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One intriguing aspect of the vegetarian community is how diverse it is. No one person becomes vegan for the same reasons, and that alone keeps things increasingly interesting. Everyone has their own argument for why a vegan lifestyle is best for them. This fact further develops the idea that there are so many wonderful reasons to be vegan, so you really have to know what yours are in order to succeed and fully love the lifestyle. I've found that there is an assortment of underlying reasons that can generally explain a person's motivations. Keep in mind that most people are vegan for a combination of the following reasons and these are certainly not all inclusive. So, if you're a vegan, where do you fit in? If you're not, where would you fit in if you were vegan? Understanding this is a key to success in maintaining a vegan diet!
- Environmental: Eating a vegan diet can significantly decrease the footprints we leave on our environment.
- Health: Many believe that a vegan diet is suitable for optimal health.
- Animal Rights: These are individuals who do not agree with or do not wish to support the killing of animals for human consumption.
- Weight Loss / Maintenance: A healthy vegan diet streamlines food choices so that people choose to integrate more vegetables and fruits into their diet, often leading to weight loss or easier weight maintenance.
- Cancer: It is believed amongst natural medicine advocates that animal products foster cancer growth in the body. Kris Carr made her high raw, vegan diet famous in the fight against her own cancer with her documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer.
- Cultural: Some cultures either do not believe in the consumption of certain animal products or these products are just not available to them.
The reasons listed above can provide a fundamental mission statement, if you will, for each individual's veganism. This mission statement is completely flexible and ever-changing. You may begin your vegan journey for health reasons and, over time, find yourself gaining more and more empathy for the animal rights side of things. Embrace it and use continuous self-reflection to monitor where you stand!
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