Kyle Ankrum
English 110
Dr. Aitken
June 23, 2012

Beef…and why it should not be for dinner
A vegan is defined as a person who refrains from using any animal product for food, clothing, or any other purpose. Therefore, with the human population increasing on the planet, putting more and more stress on the planet’s capacity to produce food and renew its resources, veganism is becoming more and more popular because it is considered to be a conscientious way of life. For some it is for religious and personal reasons, for others it has to do with the fair treatment of animals. In any case, those whose diet has been traditionally meat-based, the vegan lifestyle is a responsible, choice for very legitimate reasons.
Think about where the animal products you consume come from? You are probably picturing grassy farmlands with cows leisurely walking around, pigs happily rolling around in the mud, and coops filled with chickens cozily laying eggs, right? Wrong. These farms rarely exist today. Instead, cows are kept pregnant to continuously produce milk, pigs are kept in windowless concrete cages, and 250,000 hens are piled in one building to lay their eggs. This is what is known as a factory farm. Factory farms are overcrowded filled with terrified, suffering animals. These conditions are unacceptable. By eating meat and dairy products, or purchasing leather or fur, you are supporting these factory farms and their poor conditions. In order to stand up to the industry, we must choose a better, more ethical way of living.
As mentioned earlier the three main reasons a person may become a vegan are, personal health, environmental, and for the animals. Let’s start by taking a look at the health benefits of a vegan diet.
According to Dr. Joel Fuhrman, an American board-certified physician who specializes in nutrition, “vegan diets have long-term advantages such as,