Veganism

In the world, there are many types of philosophical and thought currents that have been adopted by human beings today. Many of them focus on a series of ethical reasons to be able to base their ideals, this is the case of veganism , a philosophical current that not only implies avoiding consuming products of animal origin but also implies a high sense of respect towards life of all the animals that exist in the world.

What is veganism

Veganism consists of a diet and a lifestyle that is based solely on plants so its followers avoid all foods of animal origin , such as meat, fish, shellfish and insects, dairy products, eggs and honey, even the use of animal-derived materials , products that are tested as animal experiments, and places that use animals for entertainment, for example, circuses , are avoided .

Source

In fact, the origin of veganism dates back to ancient times when more than 2000 years ago, in Ancient Greece , Pythagoras was looking for a way for individuals to understand that it was important to have compassion for animal species and to follow a kind of life that could be seen as a vegetarian. Like Pythagoras, many important figures such as Albert Einstein and Miguel de Cervantes radically condemned the sacrifice of animals as a means of food .

History

After the term was proposed and established by Donald Watson in 1944 in a meeting where it was considered necessary to create a more specific word to be differentiated from others who followed a similar thought. In the month of November of 1944 it was first published an article on the subject and founded ” The Vegan Society ” with a few members.

It was in this way that veganism managed to become a political , ethical and social movement where the rights of animals were fought , a movement that also completely rejected the exploitation of them in any way by human beings. In 1949 an article was also published in which the full definition of veganism was given.

By 1979 , the organization Watson founded had become a registered charity and was eventually incorporated as a limited company . In 1986 , the word vegan is also included in the renowned Oxford dictionary . Over time, the theory has undergone some changes and currently, veganism is seen as a social and political movement that bases its bases on a series of ethical principles that promote care for the environment and respect for life in all its forms.

Founder

The origin of veganism as a current and lifestyle is not very clear, however, experts consider that it occurred in the 1940s, in 1944 thanks to Donald Watson who tried to make a difference with vegetarianism .

Characteristics of veganism

The main characteristics that can be observed in veganism are mentioned below:

• It is based on the rejection of the consumption of animals , products derived from animals and substances of the same origin.
• It is allowed to consume vegetables , fruits and vegetables .
• Vegans see themselves as a part of the natural world.
• As a philosophy , it does not recognize any species as expendable and therefore none can be harmed or destroyed.
• It is characterized by recognizing the legitimacy of life and rejecting any type of hierarchy that implies suffering in animals of any kind.
• They also consider that harmony cannot occur as a result of struggle .
• It condemns the slaughter of animals and the mistreatment or exploitation to which animals may be exposed to satisfy the needs of human beings.
• Not only is it limited to food, but they also condemn and do not consume or use products that come from the sacrifice of some type of animal .

Beginning

Veganism is governed by a series of important principles which are:

• All products for animal consumption must be eliminated from the diet, this includes those derived from animals or those that, for their manufacture , use , exploit or mistreat
• The diet excludes all types of food that have been processed as well as rejects the company that, although its products do not have animal ingredients , experiment with them.
• Clothing is not used in which during its process use materials that come from animal resources .
• The use of household and personal hygiene products that have been tested on animals or that use animal resources in their manufacture should be avoided .
• The transport that uses animals is totally prohibited .
• As part of the philosophy, it is not in agreement with the entertainment that uses animals for amusement .
• It includes environmental care through proper recycling of garbage.

Veganism in the world

At present, this philosophical movement is expanding and every day that passes more people decide to start with this lifestyle, so it is common to find more products for food. This happens because today, there is more information on the negative effects that certain types of food can cause in the body and because more and more animal abuse is tried and condemned.

Even in governments and politics , the term is beginning to take on special importance as the population is increasingly aware of the problems generated by some types of industries such as livestock . The organizations in favor of animals have also played a key role in this kind of philosophy they have managed to ventilate through reports the squalid conditions in which animals are destined for the living consumption .

Benefits of veganism

Among the most important benefits that can be obtained through veganism we find the following:

• When vegan diets are carried out correctly, they can provide the body with a greater amount of fiber , antioxidants , vitamins and essential nutrients .
• It produces a remarkable improvement in the mood of the individual.
• It has the ability to prevent some types of diseases because having less saturated fat can prevent and improve problems related to the heart, obesity, diabetes, constipation and gallstones.
• A vegan diet can reduce problems related to migraines .
• They promote weight loss by improving and reducing obesity levels in people.
• It protects the environment since it is considered that meat production is an ally in deforestation and the extinction of species.

Environmental impact

Its impact on the environment is totally positive because when this type of philosophy is followed, a large amount of damage to the environment is reduced, which is mainly caused by damage caused by livestock and agriculture . Meanwhile agriculture produces a considerable increase in deforestation and use a lot of chemicals that are used in products which generate large amounts of emissions of gases greenhouse .

In addition, in agricultural processes it is common to use excessive and uncontrolled use of river waters . It is for this reason that a plant based diet provides important parameters concerning the reduction of the human impact on raises and protects the life of animals thus avoiding possible extinction.

Disadvantages

Some of the disadvantages that can occur in veganism are the following:

• By not consuming any type of protein , problems can occur in terms of physical and intellectual development of individuals, especially in children.
• The vitamins containing vegetables are not of the all complete and being necessary for the body could cause some health problems.
• The body cannot receive enough vitamin B12, and in children this can lead to malnutrition and developmental problems.
• It can cause a significant deficit of calcium in the body.

How it differs from vegetarianism

The main difference that occurs between these two types of food is based on the vegetarians if you can include in Dita products derived from animals such as milk, cheese, eggs, butter, etc. They also have no problem using products such as clothing or cosmetics that have been produced using some derivatives of animals, so vegetarianism is considered more as a type of diet that seeks to lose weight and improve health.

Importance

Veganism is a philosophical trend and an important way of life for many who consider that the exploitation of animals cannot be endorsed as well as any activity that implies abuse. It is a change in the whole diet that can also have many benefits even for the environment because with this thought it is sought to avoid activities carried out by humans that can affect ecosystems and the environment.