FIND YOUR WHY
educate & inform
The goal of this page is to help you "find your why", meaning to help you see the reasons you may want to consider eating plant-based. The "why" is the starting point for every vegan. Finding your "why" begins with becoming informed of the facts.
Whether you are considering going vegan or not, it is important for every consumer to be aware of the impacts of purchasing and eating animal products on our bodies, the world, and the animals.
​
A great place to start is with this video, 101 Reasons to Go Vegan.
It is an approachable, informative, and non-judgmental overview of all the reasons to go vegan.
*note that there is a video the speaker shows about 1/3 of the way through containing footage that may be upsetting to some.
However, he does give clear warning before he shows it.
In this video, we have seen that the three main reasons to go vegan are for the benefit of our health, the environment, and the animals.
​
​
Scroll down for additional information and resources on each topic.
Film or video
Book
Website
VEGAN FOR HEALTH
As you will see below, heart disease, along with almost all of our top health issues, is caused by eating a standard American diet of animal products. The only diet proven to not only prevent but reverse heart disease and many of these other diseases is a whole-foods vegan diet. Below are links to sources that I have found the most helpful in my research.
​
How Not To Die: The Role of Diet in Preventing, Arresting, and Reversing Our Top 15 Killers
​
Dr. Michael Greger discusses the science of how we can not only prevent but also reverse most of the health issues people die from by eating a plant-based diet. YouTube video is featured below. Dr. Greger also has a book by the same title available.
​
​
​
​
Documentary on Netflix researching the disease-reversing effects of a whole-foods plant-based diet.
They also have a website featuring articles and vegan recipes for optimal health.
​
A thoroughly-researched, facts-forward YouTube channel that investigates many vegan topics, including health.
Mic also debunks many claims made about veganism in the media, and he always cites his sources.
​
Website created by Dr. Michael Greger containing countless articles and videos on various topics regarding health and diet. His website is ad-free and not sponsored. His work is all about objective research and evidence.
Documentary on Netflix that discusses why the best-kept health secret is the vegan diet. While I prefer Forks Over Knives as a documentary, I am always very impressed with how the makers of this movie (who also made Cowspiracy) are very transparent with listing all their facts for each timestamp of the movie. The documentary is still extremely well-researched and is full of great information on the vegan diet, health, and the industries involved.
​
Documentary and website that shows how vegan athletes not only get enough nutrients on a plant-based diet, but actually perform better than they did before they were plant-based. The documentary is decent, but the website is really chock full of great information on health and nutrition for athletes curious about trying plant-based.
VEGAN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gases than the entire transportation industry combined. I only have one resource for this topic, but these researchers have gathered information and data from a multitude of sources to prove that the biggest way we can help make our planet greener and healthier is to go vegan.
​
Documentary available on Netflix that thoroughly discusses all effects of animal agriculture on our planet vs. the effects of a plant-based diet.
​
I highly recommend you watch the entire film, but if you only have a few minutes, here is a 5-minute clip featuring some of the issues discussed.
Below is a very well-organized infographic that lays out all of the environmental impacts of animal agriculture. Click on the image to enlarge.
VEGAN FOR THE ANIMALS
As I talked about in "My Why", my primary reason for being vegan is for the animals. I did not have to watch the most gruesome slaughterhouse footage to know that I did not want to eat something that had to be killed in order to appear on my plate.
I do not have graphic slaughterhouse/factory farm footage here for you to view. Most of us understand that what goes on in a slaughterhouse is horrifying, and you can find countless sources of information about that readily available online. What I do have here are articles and clips containing facts that most people don't know about these industries.
​
If you do wish to see footage that is shocking and disturbing, but also depicts very typical circumstances within industries that utilize animals, there is Dominion and Earthlings, both of which are available online to view for free. Please note that I have not seen either of these films, but I have heard that they are very intense, so watch at your own discretion.
​
If you are someone like me who cannot watch footage of animals being harmed without being traumatized, maybe we should consider this: Why is it that we cannot watch the standard practices of these industries we are supporting, but we are ok consuming their products?
​
Please note that I am only here to present the facts. My goal is not to guilt anyone into veganism, nor am I trying to offend anyone who makes a living in these industries.
DAIRY​
​
Fact #1: The dairy industry is the meat industry.
Fact #2: The dairy industry is the veal industry.
​
A newborn calf being wheeled away from its mother to be transferred to a veal crate.
Photo courtesy of We Animals Archive.
Cows have to give birth to produce milk. The milk is the product being sold, so the calves cannot have it. Therefore, all calves are separated from their mothers at birth, which alone is very distressing for both mother and baby.
​
Male calves are useless to the dairy industry, so they are either killed right away or sold to the veal industry, where they will be slaughtered at only a few months or even a few weeks old.
​
Mother cows are considered "spent" when they can no longer produce milk. They are then sent to slaughter to be used for meat.
Below is a good introductory video to the basic facts of the dairy industry by Mic the Vegan:
The following video describes the situation of male baby calves. It is not graphic, but it may be distressing. The creator of the video uses very emotional verbiage, but try to look past that and see just the facts of the situation.
The video below is not graphic in any way. This scene reflects the purely emotional toll the dairy industry takes on mother cows and their babies.
Article: The Myth of Happy Dairy Cows by humanefacts.org
This site has lots of well-researched information on animal farming practices, especially ones that are considered "humane". Their data and sources are always cited at the bottom of each article. This particular article has many sources that come directly from the dairy and veal industries themselves.
However difficult all this information may be to learn about, there are also stories of hope:
The real hope, however, is that you and I have the power to change this situation for these cows. We can choose compassion by choosing plant-based milk, butter, and cheese rather than dairy.
MEAT
We all know that animals are slaughtered to become meat. We also know that slaughter is distressing to watch or even discuss. It is natural for those who feel uncomfortable about the idea of slaughter but still want to keep eating meat to justify it by purchasing "humane certified" meat. However, the conditions of these labels are difficult to enforce, loopholes can be found, and many inhumane practices are still allowed under these certifications. Ultimately, despite how humanely they were raised, all animals end up in the same place on their last day. There is no such thing as humane slaughter.
This is What Humane Slaughter Looks Like. Is It Good Enough? by Mac McClelland
​
This article is as close to an impartial source as I have found on the topic of slaughtering animals for food. It is not written by an animal rights activist, nor is it written by someone with a stake in the meat business. It is written by a journalist who is also a meat-eater.
​
The narrative in this article represents the best-case scenario possible for an animal being raised for food on a farm. They are handled and slaughtered in the most humane manner that the farm can execute. However, it is clearly seen that the time for slaughter can never be made peaceful or kind for the animal, even in the most "humane" circumstances. The cows still moo. They still are full of fear. They still know death is coming. Their lives are still taken. As the author himself states, “What about death is humane?”
​
“Can you make a slaughterhouse perfect?” Grandin asked in Iowa. “No, nothing in this world that’s a practical thing can be made perfect. That’s just impossible.”
"He tells me it makes him sad when the cows aren’t stunned on the first shot. He says that that can happen anywhere, even when a small farm hires him to kill one cow in a field. At Prather, it happens about twice each slaughter day."
The following video may be difficult to watch, but it does not show anything graphic or gory. It does not show the cow being slaughtered. It depicts the last moments of an animal waiting to be slaughtered. It shows her distress. It shows her fear. It shows that she knows what is about to happen. There is no such thing as humane slaughter.
**Please note that there is a very loud noise at the very end of the video, around 3:08. I don't know if it is an editing mistake or what, but feel free to stop the video before then. I don't want to startle anyone!
There's No Such Thing as Humane Meat or Eggs The Guardian
This article may appear confrontational. However, it is important not to be in the dark about the tricks used to make us think that what we are eating is not causing any harm. Most of us try to feel better about eating meat by telling ourselves it's not from one of those horrible factory farms you see in documentaries. However, the data suggests otherwise.
"Data on the number of animals per farm in the US suggests that over 99% of US farmed animals live on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, commonly known as “factory farms”. Globally, that figure is probably over 90%.
So 75% of Americans think they consume humane meat, but a tiny fraction actually do."
The reason so many people think they eat humane meat is because they have to think that way. It is the only way they can eat meat and feel ok about doing so.
"But their minds resolve this conflict between their values and their behavior by insisting that they eat a humane kind of meat that doesn’t cause animal suffering or environmental damage. Their other options are to stop eating animal products or to accept that what they’re doing is harmful, and neither of these options are particularly appealing. This is why we see 75% of US adults thinking they eat humane meat, despite fewer than 1% of farmed animals actually living on non-factory farms."
The following quote from this same article sums it up best. There is just no way to be cruelty-free while making a profit off of another living being. Just like in any other industry, the bottom line is efficiency and profit.
​
"The fact is that when we use animals as raw materials or labor in the food system this inevitably leads to mass cruelty because cheap prices and profits will always come before their welfare."
What Humane Slaughterhouses Don't Solve: The Last Pig Problem by Bob Comis​
Pigs are some of the most intelligent animals on the planet. Of all farmed animals, they are the most perceptive of their fate in the end. Even this "humane" farmer admits that the psychological and emotional distress on these animals at the time of slaughter cannot be remedied. An animal always knows when death is coming.
​
Animal Cruelty? The Legal Way to Abuse a Chicken Animal Legal Defense Fund
​
This article discusses how the USDA's Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, which requires livestock to be stunned before slaughter, does not legally cover chickens, turkeys, or ducks. Because these animals are not protected under this act, they face immense suffering, as many are conscious during slaughter and pre-slaughter preparation.
​
​
About halfway through this article is a section called Specific Package Labels that shows all the certification labels used on packages of meat, dairy, and eggs such as "Certified Organic" and "American Humane Certified". This section helps decipher what these labels mean, and also notes certain processes and procedures are still allowed under these labels.
The animals are not the only victims:
With all of the horrors that go on in a slaughterhouse, it is obvious that the animals aren't the only ones suffering. As stated in this article, slaughterhouse workers experience extreme physical, mental, and emotional trauma in their occupation. This fact is backed up by many studies and testimonials, as seen in the article. Needing to deny their human mental and emotional state, as well as sustaining many physical injuries and ailments from the job, shows that slaughterhouse workers are also victims of this industry.
"Animal products these days are sold with a story: the animal was humanely raised,
it was cage-free, it was free-ranged, it was pasture-fed, it’s hormone-free. Whatever. Excluded from these stories is the fact that an animal was killed. He or she was a sentient being who didn’t want to die. And the person who killed it—the person we almost never consider—has had to declare “I can’t care” to cope with the trauma of his job."
What about fish?
Fishing is killing our oceans. When we disrupt one species of marine life, it affects every other species, as they all depend on each other to keep the ecosystem flourishing. One of these species includes phytoplankton, which is responsible for removing carbon dioxide from our atmosphere and producing between 50 and 85% of Earth's oxygen.
A common method used to catch large quantities of fish is "bottom trawling", dragging a huge net along the ocean floor. This method of fishing is non-selective in regards to which species it captures. Many larger marine mammals and endangered species like turtles are killed every day as bycatch in the fishing industry.
Scientists predict that we will see fishless oceans by as early as the year 2048. Just like there is no such thing as humane slaughter, there is no such thing as sustainable seafood.
Is Your Diet Destroying the Ocean? Mic the Vegan
Why There Is Really No Such Thing as a "Sustainable Fishery" One Green Planet
​
EGGS
Out of all the industries within the business of animal agriculture, it seems like the egg industry has succeeded the most with "humane" marketing. So many terms are used to give the appearance of enforcing standards for egg producers, like free-range, cage-free, organic, etc. To be honest, some of these labels do remove certain barbaric practices. However, all of these labels have the potential for many loopholes and are never successful in creating a humane life for these animals.
The most appalling fact I discovered about the production of eggs is that male baby chicks are useless to the egg industry, so the hatcheries kill them right after birth by throwing them alive into a macerator (most common), suffocating, gassing, or sometimes just throwing them into a dumpster. This is a permitted practice under all humane labels!
​
If you look on YouTube, you can find many heartbreaking videos of workers sorting chicks by sex and throwing the male ones into the grinder. You can see how much space "free-range" hens really have. You will also see how sickly and disease-ridden these chickens appear. No matter what labels are thrown onto the carton, eggs are not a healthy (or cruelty-free) part of a good breakfast.
5 Shocking and Cruel Practices That are Allowed at ‘Certified Humane’ Chicken Farms One Green Planet
Photo courtesy of One Green Planet
Are There Really Cruelty-Free Eggs? Humanefacts.org
The Truth Behind Humane Labels Spring Farm Sanctuary
Well, now what?
Why is the animal agriculture industry the way that it is? How did it get this bad? Because there is a massive demand for these products, so they must be mass-produced. We think we need meat, dairy, and eggs to have a healthy, satisfying life. We were taught that there is no other logical way to eat. However, the best-kept secret and the biggest tragedy is that all this suffering is completely unnecessary. As you have seen, our bodies, the environment, and the animals are all better off if we don't consume these products.
​
All of this is a lot of information to take in, none of which is easy to hear. If you are upset, that is a good thing. You can start to make a change. What are you most upset about after learning this information? What do you feel is the most valuable thing you have learned? What got you the most fired up and desiring change?
Maybe you want your family to grow up with healthier eating habits than you were taught growing up. Maybe you want to have less of a carbon footprint. Maybe you had no idea how much animals truly suffer in the animal agriculture industry. Whatever is most important to you, that is your "why" for making the change toward veganism.
However difficult this information may be, it does only good to be aware of the truth and to want to make a change because of it. Change doesn't even have to be drastic at first.
Click on Practical Steps: How to Start Plant-Based to find out your first steps to making a better world for yourself, the animals, and the planet.