The World Vegan Day celebrated by vegans around the world on every 1st of November has become an annual event since 1994 when the Chair of the Vegan Society in the United Kingdom, louise Wallis, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Vegan Society.
The benefits of being ‘Vegan’ on person’s health as well as environment are spread by the vegans and in some countries Vegan week and month is also celebrated restricting one’s diet to vegetables and fruits sans milk and its products. Haridwar also witnessed a similar observation for 5 days which culminated on Sunday at a community convention centre in BHEl. Dishes with Tofu and veggies were served in a variety of combinations during the vegan fest.
The advocates of vegan diet give plenty of reasons why this diet is the best suited for human consumption. lactose intolerance and diseases among meat eaters has given birth to the vegan movement and the number of vegans is ever on rise. Adulteration in milk products and use of chemicals and preservatives in meat has led to many diseases in meat eaters and milk consumers in the past few years, refraining people from milk and meat consumption.
In countries like India where there is no dearth of green vegetables and fruits, people are vegetarian by choice but cold countries are facing problems due to increased comercialisation in food products.
A promoter of diet of fruits and vegetables, Chidanand Muni of Parmarth Niketan says, “Animal agriculture or raising animals to be killed for food releases more than 100 million tons of methane gas into the atmosphere each year and it is a major contributor in global warming. The average car if driven all day long release 3 kgs of carbon dioxide in the air while production of one hamburger releases 75 kgs of carbon dioxide in air due to energy expended in clearing the forest, grazing etc which means eating one hamburger causes same damage to atmosphere as driving your car for three weeks.” The only reason that people still continue to eat meat is that they are driven by cultural habit or craving for taste while veggies and fruits are easily available in most developed countries of the world said the seer.
Besides, the animals are injected with hormones so that they grow faster and add more bulk. All these chemicals are transported in the bodies of people who eat this meat. But our body systems cannot take these chemicals so lying undigested they eventually lead to cancers and weakening of our immune system. The milk from these animals is also toxic and is rejected by the human biology. Vegans reason that milk we get these days is not pure. “The cows are injected with bovine growth hormone rBGH to increase milk production. With rBGH, cows are prone to udder disease and to overcome this they are given antibiotics which passes in milk thus causing disturbance in the body system of consumers. Milk has natural hormones IGF 1 and IGF 2 that proliferate cellular structures in the body, exposing consumers to risk of cancerous growths,” says Dr. Sanjay Shah.
The more concentrated the milk product like cheese or paneer, the worse it is for digestion. The milk protein A 2 type which the desi breeds of cow produce is far better than the A 1 type which are found in cows grazing in cold regions. Since jersey and other western breeds of cows are common these days and cow’s feed contains potentially harmful ingredients so vegans prefer to go without milk and dairy products. A WHO study conducted in the ‘80s proved that those who had the most plant foods had the least heart disease, and societies that had maximum meat and dairy consumption, had maximum heart disease.
Even physiologically the human body system is designed for eating vegetables and fruits. Our teeth are not pointed and our intestines are much longer than our bodies, very much like plant eating animals. Carnivores have short intestines through which meat passes easily. It passes through our intestines much more slowly and is very heavy to digest, sometimes taking up to 72 hours. During this intervals most of it rots and ferments in our bodies. Vegetarian food, on the other hand, is digested within a few hours.
A nutritionist Deepa Mehta says it is a myth that only dairy products are rich in calcium and protein, Fox nut, spinach, beans, Broccoli have equal amounts of calcium and protein as in milk. Dr. Sanjay Shah says that in nature no animal drinks milk of other animal, it is only human being who drinks milk of another animal. Milk is not mandatory after a certain age in childhood when child starts eating other foods.