Why We Should Go Vegan

May 20, 2012 By Amelia, 9

I would like everyone to be vegan. Why? There are many reasons.

For one, I am a vegan myself, and I believe that no one should be cruel to animals. If everyone were vegan, they wouldn’t stuff chickens and pigs in cages so tiny that they couldn’t even turn around. They wouldn’t dump the animals in a truck and ship them off to a place where they will be killed. They wouldn’t force-feed them. They wouldn’t do lots of things that they are doing now.

Lots and lots of people believe that dairy cows have a long, happy life in big green fields then have a quick and painless death. But the truth is, that is actually not what happens. Instead of munching happily on grass and doing nothing except lounging about, dairy cows are forced to produce 20-50 litres of milk every day. Cows are made to be pregnant every year. Their young are taken straight away to be killed within days, raised for meat, or to become dairy cows. Separation from their calves is very distressing for the mother cows. Being forced to have babies and making so much milk, means a cow gets worn out. When that happens, it is shipped to the meat industry to be turned into food. Most humans ignore the truth just so they can go on eating the food that they love.

Secondly, people can survive perfectly well without meat. We could even be healthier by eating a plant-filled, delicious diet. Being vegan helps prevent lots of diseases, like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity.

Third, the meat industry also causes lots of pollution, just for a food that no-one needs. The waste from factory farms leaks slowly into rivers and streams, which poisons the water that people drink.

Finally, the grain that they feed to pigs, cows and such could go to starving families all around the world. So that is why I think everyone should be vegan.

Resources

Dairy Info: About QLD Dairying
Dairy Cows Fact Sheet // Animals Australia
Vegetarian Diets Can Help Prevent Chronic Diseases, American Dietetic Association Says
NRDC: Pollution from Giant Livestock Farms Threatens Public Health
All about animals>Primary Kids> Issues http://www.allaboutanimals.org.uk/SP-FactoryFarming.asp

56 comments

Comments

ish July 10, 2012 - 9:07am

Why?

Vikshar June 18, 2012 - 9:35pm

I do believe in being vegan because animals are friends not food.

Raptorman2012 June 9, 2012 - 3:30am

What have plants done to us, eh? Vegans use fertilizer on their plants and then eat em. They also get cancer from this chemical.And fertilizers kill poor spiders that are protecting your garden and making it insectless. Even vegans mean! Just killing for the sake of it!

Raptorman2012 June 9, 2012 - 3:05am

What has a tiger's prey ever done to it?

Raptorman2012 May 26, 2012 - 7:23am

Protein is found in Veggies but not that many veggies and not that much. Meat has MORE protein and LOTS of Iron.

Raptorman2012 May 25, 2012 - 11:33pm

Do i think there was a little bit of chicken in that picture :D!!!

AmeliaD May 27, 2012 - 12:21am

I'm sure there's NO chicken! But I (Amelia) didn't actually take that picture or choose it for the article. I would have probably picked a photo of my Mum's AWESOME lasagne or nachos. :)

Arjun May 25, 2012 - 7:24pm

Were we really put on this earth to butcher other life forms? Imagine eating something that was once living and breathing, something that had feelings and emotions, something that lived with us on the same world that we did.

Now think of this. If a race of giants came on this Earth and ate us for their food, how would you feel? We should use our superior intelligence and capabilities to help out others. For all those who argue natural selection or survival of the fittest, the more we kill animals, the more the ecosystem is disrupted until it reaches its breaking point, and we feel the consequences.

For those who argue that vegetarian eating is limited, think of the wide selection. Burritos, pizza, Indian cuisine, noodles, Vegetables, sandwiches, Pasta, Quesadillas, Rice, Eggs.... And for those who argue that meat is necessary for our body, you have a point. However, beans, eggs, and other protein-heavy foods account for this.

Raptorman2012 June 9, 2012 - 3:27am

Imagine eating a plant. It was once living and making its own food from the sun. What has it done to us for us to thrust all of it and its poor roots out of the ground just to have some curry. Its really nothing with animals either, we just eat like others. And what if we were vegan and the giants came to eat us. We wouldn't feel different either.

greensalmon May 25, 2012 - 5:40pm

Amelia, are YOU vegan? Cuz that would be weird posting this article about being vegan if your not...

AmeliaD May 27, 2012 - 12:18am

Yes, I am! I say it at the beginning of the article. I'm really glad that I am. It's the best thing I could have ever done, and I feel great about every meal!

adella May 28, 2012 - 8:42am

I know what you mean kitty. You just feel so good.

JENNAH H_C May 25, 2012 - 10:06am

wow! learned stuff. a lot of it

Raptorman2012 May 26, 2012 - 7:21am

what did you learn?

Raptorman2012 May 26, 2012 - 7:25am

Yep, hi-5!

I seriously agree with you. Your arguments make me laugh LOL!

greensalmon May 25, 2012 - 5:39pm

i LOVE veggies, but veggies forever!?!? i dont think if i went BACK IN TIME to correct that for me i'd do it!

adella May 28, 2012 - 8:49am

Veggies are not the only thing you can eat. There's soup noodles burritos and lots of other stuff.

Raptorman2012 July 2, 2012 - 9:15pm

Yeah like i'm gonna eat that every day.

adella November 7, 2012 - 3:38pm

Right you're not going to eat that every day. There are millions of other things you could eat.

greensalmon June 4, 2012 - 6:43pm

You cannot have a burrito that is to taste good without some ground beef!

adella May 25, 2012 - 1:22pm

True. Not all animals are stuffed in a cage. but you have to specifically buy the ones that aren't.

Raptorman2012 May 26, 2012 - 7:26am

XD !!!!!

Rachel Catherine May 24, 2012 - 1:23pm

Great job, Amelia. You are very well-educated on this subject. I wish every American could read your article and figure out how terrible this issue really is.

Raptorman2012 May 26, 2012 - 7:25am

All you need to do is say, stop torchering chickens and breed them in larger areas but i don't think it is a good idea at all to go vegan.

adella May 25, 2012 - 1:13pm

are you vegetarian too?

Rachel Catherine May 28, 2012 - 12:49pm

I'm not completely vegetarian but I NEVER eat meat that isn't free-range. Still, my family only eats meat about one time a week. We eat some fish too.

Matthew14 May 24, 2012 - 10:33am

The fact is, we NEED meat. It provides lots of vitamins that are hard to get in other sources. I'm not pro-animal cruelty, but going 100% vegan is a bit extreme.

Now think on this line. If we didn't need to eat animals, why would they be here? I mean, we use trees to make wood, so why not use animals to make food? It's not like we are destroying the animal population by killing some of them for food.

Also, we must remember that they are ANIMALS. Yes, they can feel pain, like humans. But they can't comprehend it, like humans.

Rachel Catherine May 24, 2012 - 1:10pm

1. We don't actually need meat. Especially not in the crazy quantities that Americans eat it in. We can get the nutrients that are in meat in foods such as beans, cheeses (with the milk produced by free-range cows) a variety of nuts, and vitamin supplements.

2. I think comparing animals to trees in a bit extreme. I mean, animals are alive and they function in most of the ways humans do. Trees are alive in a different way and they don't have brains or feel pain. Plus, we shouldn't be chopping down trees either. We're killing off useful trees that help prevent erosion and produce oxygen.

3. I can't believe you justify hurting animals and killing them in the way processing plants do by saying they can't comprehend pain. They still feel it and it's still cruel.

You may not be pro-animal cruelty but you should seriously do some research on how terribly these animals are treated. I would recommend watch "Food Inc." It's a very informative documentary about this subject.

Raptorman2012 July 2, 2012 - 9:18pm

WE don't but people in the Arctic need the fat to survive the cold. There is nothing wrong in killing animals as long as they are breedable and they are not endangered AND we don't kill more than we can possibly eat.

adella May 25, 2012 - 1:10pm

I agree with you.

Meat is hard for your body to digest because it is so tough. Every time you eat meat you are making you body weaker and weaker. That is a bad thing.

adella May 24, 2012 - 1:09pm

animals weren't originally supposed to be eaten.

Raptorman2012 July 2, 2012 - 9:22pm

Animals eat each other!

Jacki May 24, 2012 - 6:17pm

I agree with Matthew. It's true that we Americans don't need as much meat as we consume - in fact it would be healthier if we ate less - but balance is essential in one's diet. I think being vegan is a bit extreme...and I certainly don't support animal cruelty; I just think being vegan is not the most rational way to stop it. If you want to boycott the huge, cruel farming institutions you could a)raise your own livestock; or b)buy meat/animal products from small local farms.
I believe that animals such as cows, chickens, and fish were put on the earth to be eaten. There is most certainly a circle of life and we would be overrun with chickens if we didn't eat them and their eggs!

greensalmon May 24, 2012 - 7:20am

I love veggies. I love Brussel sprouts asparagus salad.

Raptorman2012 May 24, 2012 - 4:10am

And no way can people go vegetarian in Alaska. They need animal fat. So I don't think it really makes sense, no offense though.

Raptorman2012 May 24, 2012 - 4:08am

Well, this chickens are bred to be eaten and it is natural. An imbalance would be caused if all humans went vegan. But i do not believe in chickens being kept in cages. Shop owners do this to sell more meat in less time.

adella May 24, 2012 - 5:52am

They are kept in little cages. You can't even imagine how terrible it is. tubes are forced down their throtes to make them eat. Do you really want to make thousands of animals suffer, just so you can eat a cheeseburger?

Raptorman2012 May 25, 2012 - 11:30pm

Ok first of all, i think that practice should stop. Does this mean we'll not eat meat? And cheeseburgers are made by cows. Cows are let into open pastures too. So its all a circle just like Ryan said. No offense but im just trying to prove my point.

Rachel Catherine May 24, 2012 - 1:11pm

Maybe so but not in the cruel ways we eat them.

adella May 25, 2012 - 1:07pm

Ummm... I hope you know there are other things you can eat.

Raptorman2012 July 2, 2012 - 9:25pm

Yes there are, but do build more fat and get MORE proteins, we need chickens and other animals.

adella May 24, 2012 - 1:09pm

I know that!

Lauren Ketchum May 23, 2012 - 1:57am

I would not like to go vegetarian.
I love chicken and things like that...
I can't possible give it all up now...
I have thought about it though....

adella May 22, 2012 - 10:49am

I thought that I would hate going vegetarian, but my whole family tried it. The rest of my family all eat meat. Not me. Now I don't like it. I don't want to go to Mcdonalds and get a cheesburger. After a while you don't want the meat anymore.

AmeliaD May 22, 2012 - 10:42pm

Actually, you get all the nutrients and more without hurting the environment, your health or any animals! Also the food is just as yummy, even yummier actually. (My mum makes the best lasagne, pizza, lentil bolognese, and tons of other delicious stuff.) I think that if everyone went vegan the world would be a better place!

Rachel Catherine May 24, 2012 - 1:14pm

Calcium is found in almost every fruit and veggie. Some fruits with high amounts of calcium include blackberries, grapefruit, and dates. Veggies include kale,celery, and french beans.

adella May 25, 2012 - 1:08pm

Very true. My sister eats a lot of kale for the calcium.

Rachel Catherine May 28, 2012 - 12:50pm

My mom makes smoothies with kale in them. You can't even really taste the kale! It's so weird. :)

Rachel Catherine May 24, 2012 - 1:20pm

Protein is found in so many different foods besides meat. It's in beans, nuts, and cheeses to name a few. also, you would want to become vegetarian to protest the terrible animal cruelty that is happening and Americans don't acknowledge it because they're too attatched to their Big Macs.

Raptorman2012 May 26, 2012 - 7:21am

Yeah but MORE protein is found in MEAT YUMMY. And you'll get allot of iron content.

Youngzine

Why We Should Go Vegan

UWrite - U Report

Why We Should Go Vegan

Comments

Pages