The love and compassion for the animal world has propelled people across the globe to take up veganism as a way of life. Veganism is a philosophy which seeks to eliminate any kind of animal cruelty or exploitation. It intends to put an end to the use of animals for consumption, commodities, work, hunting or any other reason.
How did the concept come into being?
The concept of vegan movement dates back to November, 1944. A group of six non-dairy vegetarians broke free from Leicester Vegetarian Society and came up with this term ‘vegan’ which would aim at extreme vegetarianism. This group refrained from use of meat, dairy products, eggs, honey, leather or any other animal-based products and fought for the welfare of animals. Their diet primarily revolves around beans, grains, nuts, seeds and legumes. Gradually, this revolutionary concept gained popularity. However, there are many misconceptions or myths related to veganism because of which people are reluctant to adopt the idea.
Myth 1: Vegans suffer from the dearth of essential nutrients
Contrary to popular opinion, animal meat is not the only source of protein. Peas, tofu, peanut butter, sweet corn, spinach,almonds, walnuts, pistachios are rich in proteins and offer the much needed nutrition without calories. Vegans derive 60 to 80 grams of proteins throughout the day. Vegan diet also offers other essential nutrients like Vitamin B, copper, magnesium and probiotics.
Myth 2: Veganism is only restricted to diet
Veganism is not only about your diet. It is a rich philosophy which shows us an alternate way of existence and teaches us how to be compassionate. It talks about a lifestyle which is steeped in strong ethical code and moral grounds. Apart from diet, true vegans discard the use of cars, bags, clothes and accessories which involve animal products. This abstinence is primarily aligning your beliefs with your lifestyle.
Myth 3: Veganism aids weight loss
Even without consuming meat, it is possible to consume a lot of calories. Abstinence from meat and other dairy products will not make you lose weight unless you follow a healthy lifestyle. Apart from incorporating a healthy vegan diet, you have to workout regularly, drink a lot of water and get adequate sleep if you want to shed a few kilos.
Myth 4: Veganism ensures great health
Even if you are a vegan, your diet has to be well-balanced. If you stay away from animal-based products and eat a lot of vegan junk, it might have a detrimental effect on your health. The kind of vegan food one must ideally stay away from includes veggie chips, fake meat, frozen meals, burgers and vegan protein bar.
Myth 4: Vegan diet fails to satiate your hunger
People are often apprehensive about adopting a vegan diet because they feel that it would not turn out to be filling as plants are low in calories. If consumed in fair proportions, fruits, whole grains, vegetables will keep you full for long hours. Some of the rich sources of protein for vegans are pluses, soybeans, seeds and nuts. Other rich sources of fiber include seeds, legumes, oats and green vegetables.
Myth 5: Vegan is an expensive diet
Compared to meat-based diet or dairy equivalents, a vegan diet including nuts, seeds, lentils is less expensive. If you want your vegan diet to be pocket-friendly, you must avoid faux meat, burger or exotic fruits like blueberry or avocado . Rice, pasta, tofu or beans are cheaper than meat and will surely not create a massive hole in the packet.
Myth 6: Veganism and vegetarianism are same
Even today, many tend to get confused between veganism and vegetarianism. Vegan diet is a lifestyle which does not only revolve around abstinence from animal meat but also discards the use of other animal products like milk, butter, leather or honey. However, a vegetarian diet is more about avoiding animal meat and does not discard animal-based products like leather or honey.
Myth 7: Veganism is a difficult thing to practice
Nothing seems impossible if you are passionate about the cause. For many, the vegan way of life might seem to be daunting. But there are many who believe it is rather unfair to end the life of a living creature to consume its flesh, drink the milk or wear its skin. You only choose veganism when you can rise above your superficial needs and stand up for a cause that you strongly swear by.
“Animals are not products. Life doesn’t have a price.” For vegans, it is not a form of sacrifice but a heartfelt cause they strongly believe in. For them, every living creature has the right to live and deserves equal rights, dignity, love and compassion. Now that we have debunked the myths about veganism, we can easily take baby steps towards a life that does not exploit one living creature for the pleasure of another. We can practice this in not only how or what we eat, but also in the kinds of products we purchase. Cruelty free products aren’t tested on animals and don’t use animal skin or parts to make the product. You can also send Gifts to Chennai if you are looking for gifts that don’t harm animals and wildlife and preserve the essence of life.
By
Sreemoyee Bhattacharya
