Why do people become vegan?

Should I be vegan? It’s likely that quite a few people have already asked themselves this question. In rare cases, someone may answer yes and change their eating habits. But the vast majority of people never even raise the question, or find some sufficient explanation for themselves as to why eating animal products is justified, or why a plant-based diet is too extreme. With this article, I want to encourage readers to ask themselves that very question, whether for the first time or once again.

First, though, I need to point out an important distinction that is often misunderstood. In Estonian, vegetarianism means avoiding only meat and sometimes fish. Veganism, or a fully plant-based diet, on the other hand, is a way of eating that excludes all products of animal origin. This means avoiding meat and fish, as well as eggs and dairy products. In this article, I’m talking specifically about the latter: veganism.

Whether a vegan diet is possible

I think that, to answer the question ‘Should I be vegan?’, we should first understand why people eat and how they can do so. After all, surely none of us would think people should be vegan if this way of eating did not meet the purpose or need that eating serves. The reason we eat is, of course, the need to sustain ourselves. So the question remains: can a vegan diet meet this need? As we know, there are lifelong vegans around the world who live healthy, fulfilling lives. There are also many people who have decided to become vegan at some point and have since lived healthy, happy lives. So yes, it is possible to be vegan, and it is possible to become vegan. A plant-based diet certainly doesn’t mean that someone has to go hungry, suffer from nutrient deficiencies, be unhappy or lack energy. There are successful athletes around the world who eat entirely plant-based, including seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton. Our own Estonian ultra-athlete Rait Ratasepp also follows an entirely plant-based diet and achieves incredible, extreme results. Well-prepared vegan food doesn’t have to fall short in taste, either. Nowadays, there is a huge amount of information on how to replace animal products with plant-based alternatives in your diet and recipes without losing the texture, flavour or character of the food, or how to create entirely new taste experiences.¹

By some estimates, there are around 80 million vegans in the world, or 1% of the global population. However, this figure has been growing rapidly in recent times, and there are expected to be even more vegans in the near future. There are no known specific ailments or health problems among this group of people that are directly caused by a plant-based diet and unavoidable. It is possible to get all the nutrients and vitamins you need as a vegan. For example, the UK’s National Health Service says that, with a carefully planned diet, it is possible to get all the nutrients you need as a vegan.² Naturally, anyone starting out should keep a close eye on their diet, consult a doctor and take vitamin supplements if necessary (this applies to omnivores, too).

Ethics and compassion

All right, but why should I be vegan, then? The fact that something is simply possible doesn’t mean that it is inherently sensible or the best choice. In this case, there is really only one main reason to be vegan rather than an omnivore—namely, ethics. In short, being ethical means caring about the suffering and wishes of others. An ethical person, for example, does not lie, cheat or kill, because such behaviour would show no care for others’ suffering and would go against their wishes. The same ethical approach should be taken not only towards other people but also towards animals. This is because animals, too, are capable of suffering and have their own will. Science also confirms that all animal species have cognition, or awareness of themselves and the world around them.³ What’s more, most animals probably have a very rich inner life, much like humans, and are therefore undoubtedly unique individuals. Just think of dogs or cats: they often have different personalities, habits, preferences and so on. These characteristics are of course not exclusive to the animals that humans have chosen to domesticate as pets.

But what prevents an omnivore from being ethical? The way an animal product ends up on our table always means that the animal has suffered along the way or had something done to it against its will. Usually, this means that the animal is confined, fattened and exploited for various products until its ‘resources’ are exhausted or it is sufficiently mature. Most animals are then killed, cut up, packaged and taken to the food counter. If we accept that we are doing all this to beings who are each, in reality, unique individuals that do not want to be confined, to suffer or to become mere resources for people who otherwise do not care about them, then at least I find it hard to call such behaviour ethical in any way.

But haven’t humans been omnivores and hunters since the beginning of time? Yes, but we have long since moved on from the beginning of time. Humans no longer have to hunt to survive, as other predators in the wild do. Nowadays, eating a plant-based diet is possible and easy. We can’t justify our eating habits by saying that this is how we have always done things, because circumstances have changed. What may once have been essential for survival has now become a modernised, industrial, systematic killing machine. Do what you can for these confined animals; give them better food, shelter, an endless meadow or whatever else might improve their lives. But you can’t get around the fact that the life of an animal is being wasted needlessly for human consumption; the same applies to hunted animals. It can never be respectful or ethical to use or herd an animal of any species as a resource for human consumption. Just as we wouldn’t want some technologically ultra-advanced intergalactic alien species to come to Earth and decide that humans would make a nice snack, to be kept in cages, bred and eaten, or simply ‘hunted in the wild’, no other sentient living being wants or deserves to have humans do the same to them.

Environmental impact

As well as taking animal welfare into account, eating a plant-based diet is the best thing any of us can do to reduce our ecological footprint, helping to restore biodiversity among both animals and plants. For example, keeping farm animals uses a great deal of resources, both water and land, because animals consume far more nutrients over their lifetime than the nutritional value we get from the animals themselves. Producing plant-based food with the same or even greater nutritional value requires significantly less water and land, and saves many natural resources. Think about it carefully for a moment. Where does a grazing animal get its nutrients? Mainly from the plants we grow and feed to it, of course. And what happens to them after that? Much of it is used up as energy in the animal’s body over the course of its life, to sustain bodily functions, generate heat, keep its heart beating, power brain impulses, move its muscles and so on. We often don’t end up consuming all parts of an animal’s body either, which means more resources are wasted. For example, how many of you have eaten a cow’s eyeball, brain, heart, bone marrow or intestines? So it’s no surprise that scientific studies have found that if everyone ate only plants, the amount of land needed for agriculture would fall by up to 75%.⁴ This would open up new opportunities to use this vast area of land better, for example to preserve biodiversity, natural vegetation and wildlife. It would also be the best thing to do to prevent climate change and reduce pollution caused by human activity, because natural vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide. Naturally, it would also reduce the emissions associated with intensive agriculture.

Health

Becoming vegan is undoubtedly the best thing anyone can do to make the greatest possible contribution to improving animal welfare and preserving our planet’s biodiversity and natural environment. And what’s even better, you lose nothing by doing it! Becoming vegan is often also the best thing you can do for your own health. Vegans who eat a healthy, varied diet have a lower risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. As vegans typically consume more fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and less saturated fat and cholesterol, this also helps them maintain a healthy weight, improve digestion and promote healthy skin. Vegans have also been found to have lower blood pressure and better blood sugar levels.⁵

Conclusion

In summary, being vegan means caring about the consequences of our eating habits and lifestyle. If it’s possible to live without harming nature and animals, while maintaining our own vitality and health, then why shouldn’t we do it? I think it is tragic that this outlook on life is not yet taken for granted, and that it tends to raise questions and eyebrows in wider society rather than understanding and support. But similar situations have been plentiful throughout human history. For example, just a few centuries ago, slavery was considered completely normal, and women only gained equal rights with men relatively recently. A great deal of effort is also needed to establish animal rights, and we can’t rely on others alone, because each of us has a part to play in determining what our future will look like.