Born Vegan
Amazing Pic by Sarah Olive
What do you think Nature intended for us? Is this “Go Vegan” a really good idea? What’s beneath?
Think about a strong, big, gorgeous mammal. One who can endure very heavy tasks and who has been so efficient in physical work, even science decided to name a power measure after this beautiful and mighty living being.
Amazing pic by Dan Cook
Beautiful Strength
This amazing animal has such robust complexion and singular capacities, it’s one of the ones that have accompanied men since longer.
Due to its wonderful traits it has also been extensively used to the hardest and sometimes most merciless things humankind has had the disgrace to perform.
They are even used to develop vaccines – yes, unfortunately this species are exploited until this level-. This singular marvel of Nature, all muscular, big, full of energy and power, eats grass and hay.
So, where does this beauty of strength get all the muscles from? Yes, from vegetables. Entirely.
Why? Because, in spite what you might have heard since you were a child, with many mammals happens that you don’t need to “eat complex proteins” to get yours. That’s a misconception that has been around since long because of two main reasons: famine and industry. But I explain this later.
Everyone has a role
Nature is way smarter than we think.
To continue with the evolutionary analysis, let’s bring to the table another very important aspect of our surviving tools as species: our ability to run, catch and eat pray, the way “sanitary police” in nature -predators-, do.
If you observe the features Mother Nature has been so kind to give us, you’ll find teeth that will resemble more those of the cows’ than the lions’; no strong nails, capable to catch or cut anything too tough; our vision is sharper on colors and shapes, than to catch detailed quick movements; and finally, no, humans are by far not the ones who can run faster. Not even at a decent speed, to escape from the same lions we want to mimic, according to some people.
Amazing pic by Hush Naidoo
Will you keep doing the same ol' thing?
So, why do we keep eating meat? Do we really need it? Why some people are so adamant in assuring that we are more hunters than collectors?
There are many reasons. One of two fundamental ones, famine, has made its way into our culture and views, even though some of us don’t know it anymore.
Throughout different stages of humankind hunger and famine have carved our lives. Before men could write history as we know it, the species was set to adapt to survive. And is this same adaptability we have that has made us capable of digesting many types of food, so some like to call us omnivorous. This same adaptability has made us able to develop more complex methods to obtain our food; collecting, hunting, herding, harvesting.
Now, as explained in the article “Proteins and amino acids, what are these?“, our bodies synthesize all the proteins we need from the food we eat. And if we eat all the aminoacids we need in one or two meals, this “equates”, so to speak, to have all the same aminoacids from 5 different meals. From the amino acids point of view (not nutritionally!), meat and animal products have all the essential amino acids we need. If we were to obtain these amino acids from another source, we would need to gather many more different types than just meat.
The "Ah" moment...
That makes it a bit more complex, yes, and when hunger sharpens and there are not too many resources to help with the plan, you hunt a deer, you get your aminoacids. Of course, at a higher cost from the processing point of view, as meat has also the downside of originating many by-products the body needs to get rid of. But our liver, kidneys, lungs, intestines and skin – our cleansing organs-, are up to the challenge. Or are they?
For the ancient man, surviving was the goal. That’s why we’re programmed biologically to like high-energy foods like sugar, fat or meat. Because your body will try to get everything “just in case there are no more resources afterwards”.
In more recent times, during WWI & WWII, people who had way less access to meat. The principle of scarcity has contributed to give meat the condition in our brains of a very valuable resource and stayed this way. Until now.
Why Vegans tend to be healthier
Go Vegan! How many times have you seen people promoting health through this. So, is it purely because of the facts already exposed? Mainly, but not exclusively. The truth is that vegan people tend to be healthier not only due to the reduction in animal-based products, which is as bad as you can tell, but also because they need to have a certain amount of education food-wise and this forces them to pay more attention to all they eat and the best way to combine it. Also pursuing a healthier and more respectful ways for the planet usually makes you look for ways to connect with Mother Nature and you wind up sharing more time with people who practice more exercise and spend more time and effort looking after yourself. Of course it’s generally speaking :)
Amazing pic by Joe Mc Daniel
The economical agenda
The other fundamental reason is industry. Its capacity, due to current media efficiency and marketing, to get messages inside our heads is key. And powerful.
Meat and animal products business is more lucrative than vegetable’s. Its impact on environment and our health is way bigger, too.
But there are so many economical interests in keeping this way of living, that if everyone of us don’t take the time to inform ourselves, think it through and take action, we will always be in this game until we deplete Earth’s resources and our health.
One Last Thought
Humankind has reached a point where it has to understand current world and evolve; get rid of this old baggage of obsolete beliefs and ideas, and move forward. If we really want to survive, now it’s the time to apply a different strategy from sharpening an arrow and setting traps to catch the boar. Conditions are given. As well as the signals. And remember, we’re supposed to be “the most intelligent living being on earth”.