World Vegan Day

Written By: Mariann Victoria Fernandez

In correlation with World Vegan Day, APEC Roxas Amplify is providing this piece to acknowledge and commemorate the contribution of veganism to people, animals, and the environment. Some of you may already know the concept of veganism and how it works. But to clarify, it’s not all about eating vegetables and consuming plant-based products on a regular basis.

Veganism is a lifestyle that avoids animal based products such as dairy, meat, and fish, as well as products that are derived from animals like honey, cheese, leather, and seashell. This lifestyle does not only focus on foods but all forms of exploitation and cruelty towards animals that are used for clothing, cosmetics, cleaning, and many more.

There are a lot of types of plant-based diets, but the most common are vegan and vegetarian diets. The main difference between the two is that a vegan diet excludes all animal products and even products that came from them, whereas vegetarianism excludes only animal products and can still consume and use products derived from animals depending on which type of vegetarianism an individual is practicing.

The significance of veganism to humans can either be positive or negative. According to The Human League, veganism could stop the deforestation, soil degradation, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with meat production, helping to slow climate change and secure our global food supply. Moreover, this lifestyle is also beneficial to an individual’s health as veganism may lower the risk of heart disease, contain richer in certain nutrients, can help you lose weight, and many more. Even so, veganism may also come with several health concerns. Research shows that hair loss, weak bones, muscle wasting, skin rashes, hypothyroidism, and anemia are other issues that have been observed in those strictly following a vegan diet.

This is to recognize how far this movement has come and how it has benefited the world today. Veganism is not just about the diet, it’s a lifestyle that is significant to animals, people, and the environment that performs and promotes using our resources efficiently without causing any harm to the environment.