diets, and then get to know the best that can

sustain the rising world population. We get to discuss the impacts that the vegan diet has on the

environment, its food and nutrition security and its contribution to the health of the people. The

paper also provides information on how protective and respectful the diet is on the biodiversity

and the ecosystems. There are several effects of the vegan diet on the health of people, the

environment, the economy, and the society. This paper will assess how individuals make their

choices in the consumption of the vegan diet, considering its impacts on health. For instance, the

vegan diet is low in cholesterol, and so problems like diabetes and obesity are minimal. After

looking at the three types of food and comparing them, we get to conclude that the vegan diet is

more beneficial to people and the environment compared to the other two.

Introduction

A vegan diet always eliminates any animal product and byproducts that exist. It consists

of only foods and beverages that are plant-based. Examples of vegan meals include nuts, seeds,

whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. Movements in the previous years have been taking

place to deal with the production of food as well as protection of the environment. In 2010, for

instance, the subject of the plant-based diet emerged, whereby the European government

enforced the production of pure vegan diets. It established legislation against companies that

mark food labels as vegan yet they have animal products incorporated therein. People have

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 3

various reasons as to why they choose to venture into the consumption of vegan diets. Some do

the menu because of their, health problems such as obesity; others do it because they believe that

the menu is very healthy compared to the other diets. A vegan diet helps when someone wants to

lose weight because it does not consist of any animal product. In the world today, some of the

individuals choose to do the vegan diet because they are compassionate about the environment

and the animals (Castañé and Antón 2017, p. 930). They do not wish to have the climate

destroyed or have the animals killed for meat. Therefore, they decide to go vegan. Majority of

nutritionists such as the American Dietetic Association (ADA) has proved that a vegan diet is

much healthier than the other types if only they have proper plan in all the life cycles. There are

definite effects associated with it on the environment, the society, the economy, and to an

individual. It maintains a nutritious system, thus addressing the issue of nutrition ecology.

Any food produced is expected to sustain the population. Therefore, it has to be

sustainable by ensuring that the environmental effects are meager. The consumption of a vegan

diet helps to lower an individual’s food-related carbon impact. Comparing it with the other diets,

a vegan diet is environmentally friendly. This is because there are very few emissions produced

to the environment while trying to consume them. They efficiently contribute to food security

and healthy lives on people. There is no doubt that vegan diets are highly accepted culturally,

and are easily available. Majority of the population can easily afford it compared to animal

products. People simply need to optimize the natural and human resources for its production

because it is already adequate nutritionally and very safe for consumers (Dagevos and Voordouw

2013, p. 68). It is capable of sustaining both animal and human life because it is familiar to the

climatic changes. Environmental effects such as global warming are infrequent when one decides

to go vegan.

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 4

Maintaining a proper vegan diet will help save the world by reducing the amount used

in healthcare. Cutting down the use of meat would reduce emissions to the environment.

Consequently, becoming a vegetarian will also reduce the emissions more compared to the

consumption of meat. However, switching to veganism will reduce the emissions much more

correspond to the two diets. Veganism is cost-effective and counter-productive when it comes to

long-term production. As much as we consume it for good purposes, it is also healthy for the

environment because it does not affect it negatively. It is effortless to feed human beings if we

use a vegan diet because the same diet can also feed livestock. This makes it easier, even when

undertaking the act of feeding the hungry people in dry areas (Sabaté and Soret 2014, p. 478).

The diet has all the calories and nutrients required to feed human beings and livestock. This

makes it economically efficient to produce and consume.

This paper aims at finding ways in which it can feed 9 billion people by the year 2020

without depleting the natural resources available and causing harm to the environment. It will

give an insight into the reasons why people need to change their choices in diet, putting into

consideration the world hunger, biodiversity loss, environmental pollution, and the prevention of

climate change. There will be comparisons in this paper between three diets, that is, the

consumption of the animal products, the vegetarian diet, and the vegan diet. Afterward, we will

get to determine the most suitable diet regarding sustainability and friendliness to the

environment (Dagevos and Voordouw 2013, p. 63). There is a review of the impact that

agricultural practices related to every diet have on land, water, and energy use. This comes along

with discussing the biodiversity loss that occurs because of different agricultural practices. It will

show how the consumption pattern for vegan, vegetarian and the omnivore diet translates into

agricultural practices regarding water, land, energy use and environmental pollution. The above

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 5

topic is relevant to environmental and public health research because, in the light of the growing

environmental degradation and the global food crisis, we need to find a solution that will help us

to preserve natural resources, restore some of the environment and feed the growing world

population. This paper helps us to understand how everyday dietary choices can affect the

environment and to establish if any specific type of diet has a low environmental impact and can

contribute to decreasing world hunger. Currently, ecological degradation and world hunger are

an issue of ecological and public health concern, because they are rapidly rising.

Methodology/ Research Design

The research design commonly used in this paper is the qualitative approach. The reason

behind this is that the exploratory research enables one to have a deep understanding of the topic.

It gets deeper into the topic and gives different opinions about it. This research design gives a

researcher the opportunity to produce an in-depth description of a topic. For instance, the

discussion about the vegan diet being the most sustainable discussed in details. We can come up

with what makes the vegan diet more sustainable, the effects of the three types of diets to the

environment, health effects of each of the diets, and the diet mostly recommended for people to

consume (Clonan and Holdsworth 2012). A quantitative research design only used when a

researcher would like to compare data systematically. In qualitative research design, only

samples of the subjects taken as case studies, and the results presented, assuming that it is what

every other subject would have produced. The study been intensively done so that information

about the study can be understood very well. People view their consumption of certain diets in

very many ways. There are also very many health issues that are brought up when it comes to the

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 6

discussion about the healthiest diet to have. This is the reason why the study has gone deep into

the topic, to come up with a tangible reason for choosing a vegan diet over the other diets.

Many sources, both primary and secondary, used to obtain information concerning the

topic. The data requirement concerning the topic was to establish the impact that vegan,

vegetarian, and the omnivore diets have on the environment. After that, the most sustainable diet

was to be established. Having the two objectives at hand, there was a need to obtain information

from different sources. Examples of the primary sources that I used include eyewitness accounts,

experimental results, historical documents, interviews, fieldwork, and questionnaires. These

primary sources enabled me to get firsthand information about the topic.

Besides the primary sources, I also managed to use the secondary sources. These helped

me be able to describe and explain more concerning the primary sources. I, therefore, used

sources like books, scholarly journals, and articles that had information about the two objectives

I had. Majority of these journals contained information obtained from the primary sources.

Publishers because they are ongoing publications record this as they observe them.

Some challenges encountered during the research. Some of the data sources written very

many years back, and the information they were giving was contradicting with the most recent

studies. This means that the most recent information considered over the other old sources. The

subjects obtained to experiment were so undecided on what type of diet they do. Therefore, it

was difficult for the research to come out clear because conducted on people that were

undecided.

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 7

Most of the people that adopt the vegan type of diet live in countries that are less

concerned about meeting their need of producing fruits and vegetables. It is in such countries that

products are imported, yet they can be able to plant them. They make the prices of the products

to be so high for the citizens to meet. They do not make use of the area’s resources, and so they

end up wasting land on rearing livestock that has a great negative impact on the environment.

Nutritional research in such areas is less considered, and so the government does not fund much

of its funds to the projects. The people, therefore, do not get to know the healthy practices to

adopt. This increases their morbidity and mortality rates.

People in different areas adopt the act of being vegans out of necessity and not out of

choice. They are vegans because they lacked access to a variety of foods due to the high cost or

due to the scarcity of the meals. This means that the only option they had was to become vegans.

This brings out the point that veganism is very much easier to maintain because it is cheaper than

vegetarians and omnivores. It becomes difficult for most people to obtain meat because of its

high price and its health effects.

Another challenge encountered in the research was that some cultures were against the

vegan diet. This means that even if someone wanted to adopt a vegan diet, it was so difficult.

This is because it would be difficult to obtain the fruits and vegetables. The government cannot

fund what they do not accept culturally. It can support the rearing of livestock in homes,

therefore issuing large lands for that kind of farming. The very small land would be available for

the growth of plants. This hinders the adoption of veganism in such areas and an increase in

negative effects on the environment.

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Relatively very few people implement the vegan diets. These people do this because of

their health situations. For instance, someone with the obesity disease advised by the doctor to

adopt this kind of diet for the sake of his or her health. Otherwise, they would be consuming the

omnivore diet. Someone that wants to lose weight cannot keep eating meat, and animal products

then expect to lose it. Meat has a lot of cholesterol and fats, and so this person has to reduce it

and eat fruits and vegetables because they contain less of these. Nevertheless, a majority of

studies have concluded that diets with more fruits and vegetables are much healthier compared to

the others. They help a lot in the reduction of cardiovascular diseases and other diseases like

cancer due to the minerals and vitamins they contain (Dagevos and Voordouw 2013, p. 65).

A sample of the elderly people taken and an interview conducted on them. The sample

had four women and four men. Similar questions asked of each one of them and an analysis

conducted after the interview (Dagevos and Voordouw 2013, p. 65). The questions were similar

to ensure that there was reliability in the research. This selection was important because old

people have lived longer on earth and their experiences are of much help in such a study. For

them to get to that age, they must have been doing healthy diets like the vegan diet. They were

sharing their experiences with meals, which ones were good for which group of people and at

what point are we supposed to consume what. After the study conducted, an analysis done, and

most of their answers were similar.

Questionnaires were of much help in conducting the research. Open-ended questionnaires

formulated and given to a class of university students. The questionnaires filled, then given back

after two hours of compilation and analysis of the results. University students are learned people,

and chosen because they do lots of research concerning such studies and they might have

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 9

encountered such experiences in their lives. They face the influence of poor diets, or their

siblings and parents could be experiencing problems related to the adoption of poor diets.

After conducting the research using the methods, the compilation of the results done. I

drew the observations directly made and wrote them down. Later on, the information from the

old people and the students also compiled. After this, there was the study of what other studies

had done before. I used different books, journals, and newspapers to find out what their studies

talked about concerning the topic and their conclusions. I looked at the various ways in which

they conducted their experiments then used the information to compare with the research I had

personally done. This was when I came up with the clear conclusions of the study. I came up

with the effects of the three types of diet by reviewing the impact their agricultural practices had

on land, water, and energy use, calculating their carbon footprints, and the biodiversity loss due

to the different agricultural practices. An analysis done concerning the most sustainable type of

diet. This took place by looking at the diet that was able to provide more nutrients to the high

population, comparing the most economically efficient diet, and determining the ability of

sustainable farming versus conventional farming to yield food for the increasing population.

The methods used in conducting the experiment were able to give the information

required even if they offered some challenges. For instance, the direct observation technique had

its limitations. I could have been observing them, but I was not certain if the results were from

the way, in which they were feeding, or it was a genetic problem, especially from the family that

was feeding on the omnivore diet. The interviews well done because the old people were ready

to give information to help others in the world. They believed that it was the least they could do,

especially if the information reached many people.

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Findings

Several results obtained from the research. After conducting the direct observations, what

I found out was that the family that had adopted the vegan diet was healthier compared to the one

doing the omnivore diet. Despite the fact that they were vegans because they could not be able to

afford the meat and animals products, it was doing them good. They could rarely complain of

any eating disorders like those that adopted the omnivore diet. Children from the other family

had overweight bodies, one was obese, and hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases could

easily attack them. These observations are in line with some of the studies done by Kahleova and

Pelikanova in 2015. They also came up with observations that meat and other animal products

had high levels of cholesterol and fats. These were the cause of the overweight people, obesity,

and cardiovascular diseases.

The interviews conducted on the old people were to help in the in-depth knowledge about

the topic. Old people tend to give much more information than the other age groups. The reason

behind this is that they are more experienced and they are after ensuring that the upcoming

generation benefits from them. I was, therefore, asking them open-ended questions so that they

give all the information they have (Clonan and Holdsworth 2012). The questions asked were

similar to all of them. This exercise helped a lot in obtaining enough information about the topic,

sustainability of the vegan diet.

They gave the importance of feeding on fruits and vegetables more than feeding on meat

and the animal products. They insisted on the point that meat contains a lot of lipids and

cholesterol that affects the normal functioning of the body. Much protein led to the weakening of

the bones, and therefore it was easier to get bone fractures when consuming much of it. Fruits

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 11

and vegetables contain minerals and vitamins, which are good for strengthening the immunity of

the body. If there exist, people that feed on meat, they should do it in the least quantity possible

because of the fats and cholesterol that it contains. Otherwise, it will end up clotting their veins

and arterioles in the heart, causing cardiovascular diseases.

The information obtained from the questionnaires was also of so much importance. The

students were able to write all their opinions concerning the questions asked. One observation

made about their answers was that they had experiences that were almost similar. Majority of

them had siblings with overweight issues and diabetes. They explained farther and gave the

reasons behind the conditions. Some were used to feeding on the omnivore diet more than they

did with the fruits and vegetables. Most families of such cases believed that feeding on the

omnivore diet was a lifestyle that is worth maintaining. It is until they have cases of such

diseases that they begin struggling with adopting the vegan diet.

Analysis

Different scientists have done studies on the sustainability of the three types of diets, that

is, the omnivore diet, vegetarian diet, and the vegan diet. They all have different opinions

concerning the most sustainable food, taking into consideration a diet that is friendly to the

environment and is widely accepted by people. The population of the world has profoundly

increased and is still increasing. This means that the production of food has to increase too to

sustain them.

The production of livestock has increased massively today compared to prior years. The

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations predicts that the production of

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 12

meat by the year 2050 will be much more than it is today. Majority of individuals are consuming

meat from animals such as pigs and chicken, eggs and other dairy products. The effects of

consuming these animals and their byproducts are that there is an increase in global warming

(Castañé and Antón 2017, p. 933). Besides, water becomes scarce; the species gets extinct, land

degrades widespread pollution and deforestation. Animals need feeding using the plants.

Therefore, if the number of livestock increases, it means that the crops that feed them will also

have to increase. This means that both the animals and human beings will rely on the same crops,

a situation that is so difficult to handle (Castañé and Antón 2017, p. 931).

The omnivore diet.

This diet involves the consumption of meat and animal products, and fruits and

vegetables. A person can eat everything that they are capable of eating. They are not limited. It is

very easy to create a balanced diet because it is readily available and it is not restricted. Fat and

protein obtained from animals and their products, as vitamins and minerals obtained from fruits

and vegetables (Clonan and Holdsworth 2012). This omnivore diet however can be unhealthy if

taken in wrong portions. It contains too much fat with high cholesterol, leading to problems like

overweight, diabetes, obesity and heart problems. Majority of these foods processed in factories.

They lack essential vitamins and minerals and so they are not very healthy for human body.

This diet is not always safe for human beings to consume. This is because meat,

nowadays, obtained from animals, including those that are sick and are undergoing medication.

This means that once slaughtered and sold the consumers will contract the same diseases that

they have (Carlsson-Kanyama and González 2009, p. 1705). The moment individuals consume

much meat and animals products every day, the high amount of cholesterol will cause several

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 13

diseases. Meat takes a longer period to digest in the human body; therefore, it needs to be in

small amounts.

The omnivore diet is acceptable in some cultures and denied in some other cultures. For

instance, the Muslims do not allow the consumption of port or any of its products. This makes it

difficult for this kind of diet accepted in such a cultural background. Some other religious

societies are against the consumption of this kind of diet due to the health problems brought up

by it, such as the Seventh Day Adventists.

Meat and animal products are costly and difficult to afford by a majority of individuals.

The reason behind this is that they undergo several processes before taken to the market for sale.

The processed meat usually has fewer nutrients and minerals. This diet is easily accessible

because there is an increase in the production of livestock. People have a goal of increasing the

number of animals and producing them to the society. The number of people that consume this

kind of diet has highly increased because of its availability, however expensive it is.

The vegetarian diet.

A vegetarian diet does not comprise of any animal meat. However, it includes other

products of the animals, such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and eggs. Products here are less than those

of the omnivore diet are, but it also offers a variety of options. A vegetarian can have a balanced

diet, by taking the animal products, alternative burgers made from soy protein and wheat gluten,

and legumes to provide protein and vegetables and fruits for minerals and nutrients. Its calories

and fat much lower when compared to the omnivore diet and vitamins are high (Sabaté and Soret

2014, p. 476). The risk of contracting animal-related diseases is minimal since there is no

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 14

consumption of meat. Cholesterol is slight, and diseases like heart problems, obesity, diabetes,

and overweight are minimal. Feeding on much fruits and vegetables helps a lot when someone

falls sick. They treat a good number of diseases both physically and mentally, and a person’s

immunity improves. The high levels of fiber help in the elimination of toxins from the body.

Despite the fact that vegetarians are better off that the omnivore diet, it can be lacking

important vitamins such as vitamin B 12. This vitamin not often found in the required amount of

fruits and vegetables but in meat. Other vitamins not found are vitamins A and D. supplements

for such vitamins are therefore required for the human body, otherwise serious problems may

occur, such as memory problems. Lack of vitamin D in the body can lead to problems of the

bones and joints, and also the teeth and gums. The problem with the vegetarian diet is that the

cost of food is so high and they are not always available in the grocery stores. It can also consist

of high amounts of processed foods where sodium is high. Processed foods usually lack some

important vitamins and nutrient levels.

Fruits and vegetables are safe for consumption if washed well before cooking and

consuming them. However, the sprays used on them for growth and for killing pests can cause

diseases in individuals if taken before the fair numbers of days required. The drugs injected into

them to enhance growth have negative impacts when consumed. Of late, that is what most of the

farmers do, and so it is not very safe to buy them. It is advised that people cultivate their fruits

and vegetables, and consume them because they are sure about them (Carlsson-Kanyama and

González 2009, p. 1707).

There is a good number of vegetarians in the society today. They avoid meat and

concentrate on the animal byproducts, together with fruits and vegetables. This type of diet is

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 15

highly acceptable in most communities. They are however not easily accessible because they are

scarce compared to the omnivore diet. Their scarcity, therefore, makes it a little bit expensive for

the consumers, thus not easily affordable.

The vegan diet.

This diet is much similar to the vegetarian diet, in the sense that it does not include any

animal meat. However, the vegetarian diet includes the animal byproducts, which the vegan diet

does not include at all. There is no animal eggs, milk, or any other derivatives of animals in the

vegan diet. Some vegans are animal activists, and that is why they decide to be vegans to protect

the animals. The vegan diet usually has similar advantages and disadvantages that the vegetarian

diet has. All meals taken contain only fruits and vegetables (Clonan and Holdsworth 2012).

Implementing this kind of diet has become so difficult. Some of the reasons behind this are that

there are fewer options for them than it is on vegetarians and omnivore diet. Its cost is

considerably higher too due to the less demand and the quality and procedure required to obtain

the food. Just like the vegetarian diet, the vegan diet has a deficiency in vitamins B12 and D, and

therefore supplements may be required to avoid diseases.

A vegan diet, just like a vegetarian diet, regarded to be safe and healthy for consumption

if well washed and prepared. Today, people inject them with drugs to enhance their growth and

to look healthy too. However good they will be looking, they will have health effects in the

bodies of human beings. They are also culturally acceptable since believed to be highly

nutritious and healthy. They are easily accessible to people living in the rural areas. Those that

live in the urban centers find it difficult to obtain them since they are highly perishable, thus not

able to transport them from the rural areas. They, therefore, consume what is processed and such

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 16

products usually lack some nutrients that are essential for healthy living. Due to their scarcity in

the urban areas, they become more expensive compared to when obtained from the rural areas.

They are therefore easily accessible and affordable when obtained from where someone has

planted them.

The environmental impact of diets.

When we look at the impact each of the three diets, we realize that the omnivore diet has

more negative effects on the environment than the vegetarian and the vegan diets. The omnivore

diet unfriendly to the planet in such a way that it uses more resources than the vegetarian does

and the vegan diets do. It will require the animals to feed on plants then the individuals will

consume their meat. This takes a double portion of the resources, something that is avoidable.

Suppose the humans eat only plants, there could be a reduction of the greenhouse gases released

to the environment (Sabaté and Soret 2014, p. 479). Majority of the omnivore dieters choose

pork and chicken over beef because beef is always costly when it comes to the climate.

By examining the digestive system of ruminants such as goats, cows, and sheep, we find

that they have a four-chambered stomach. This stomach digests plants by fermentation, whose

byproduct is methane. This is a greenhouse gas, which traps heat from the environment at a very

high rate. Another problem with cows is that their fertility is very low. They can have only one

calf per year, meaning that the cost of carbon of every cow that is to become beef includes the

cost of maintaining it for a year (Carlsson-Kanyama and González 2009, p. 1708). Pigs can have

two litters a year, each containing ten or more. The third difficulty with livestock is that there is

beef conversion. It is much expensive to provide feed for livestock compared with pork and

chicken. For instance, six pounds of feed are required to make one pound of beef. On the

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 17

contrary, only 3.5 pounds and two pounds are required to make for pork and chicken

respectively. The three problems indicate that ruminants cause more damage to the environment

and costly compared to chicken and pork. This is the reason why much of the climate impact of

meat has been concentrated on cattle. Beef has the highest environmental cost compared to the

other animal meat and byproducts.

Conventional agriculture usually has more carbon dioxide emissions compared to those

of organic agriculture. However, the conventional agriculture yields more per acre compared to

the production when using organic agriculture. This is according to the Food and Agriculture

Organization of the United Nations. Products bought from a farmer down the road might have a

bigger environmental footprint than those bought from large farms in an ideal climate. For meat,

the conventional way is the most suitable method used on them. The reason for this is that it is

more efficient and it decreases the greenhouse gases. However, the livestock has to be confined,

and it requires a high density. Confinement makes the agricultural method efficient even though

it makes animals unhappy. Farmers usually advised to support a system in which animals are free

to be outside for them to feel relieved and happy.

Farmers have different kinds of opinions when it comes to the type of agricultural method

to use in taking care of their livestock. Cows that feed on grass do not compete for food with

human beings because humans do not consume grass. Those that feed on non-irrigated pasture

also do not compete for water that farmers can use to grow food. However, when grass digested,

there is more creation of methane gas than when grain digested. When cattle graze on grass,

whose prevention is possible from getting to the soil. Improper management of the way in which

animals feed can lead to the great destruction of the land. The manure tanks cause pollution on

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 18

conventional farms. This threatens water and crops because of the harmful products released.

However, manure that is from animals that are confined ad whose conversion is easy to energy

by the methane digesters.

It is easier to choose between which diet to eat and which one is supposed to avoidance.

Taking into consideration of the other factors, we find that it is better to consume vegetables

compared to meat. Apart from the environmental reasons, it is also important to take note of the

health effects of the food. Omnivore dieters are however required to take into consideration the

amount of meat they consume. They should take it in small quantities for them to avoid

complicated illnesses.

Some recent studies done to determine the sustainability of different types of diets. The

findings of the research were that each diet had an impact on the environment and health. The

extent to which the impact shown depended on the choices people make in the foods that they

eat. The vegan diet is a more efficient and cleaner future compared to the vegetarian and the

omnivore diets.

Majority of the people that go vegan do not do it because of just health benefits, but

because they want to reduce the impact of meat and dairy products on the environment. They

usually have the notion that a vegan diet is healthier than the omnivore and vegetarian diets. So

they get into it just to taste what it feels like to be a vegan, and this is the reason why they do not

become vegans for a long time. Many posts on social media show us how pretty food looks

rather than where it has been gotten from and its effects on the environment.

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 19

The number of vegans in the world today has increased and will increase in the years to

come. However, people shop fruits and vegetables without having any interest concerning where

they have come from. A usual recommendation is that it is better to consume meat produced near

the place you live than fruits and vegetables that are from abroad. This is because they are

considered safer for the environment. People that export fruits and vegetables sold at a high price

in the area of origin, making it difficult for the people who live in the place challenging to obtain.

This is especially if the people are vegans. The only people that are to benefit from them are the

consumers.

A vegan diet is a sustainable diet that can serve people so well if they make good use of it

in the right way. First, the people need to buy their foods locally. They need to support their

country and be able to make use of their homegrown resources. For instance, they need to start

up restaurants in which they grow their kitchen gardens and sell them to customers. This helps in

cutting down the carbon footprint of the long-distance transportation. It is crucial to support

sustainable and independent producers by purchasing the fruits and vegetables locally. Using

their local, good quality products will also help in the protection of the environment. When we

buy fruits and vegetables from overseas yet they are in abundance locally, it means that we are

not using the local resources to the maximum. This means that we do not support the vegan diet

to be sustainable. What is required is that people should have an experience about the seasons in

which the veganism ingredients are available.

To improve the sustainability of the vegan diet, we can decide to grow our products in

other lands. For example, we can decide to grow avocados in lands that are overseas. This means

that people need not restrict and confine themselves to producing in their country alone. They

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 20

can expand it by producing from other countries too. If a country has good conditions for

growing plants rich in proteins, then it should maximize their land into growing them. This will

improve their production and limit the number of protein products imported. If it does not invest

in the planting of the plant proteins, then they will end up importing products they would have

produced themselves. This will make the vegan diet not sustainable in that land.

Making good use of homegrown resources help a lot in the reduction of importing food

from other countries. The importation is very costly because the prices are high and they increase

their prices day by day. Majority of the plants do not require that the nitrogen inputs and the

carbon emissions added to them. The best thing about them is that insects pollinate them, thus

enhancing wildlife and biodiversity. It might seem so difficult to take the step of planting at the

doorsteps, but once there is a willingness to start doing it, it gets very easy.

Majority of the people have adopted the vegan diet because of its sustainability. It is the

most suitable diet in both small and big regions. Eating less meat is what everyone is looking

forward to doing; therefore, people have highly shifted from the omnivore diet. Shortly, most of

the people will stop consuming it and becomes vegans fully. For farmers, it is a proper

preference that they grow more crops on their farms for the betterment of the environment. They

however will need to do much more to avoid diseases attacking the plants. This is by having

animals on the farm to produce manure for the plants.

Vegan diets, once well planned, might be healthier than the other diets. We can focus on

this point by looking at some considerations, like the mortality differences between vegans and

the others. Most studies have always come up with the idea that the mortality rate of vegetarians

is always lower than that of the omnivores. Consequently, those people that practice veganism

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 21

tends to live longer when compared to the longevity of the other two. Since found out that

vegans live longer than the other two, it is important that we plant more of them and cut on the

animals products, to avoid having many deaths that come along due to how we eat. Examples of

factors that lead to sicknesses when we compare veganism and other diets include diverticular

disease, Parkinson’s disease, bone health factor, diabetes, and cancer.

Livestock has caused several adverse effects on the environment, for example, it has led

to an increase in land use, water depletion and pollution, and an increase in the emission of

greenhouse gases. The large-scale production of livestock has increased, leading to a rise in the

production of meat and other animal products. This prediction done to double by the year 2050

by some researchers. Both the extensive and intensive systems have effects on the environment.

Extensive livestock production causes many results, especially in land degradation, climate

change, water, and biodiversity loss. This is because the animals graze in open land. Increasing

the livestock grazing land causes deforestation because trees cut down to give space for livestock

to feed on. The intensive livestock production involves animals remaining contained and the

food brought to them.

Livestock accounts for a large percentage of the production of carbon dioxide emissions

derived from the activities related to human beings. The methane gas also produced from their

digestive system released to space, together with the nitrous gases that come from manure. These

gases combine in the air and cause a greenhouse effect. When we try to estimate the impact that

the increase in livestock would cause, we realize that many environmental impacts would be

detrimental. Increasing the growth of crops and reducing livestock production would increase the

amount of agricultural waste. The emissions production will take place by a vegan society are

lesser than those provided by a livestock society are.

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 22

The manure produced by livestock usually used for farming activities. This manure

smells, and it hurts the environment. The animal waste contains a significant amount of methane

gas and nitrous oxide. Farmers, therefore, have to come up with different ways of dealing with

the odor. To minimize the carbon footprint, human beings advised to walk and recycle instead of

driving. Farmers should also find a way to mitigate the gases emitted to the environment in their

farming activities.

By the year 2050, the population would have highly risen, and strategies put on how to

feed the rising population of about 9 billion people. This has to take place, keeping in mind that

the natural resources not depleted and neither is the environment harmed. What the countries

need to do is to plant more fruits and vegetables in their lands. This would work so well,

especially if the conditions in the area allow the planting to take place. They should then ensure

that they plant the same product in other countries so that they can maintain it all over the world.

The government should also ensure that it funds for nutritional studies to take place in their

countries. This will help in ensuring that people get to know the healthiest ways to follow and the

best diet to have. By doing this, fruits and vegetables will be readily available for the people, and

it will be cheaper for them. Thus, it will become easier to feed the people without depleting the

natural resources and harming the environment.

It is necessary for us to change our dietary choices. Each diet that we choose has effects

on our health, the environmental pollution, world hunger, and biodiversity loss. Meat has

negative effects on the environment. Ruminants digest plants by fermentation and this process

ends up producing methane. This gas produces the greenhouse effect and the amount of heat

trapped from the environment is too high. This causes climatic changes, such as hindering rain

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 23

from falling. This will make it difficult for the plants to grow due to the creation of deserts.

Animals that live in that land will die because of lack of food and water. People will equally die

of hunger and starvation, and this will lead to biodiversity loss. The environment too will suffer

pollution due to the effect caused on the air by the methane gas. Our diet need change, especially

in the vegan diet. It is rare for the fruits and vegetables to affect the environment. It keeps people

healthy, and therefore their lives will have few complaints of illnesses and deaths.

The most sustainable diet, in this case, is the vegan diet. It is so easy for people to maintain it

because it is readily available and it is cheaper to acquire. The diet is healthier when compared to

the other two. As long as the government supports the planting by offering enough funds, there

will be enough produce to support everyone in the land. People will grow healthier every day

because they have more nutrients and vitamins in the body.

Conclusion

From the findings of the research, we found out that the 9 billion people by 2050 theere

could be complete feeding of the people if only we consider some relevant facts. Some of these

are that there should be a proper use of the natural resources. The government has to support the

planting of fruits and vegetables in their lands, especially if the conditions allow. They should

also ensure that nutritional studies done to improve on the health measures to always take for

healthy living (Castañé and Antón 2017, p. 936). When comparing my findings with those of

other researchers in their books, I realize that the idea is similar. We need to adopt a vegan kind

of diet for us to avoid polluting the environment and interfering with the climate and the

biodiversity loss. Some of the researchers, however, believe that it is important to feed on meat

and the animal byproducts, but in small quantities.

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 24

In the current world, the governments are so much into importing products, making it

difficult for the citizens to acquire them. This is due to their high prize, and this avoided. They

should embrace the natural resources they have and ensure that they produce enough for the

population and even more to export. Some questions arise for future research from my study.

They include:

• The government needs to ensure that their natural resources used appropriately to reduce

world hunger.

• How can we ensure that most people in the world adopt the vegan diet today?

• What should be done to help people that are already affected by eating disorders, and how do

we prevent such diseases from affecting individuals from different age groups?

Is Vegan Diet the Most Suitable Diet? 25

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