Vegans

Taylor Schullo

Principe & Parajuli

Intro to Environmental & Sustainability

28 September 2022

Vegan: They are Right

There has been cultural debate between meat eaters and vegans for over a decade now. With the rise in new vegan restaurants and culture, there is huge stigma against vegans. The Podcast Science VS episode “Vegans: Are They Right?” looks into the history and science behind the vegans. Should this negative stigmatism be supported?

The first scientist to speak on the show is Joseph Poore of University of Oxford claims that eating vegan over all uses “less land, land water, and less greenhouse gasses” than any other diet. Right in the beginning the podcast claims this diet is the best for the planet. Specifically, 70% of our water use goes to agriculture and 41% of that use is used for growing livestock feed (Humane League). 

Our education on milk is very skewed by milk marketers. Starting in the 90s, TV advertisements would tell people they need milk for strong bones; while, milk companies would publish research on the benefits of milk. The public lacks unbiased knowledge on milk and its effect on our body. Milk has a lot of calcium which our body uses to function. When we don’t get enough, our body will pull the calcium from our bones. Constance Hilliard, or Connie, researched several other countries' milk consumption and their rates of osteoporosis. She found people of West Africa had the least rates of osteoporosis while drinking the least amount of milk. These findings carried over to other countries as well. She concluded that milk and calcium aren't as important as we once thought. There is calcium in leafy greens, like kale, that will provide for vegans.

The nutrients found only in meat and fish are omega-3s and B12. Nutrients more prevalent in these foods is iron. When someone cuts out these nutrients, there are long lasting effects. B12 protects the outer layer of the brain and a deficiency can cause hallucinations and headaches. An iron deficiency can cause fatigue and tiredness. There is a simple solution for including these nutrients: supplements and enriched foods. Supplements can be found at grocery stories and many cereals have omegas and iron added to them. 

The vegan diet compared to all other diets is found to be the healthiest diet. This diet has the lowest percentage of heart disease and obesity. Personally, I support all vegans for any reason they don’t eat meat. I am a vegetarian and I hope to go vegan one day. I think the evidence is overwhelming to believe any other diet is superior.

Vegans: Are They Right Podcast

References:

“14 REASONS WHY GOING VEGAN IS THE BEST THING WE CAN DO FOR THE PLANET.” Thehumaneleague.org, https://thehumaneleague.org/article/environmental-benefits-of-veganism. 

Vs, Science. “Vegans: Are They Right?: Science Vs.” Gimlet, Gimlet, 11 Nov. 2019, https://gimletmedia.com/shows/sciencevs/z3hl5vutm_source=gimletWebsite&utm_medium=copyShare&utm_campaign=gimletWebsite.