Many students go to the extreme to lose weight with diets such as the 1,200 calorie diet, the military diet or the detox diet. They spend countless hours in the gym sweating and feeling absolutely horrible by the end of the day. Diets do not produce results other than cravings later on. There are, though, several healthy lifestyles that can bring peace to your body and your plate.
As vegans in a society where people are born and raised on meat and dairy-based diets, there are many assumptions and criticisms that people like me face. One stance many people take is that vegans only care about protecting animals from exploitation and cruelty. While this statement is true for some vegans, it is not the case for all. Many vegans take up the lifestyle in order to improve their overall health, while benefitting their bodies both inside and out.
Why consider veganism
Time is essential for college students. Not having to prepare any food because you have fresh and raw fruits, vegetables and nuts at hand can save quite a bit of time. This is time that could be used to study, or, even better, spent in the gym.
For those of you trying to lose weight, veganism is a great lifestyle to acquire. Many studies show that non-meaters generally have lower body mass index rates because they often consume fewer calories and processed foods
College students love to eat, am I right? The vegan world is one to dive into if you love to eat and love food. Vegans feel amazing while still being able to indulge. One benefit to being vegan is the necessity to consume quite a larger amount of food in order to fulfill daily caloric needs, so go ahead and eat that full plate of food.
“Plant-based foods have plenty of protein and calcium along with far greater amounts of countless other essential nutrients (such as antioxidants and complex carbohydrates) than meat and dairy,” according to The Wall Street Journal article “Would we be healthier with a vegan diet?”
For those of you trying to lose weight, veganism is a great lifestyle to acquire. Many studies show that non-meaters generally have lower body mass index rates because they often consume fewer calories and processed foods, according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Fallacies of veganism
I am a vegan athlete. So many people question if I get enough protein, and assume I do not. In actuality, very few people lack protein because there are protein sources in foods that people do not know about. We don’t really ever hear of people being protein-deficient. Athletes have a high priority for ensuring an adequate protein intake and that keeps many students from being vegan.
It is easy to get a necessary amount of protein, because nearly all foods contain small amounts of protein, including beans, grains, nuts and certain green vegetables. They have less fat and cholesterol than meat and are usually cheaper, according to the Rodale News article, “9 super-healthy, vegetarian protein sources.”
So, there is no reason why any vegan should have a deficiency. With a balanced diet, there are plenty of options that are filled the essential vitamins and nutrients.
Animal advocacy
As a vegan who lives this lifestyle passionately, I find there is more to it than just avoiding meat, eggs and dairy. It is about finding a certain peace with yourself and with the world around you. It is simple to revert back to a meat-and-dairy diet, but my passion for animal advocacy keeps me from ever returning to foods that use animal products.
The trick behind the trade of veganism is to get people more fired up and conscious about healthy lifestyles.
My journey as a vegan began with just the diet. I have always been an animal lover, and I have had several pets myself. I researched further into the American food industry, wanting to educate myself more on why vegans are such animals activists. The facts behind our food industry were astonishing, and I looked further into other areas, such as zoos.
In 2010, the Topeka Zoo refused to retire two elephants living in an inadequate zoo to a sanctuary where the elephants could live out their old age, according to In Defense of Animals. This close-to-home account created a purpose in my stance as a vegan. It gave me more of a reason than just dieting as to why I live this life against animals products. I fell in love with this lifestyle as an encompassed whole.
The trick behind the trade of veganism is to get people more fired up and conscious about healthy lifestyles. If you fall in love with what the purpose behind this lifestyle is, the journey and hobby of being a vegan earns its permanency in this meat-eater world.
Katherine Curtis is a junior in mass communications.
