Why Should I Go Vegan? | Teen Ink

Why Should I Go Vegan?

September 16, 2023
By Kavimi BRONZE, Parsippany, New Jersey
Kavimi BRONZE, Parsippany, New Jersey
1 article 1 photo 0 comments

Why go vegan? Eating meat is great and tastes good, so why should I be vegan? Well, all your thoughts will be flipped upside-down after you read this article.

Non-violence (Ahimsa) is one of the biggest principles in the Indian religion of Jainism. Most Jains do not consume any meat, fish, eggs, and alcohol. All Jains have some sense of compassion for all animals. This love can range from beings as small as an ant, to as big as an elephant. Jains try to do as little harm to all creatures big or small. Killing a 5-sensed being, such as a cow or a pig, is one of the biggest sins in Jainism. Here are some reasons why vegans do not eat meat, or eat any animal products. 

This is what happens on a dairy farm every single day:

Hundreds of female cows are machine milked for 3-4 minutes, without a pause. This process is done without the regard of how much pain the cow feels. The machine keeps on going until the last drop of milk is out of the cow’s udders. Due to this, sometimes traces of blood get mixed into the milk given by the cow. 
Every morning, female cows are injected with hormones and drugs so they can increase the amount of milk given.
Since female cows only give birth after pregnancy, they are kept pregnant through an artificial pregnancy process. 
The gestation process of a cow is 9 months, similar to a human. If a male calf is born, it is immediately sent to the slaughter house, for it cannot produce milk. All but one female calf is kept at the dairy farm, so it can take over the job of its mother when she dies. 
As for the male calves and all but one female calves, they are shipped to the veal factory to be killed. If you see this happening, you can hear the cries of their poor mothers, crying for their young children. 
The veal industry is the most cruel meat industry ever. All the young calves are hurdled into a small crate and kept there for 5-6 months. They are fed a type of meal every day which keeps them fat and healthy. Then they are killed at the young age of 6 months. That is comparable to killing a 3-year-old toddler. 
For the one female cow that is used for milk, after 4-5 years, the milk capacity that it can produce significantly drops, so it is sent to be killed to make cheap meat in a fast food restaurant or as dog/cat food. 
Veganism can also benefit other things. Cholesterol for example, will reduce drastically if you go on a vegan diet. HDL will increase and triglyceride will also decrease. Veganism will make your body very healthy. 

This is why you should take on a vegan diet. Eating and slaughtering animals is not only cruel, it is one of the biggest sins. Did you know that every day in the US, 130,00 cows, 7,000 calves, 360,000 pigs, and 24,000,000 chickens are killed just for human consumption. This has to stop. Humans need to develop higher compassion for all beings, from ants to elephants, and everything in between. We need to work together to end this misery. We need to respect all animals and not kill them. Animals have feelings too. 

Think of yourself in the place of the cattle or pig who is sent to the slaughter house. How would you feel to be killed and cut up so people can eat you? Would you want that? This is why you should endure a vegan diet. So next time you eat a meat product, think of the golden rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. It's all karma. It will come back to you someday, when you least expect it.


The author's comments:

This is an article on why you should follow a vegan diet. It is healthy and killing animals is cruel. 


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