As we near 2017, many of us are thinking about (and plotting) our New Year’s resolutions — ways we can become better, happier, more productive people. I love making New Year’s resolutions and am always filled with so much hope and optimism about the things I can do to improve and better myself. Although I’m not always successful in achieving my intended goals and find that many of the resolutions I make — for example, to exercise more, reduce time on Facebook, pursue creative hobbies, read more, save money, etc. — appear on my list year after year, I never give up trying, and each January, embrace the “new, improved” me with gusto.
One resolution I made a while back, January 1, 2008 to be exact, that I’m grateful to have actually stuck with was when I decided to become vegan and do my best, through my eating habits and consumer choices, to cause the least amount of harm I could to animals. In a world where so many problems seem beyond our control and means to do anything about, be it combating systemic racism, socio-economic inequality, or ending conflicts in faraway lands (to name but a few) choosing not to contribute to animal cruelty through my eating and lifestyle choices were easy actions I could take to reduce suffering and make the world a kinder place.
Whether it’s eating plant-based meals, using home and personal care products not tested on animals, adopting companion animals from shelters and rescue groups, choosing animal-free forms of entertainment, or not buying clothes made from fur, wool or leather, there are myriad opportunities we have each and every day to reject the industries and practices that exploit, harm and kill innocent animals, and choose a way of life that respects and values them instead.
And if concern for animals isn’t reason enough to stop eating them, a plant-based diet comes with substantial environmental and health benefits as well. The natural resources (i.e., water, energy, land) expended to raise and slaughter tens of billions of land and sea animals each year are immense, to say the least, and our planet pays a heavy price. The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, more emissions than all forms of transportation combined, is directly attributable to livestock, and the World Bank attributes roughly 90 percent of the razing of the Brazilian Amazon to animal agriculture. It’s pretty bleak stuff, but according to a study by the University of Oxford, by simply switching to a vegan diet, we can cut our diet-related carbon footprint in half!
As for the health benefits, according to this month’s Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “Vegetarians and vegans are at reduced risk of certain health conditions, including ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain types of cancer and obesity. Low intake of saturated fat and high intakes of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, soy products, nuts, and seeds (all rich in fiber and phytochemicals) are characteristics of vegetarian and vegan diets that produce lower total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and better serum glucose control. These factors contribute to reduction of chronic disease.”
We all say that we “love” animals. But do we actually love all animals, or just those we can cuddle and don’t like to eat? If you’re someone who “loves” animals, please consider how your actions reflect that love. I’d always considered myself an animal-lover, too, but until I went vegan, my actions didn’t truly reflect that love. Now, they do. And it’s the best decision — and New Year’s resolution — I ever made.
