Benefits of Quitting Meat & Dairy 🌱🥑 on We Heart It

Did you know that not eating animals and their excretions ('cause that's what's dairy is) is one of the healthiest diets for your body, your mind and the planet?

Inspiring Image on We Heart It — *yes you did?* then... why haven't you tried to go vegan yet? just kidding, no pressure guys. i know it's a long journey. so worth it though.

this article is a collaboration with lovely Mehri (@smokedpizza) who is a vegetarian so she wrote a great article about the benefits of vegetarianism:

environment, quotes, and tips image — i really recommend you read it because it **complements the topic** and has a lot **more in depths information and facts about the benefits of going vegetarian.**

i can imagine that some people might be upset about the "radical" presentation of the topic and i know there are many people who think that vegans are dumb - and if you're one of them please read this:

environment, vegan, and vegetarian image — discover your brain's defense mechanism

now that we got this struggle out of the way,
𝔀𝓮𝓵𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓶𝔂 𝓼𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓽 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵𝔂 𝓼𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓼!

today i will tell you about all the bad side effects that eating meat and dairy causes for your physical and mental health and most importantly: for the planet and therefore for the future of the human species.

let me give you a quick teaser of some of these bad side effects:

dairy makes your pores produce too much sebum, intensifies acne
having a barbecue increases your risk for cancer
high inflammation levels caused by all the saturated fat can give you obesity, aged skin, bad sleep and depression
you're being a hypocrite whenever you say you "love animals"
you're contributing to climate change, deforestation and injustice

but i'm also not here to demonize every single kind of animal product as terribly unhealthy - because that wouldn't be an adequate depiction of the truth.
anyway none of these animal products are necessary for a balanced diet, no food has a "monopoly" on a certain nutrient.

𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓶𝓪𝓵 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓭𝓾𝓬𝓽𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓷'𝓽 𝓾𝓷𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓽𝓱𝔂:

𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚢 - it's certainly better than pure sugar as it contains antioxidants and some nutrients

𝚏𝚒𝚜𝚑 - but make sure it's certified to not contribute to overfishing and choose fish that's low in toxic heavy metals

𝚎𝚐𝚐𝚜 - they contain all essential amino acids and they have a lot of choline, vitamin b12, iodine and zinc. and there are people who eat 20 eggs a day and don't have problems with their cholesterol.
also i think hens don't feel as bad about being robbed of their eggs as cows feel about being robbed of their calves.

𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚢 𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚝 - if you really love meat, why not. as long as it comes from a free range farm and isn't stuffed with antibiotics and hormones, it's okay for your body and even the planet to indulge in some dead animal if you want to. but make it a special occasion once a month, not a daily part of your diet.
it's important to buy good meat that comes from "happy" animals that didn't live in cruel conditions - you are what you eat, consider you're consuming their stress and fear hormones as well.

why eating (other) animal products is bad...

...for your physical health:

1. all processed meat is carcinogenic (that means it can cause cancer)
e.g. bacon, sausages, hot dogs, prosciutto, beef jerky, salami...

2. burned or heavily barbecued meat is also carcinogenic

3. red meat like beef or pork are also linked to higher risk of cancer

4. the casein in dairy is the strongest cancer promoter ever discovered (so if you have one cancer cell and drink a lot of milk you get a big tumor pretty fast)

5. animal products are high in cholesterol and therefore increase the risk for cardiovascular disease

here's a list of the "top 10 foods highest in cholesterol" - and all of them are or contain animal products!

https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/foods-highest-in-cholesterol.php

btw there's also a list of cholesterol lowering foods and all 10 of them are vegan - who would have guessed that ;)

6. the high saturated fat content of meat and dairy increase your body's level of inflammation - which is a very bad thing

a chronically high level of inflammation makes gaining weight easier and loosing it harder, can increase insulin resistance and lead to diabetes, makes your skin age faster, makes acne more red and swollen, can cause psoriasis, can harm your gut, your joints, your bones, is linked to heart disease, highers the risk of cancer, can impair your sleep, is bad for your lungs and it is directly linked to depression and depressive symptoms

if you're dealing with depression, even just a mild form of it, please read on about it. here's an article on kelly brogan's website who's a psychiatrist and author of the great book "a mind of your own":

https://kellybroganmd.com/from-gut-to-brain-the-inflammation-connection/

and here's a list of the "top 10 foods highest in saturated fat" and big surprise, 7 of them are animal products:

https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/foods-highest-in-saturated-fat.php

number 6 is palm oil so please boycott palm oil not only for our rain forests and the animals that live there but also for your own health!

why eating animal products is bad for your 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭 & 𝓼𝓸𝓾𝓵

you might think "wait, what? that doesn't make any sense".
but i think you'll see what i'm talking about.

first of all, i already told you that inflammation can make you depressed and that dairy and meat are inflammatory foods.
so by eating a diet that's low in inflammatory foods (simple carbs are also a big one) and high in healthy foods like raw fruits and vegetables, you're minimizing your risk for inflammation-induced depression.

changing your diet basically forces you to become more aware of what you're eating and this leads you to making healthier food choices.
when you have to read the ingredients of all the products you consider buying, you'll notice all the shit that's in there and you're less likely to buy and consume all this processed shit.

even though sugar is vegan and there are many processed sweets out there that are vegan, you're still less likely to indulge in unhealthy foods because there are less choices.
when you're at a friend's house they might not have vegan candy so you'll have to eat something healthier.

we have a chocolate bar vending machine at school and i used to get one of these shitty bars with cacao from child and slave labour every other day... but now i finally have a legit reason to tell my cravings to fuck off. and instead i always bring a jar of nuts and dried fruit to school.

you have no idea how good it feels to not be addicted to sugar anymore until you get rid of the cravings. my concentration has improved dramatically, i have more energy, no more brain fog, i'm less lazy and the weirdest thing is: i haven't laughed this much since i was a kid.

a healthy diet can seriously transform your life.
it made me a happier, more productive and even more fun person.
and i want more people to experience these benefits :)

acne, article, and drinks image — here are some **delicious vegan drinks**, hot & cold

article, fitness, and health image — vegan brownies, they are healthy AND taste great

let's talk about the second reason why a vegan diet is good for your mind:
you're finally getting rid of your double standards.
"double standards? me? never!", you might think now.
but in reality, 99% of our society are goddamn hypocrites.
and so am i. or, so was i. because i finally want to act according to my values.

it's indeed very important for your mental health and your soul to do what you know is right.
and i've been neglecting this for so long, i finally want to become the honest, fair and ethical person that i know i have the potential to be.

last but certainly not least: 𝕨𝕙𝕪 𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕞𝕒𝕝 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕔𝕥𝕤 𝕚𝕤 𝕓𝕒𝕕 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕖𝕥

i could write some other long ass paragraphs but i think your attention span has probably reached its limit by now so i will let these graphics and quotes speak for themselves:

environment, gas, and meat image — greenhouse gas emissions compared

if the whole world became vegan, our issue with global warming would be solved!

it doesn't matter if 50% of the world became vegan or everyone reduced their meat consumption by 50%, the result is the same.
i think that's a very motivating message for everyone who doesn't feel ready to quit completely.

next time we're gonna talk about...

common mistakes when transitioning to veganism (or vegetarianism)
the best alternatives to meat and dairy
how to create your individual diet with your own rules
recipes for a protein loaded stir-fry and an iron-rich smoothie
vegan sources for nutrients like iron, B12 and of course protein
how to react to people that don't support your new lifestyle

thank you so much for reading! ♡

i know it's hard to confront yourself with the truth when that means that you have been doing "wrong" for all of your life.
that's why i appreciate it very much that you took the courage and time to learn about this important topic.