Three Doors To Veganism
LUHV Food is a small-scale, minority-owned, family-run business built on plant power and pure love. Veganism is already ingrained deep in our company DNA, but we thought it’d be interesting to delve into what causes people to transition to veganism. Here at LUHV, we believe there’s three doors to veganism: the environment, the animals, and our personal health. If you’ve visited our Hatboro Bistro, you may have noticed the three doors hanging on the wall. Although there may be more paths people take to veganism, eventually those paths tend to converge at one of these doors.
First Door: The Environment
This first door is all about protecting our planet’s resources. According to The Independent, researchers found that cutting meat and dairy products from your diet could reduce an individual's carbon footprint from food by up to 73%. If everyone stopped eating these foods, they found that global farmland use could be reduced by 75%, an area equivalent to the size of the US, China, Australia and the EU combined. Not only would this result in a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions, it would also free up wild land lost to agriculture, one of the primary causes for mass wildlife extinction. Thus, the article deems Veganism as the single biggest way to reduce environmental impact.
Second Door: The Animals
Next is the door of ethics towards animals. Avoiding animal products is one of the most obvious ways you can take a stand against animal cruelty and exploitation. According to PETA, animals are much more intelligent than most people realize (i.e. cows enjoy mental challenges, pigs have the intellect level of a three-year-old human, chickens form friendships and hierarchies, and fish are steeped in social intelligence). 99% of animals raised for food in America spend their lives on factory farms and are deprived of everything that is natural to them. The amount of animal cruelty and exploitation is staggering (i.e. 29 million cows, 9 billion chickens, millions of pigs, 245 million turkeys, 31 million of ducks, and tens of billions of fish and shellfish). Veganism strives to decrease (and eventually eliminate) the suffering of all animals.
Third Door: Personal Health
The final door is the door to personal health. According to PETA, filling your plate with meat, dairy products, and eggs as is typical in an American diet could be a recipe for heart disease, obesity, cancer, diabetes, and impotence. A vegan diet has been shown to prevent against heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Scientists have found that vegetarians have stronger immune systems than their meat-eating friends. Vegetarians and vegans live on average 6-10 years longer than meat-eaters. Additionally, the World Health Organization ranked cured and processed meats in the same category as asbestos, alcohol, arsenic and tobacco and ranked red meat as a Group 2a carcinogen.
On Instagram, we asked our followers “How do you feel when you eat plant-based food?” @xnbugx said, “Alive, healthy, and caring,” @amykate4123 said, “Healthy and strong, @amandapaolino said, “Amazing.” @christineveltri said, “Happy.” @coopera713 said, “Strong,” @pyschedelicide_ said “Magical,” @phillykris5 said, “Empowered since I’m supporting my own health, the health of the planet, and saving animals,” @hayleyinsquares said, “Energized, vibrant, and fulfilled,” @kevin_burns_88 said, “Healthy.”
In conclusion, no matter how you’ve come to the decision to eat vegan and no matter whether you’re a full-blown vegan or just eating vegan one day a week, you’re making a positive impact on our world! That’s why LUHV is all about making veganism accessible to all!
