Veganism is the most radical form of vegetarianism, in which animal products are completely excluded from the diet. The main reason for this decision is ethical, since vegans believe that animals should not suffer and die to meet the needs of humanity. Often, representatives of this movement urge others to stop eating animal products. But what if their wish suddenly came true? Is this prospect so bright?
Here's a look at what happens if everyone in the world goes vegan.
Get ready for a huge number of stray farm animals …
Unfortunately, the problem cannot be solved simply by freeing livestock and poultry. Even if some animals, such as sheep or pigs, can somehow adapt to life in the wild, it is unlikely that others will be able to do so (for example, chickens), since they have gone too far from their wild ancestors.
But even if they successfully adapt to the wild, many animals will not be able to be well-fed and healthy. We don't all need to go vegan to see this. See how cows live in India: these sacred animals are often forced to search for food among the garbage, which can hardly be called useful. But since they do not end their lives in the slaughterhouse, their carcasses are mainly eaten by predatory animals and birds.
Promotional video:
Generally speaking, almost all pets are too dependent on people and are unlikely to be able to survive on their own. Therefore, by releasing animals, we ourselves will condemn them to death from disease, hunger and attacks of predators, although this is completely natural in the wild.
There is another way out: the creation of reservations for farm animals. But this requires really huge resources, including human resources, and therefore it is not clear where this money can be obtained. There may be many volunteers willing to take care of the animals, but they are unlikely to be enough to help everyone.
And to serious economic problems
It is likely that soon after the whole of humanity switches to vegan food, the economies of some countries will simply collapse. Farmers will be ruined, as not all of them will be able to quickly switch to another type of production, for example, to grow vegetables, fruits and cereals.
The transition to a new lifestyle can be less painful if it is implemented gradually and in accordance with a careful plan. But who knows how long these changes will last? Meanwhile, economic problems in the world are not going anywhere, and residents of some countries will not even have time to think about becoming vegans, because due to lack of food they will be happy with any edible products.
The ecology of the planet will change
Once the number of livestock is reduced, methane emissions to the atmosphere will also be significantly reduced. Moreover, lands that were previously used to graze livestock or grow food for them will again be free. In many cases, these lands were previously "reclaimed" from the forest, so it is possible that they will again be covered with trees.
New needs will arise
But another scenario is also possible. These lands may be occupied again, as the transition to a plant-based diet means that mankind will need a lot of vegetables and grains. And here it should be noted that the cultivation of such an amount of plant food is impossible without cruel measures against some animals. We are talking about the destruction of rodents, because how else can we protect the crop from their raids? In addition, during the use of land for agricultural purposes, people often destroy the habitat of many wild animals.
The general health of the population will change
Some studies have shown that eating vegan foods lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and hypertension, and certain types of cancer. In addition, it promotes weight loss.
But can we say that by giving up meat, vegans have become completely healthy people? As it turned out, this is not entirely true. With an unbalanced diet, vegans can develop deficiencies in vital nutrients such as protein, calcium, zinc, iron, vitamins D3 and B12, making them prone to related illnesses.
Avoiding any food of animal origin does not always guarantee that you will age more slowly than when you eat meat.
Some people won't be able to survive on a vegan diet
It should also be noted that some people are simply unable to eat purely vegan foods due to allergies to soy, nuts, wheat and other foods that make up their diet.
Particular attention should be paid to the nutrition of children, especially infants, for whom the only source of nutrition is breast milk or baby food. Some parents who want to raise a "true vegan" will try to feed their children the vegetable "equivalent" of milk. Unfortunately, sometimes such cases end tragically.
In any case, a growing body needs a sufficient amount of proteins and other substances for full development, and parents should take care of this first before projecting their views on their own children.
People will try to make their pets vegan
This is already happening: some owners are trying to feed their dogs and cats exclusively vegan foods (sweet potatoes, tofu, brown rice, chia seeds and vegetables). They are, of course, confident that the animals are enjoying the new diet. However, it is worth remembering that daily consumption of vegetables and seeds can cause allergies, diarrhea, bloating and other health problems in your pet.
In addition, these cases are not isolated, because ready-made vegetarian products for dogs and cats have long been on sale. Although dogs, like humans, are omnivores, and theoretically can eat vegetarian food without much harm (but this is controversial, since there has never been serious research on this topic), cats are carnivores that need food of animal origin. Therefore, forcing pets to eat vegetarian food can be viewed as cruelty to them, and this is not the very essence of veganism.
Today, it is difficult to say whether humanity will ever be able to abandon animal products. In any case, each of us, regardless of our food preferences, can reduce the amount of violence on this planet. To do this, you need to be more careful with nature, animals, people around and, most importantly, teach children kindness and tolerance.
Anna Pismenna