The Impact of Veganism: A Real Life Take

For a summer, I went vegetarian. I had two roommates who were vegetarian when I lived with them, but I did not have the patience or need to try out the lifestyle. I observed their eating habits, and how easy it seemed, but I still loved to each Wendy’s after a work shift. I know how selfish that sounds now, but I did not have the desire to limit my diet to being meatless at the time of us living together.

One roommate was, and still is, a full vegetarian. She does not eat any form of meat or fish. Anything that has eyes, she doesn’t stomach. However, she will eat eggs and dairy. The other roommate still eats fish in her diet, so she labels herself as a pescatarian. She loves to make crazy flavored food, with exotic touches of spice and some Mediterranean flare.

Over our many trips to the grocery store during those five months living together, I observed my roommate’s food buying habits. The pescatarian always bought tilapia to fry or bake, along with beans and greens. The other roommate stuck to vegetarian friendly meat free products such as Gardien “meatless chicken nuggets” for her protein base, and she still consumed eggs. They both still had yogurt, milk and cheese in their diets, however they did not consume it as much as I was. They ate a lot of plant based items, and frequently enjoyed carb based meals as well.

So why did I decide to try out being a vegetarian after I moved back home for the summer? I just wanted to see if I could. Living with my two roommates influenced me to a point, and allowed me to explore what the day to day lifestyle would look like.

Over time, I realized how much cheaper it was for me to be a vegetarian. I ate out way less. I couldn’t eat out at a fast food place like I was used to, because my option was limited to French fries. I frequented the veggie delight from Subway often enough, but my diet change lead to a dramatic decrease in my weight. It was hard some days, not knowing what to pack for work lunches, but I got into the swing of consistency. However, every time I explained to someone that I was a vegetarian, I got a mix of reactions.

“Really? Why would you want to do that?” This was a very frequent comment, along with “Oh good for you! I could never do that. I don’t have the restraint.”

It got to be draining at times over the four-month period that I tried it.

I finally caved around Thanksgiving and started eating meat again. To be honest, it tasted so good and I did not feel the need to break the habit again. It was nice to know that I could do it when I tested myself and could. Don’t get me wrong, I ate my fair share of junk food. My personal love for soda and sweets cannot be easily curbed, and fit into a vegetarian lifestyle. Oreos are considered vegan if made in the United States, and that goes to show how one can still eat poorly while on a plant-based diet.

The impact becoming a vegetarian can have on the environment is huge. Everyone has their own personal reason for becoming a vegetarian or vegan, but some reasons include sustainability, reducing greenhouse emissions, and preventing animal suffering. Even by going meatless one day a week, you can have an impact. Food production can be attributed to at least one-third of greenhouse gas emissions, mostly stemming from the livestock industry. According to Marco Springmann, a research fellow at Oxford, if the world went vegan by 2050, greenhouse emissions would drop by seventy percent.

Plant diets may have disease preventing properties. In the same BBC article it states that “Springmann’s computer model study showed…should everyone go vegetarian by 2050, we would see a global mortality reduction of 6-10%, thanks to a lessening of coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke and some cancers. Eliminating red meat accounts for half of that decline, while the remaining benefits are thanks to scaling back the number of calories people consume and increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables they eat. A worldwide vegan diet would further amplify these benefits: global vegetarianism would stave off about 7 million deaths per year, while total veganism would knock that estimate up to 8 million.”

The article muses around the idea of the what would happen if the whole world went vegetarian or vegan, as well as how changes on a smaller scale can also bring forth many positive changes to our current and future earth. The article continues on, citing Marco Springmann’s study more than once. “Certain changes to the food system also would encourage us all to make healthier and more environmentally-friendly dietary decisions, says Springmann – like putting a higher price tag on meat and making fresh fruits and vegetables cheaper and more widely available. Addressing inefficiency would also help: thanks to food loss, waste and overeating, fewer than 50% of the calories currently produced are actually used effectively.”

These are huge benefits for some, but on the other hand, the level of change the world would have to go through to reach this would be unprecedented. Economies would be changed, and new careers forged from the emergence away from livestock farming towards agriculture. Is the world prepared for a change that large? Whole cultural traditions are sometimes based around meat, or the raising of animals for food, similar to Thanksgiving dinner and turkey, or a hot dog at a Red Sox game. Is society ready for the change? How would our future look as a result?

The BBC article follows up with making the point that veganism on a global scale may not be necessary to make a large impact, and we can still make an impact on a small scale. The article drives this fact home and states that, “instead, moderation in meat-eating’s frequency and portion size is key. One study found that simply conforming to the World Health Organization’s dietary recommendations would bring the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions down by 17% – a figure that would drop by an additional 40% should citizens further avoid animal products and processed snacks.”

My closest friend, Samantha, has been a vegan for over two years. Over time, she has convinced her younger sister Veronica to adapt to the lifestyle as well. Now, let me tell you, this is a huge change for both of them. Throughout high school, we would go out to eat constantly at a local ice cream place, eating our weight in soft serve or clam strips. My first questions focused on how would you eat on holidays? My grandmother always makes the best broccoli cheddar casserole, which contains so much dairy that it would be impossible for a vegan to eat. Special occasions wouldn’t be the same without it.

For Easter, Sam invited me over to cook some of her favorite vegan dishes to eat during the holiday event. This was something that I had previously asked her to do for me, and allowed me to explore more of her vegan lifestyle around the holidays.

“My family always has mac and cheese, so I make a version of mac and cheese that’s vegan. I also try to make a great salad and vegan dressing with kale and roasted vegetables,” she tells me, the water boiling on the stove for the mashed potatoes we were making with vegan butter and almond milk. Supposedly, no one in her family could really tell the difference.

“I love to do a Portobello mushroom wellington, and veggie pot pies for holidays. And of course, tons of vegan desserts, like cakes and pies,” Sam continues, “My roommate usually has a Tofurky roast on thanksgiving, and that’s similar to the turkey for her.” The kitchen is filled with an aroma of delicious food, and I was intrigued to try some of the items we were talking about.

Vegans do not consume any animal products at all. Samantha and Veronica do not eat any animal products, meat or fish. They don’t drink milk, they don’t eat cheese or yogurt or ice cream or sour cream or any dairy products. Honey is also considered an animal by-product to them, so they skip out on that as well. It blew my mind when Sam first told me about it, and her decision to change her lifestyle. My family couldn’t stop commenting on it. Looking back on old high-school pictures to now, the difference is apparent when Sam and Veronica decided to change their diet. This could be attributed to veganism, as well as their focus on working out along with eating better.

Even on my social media feeds, the topic of veganism is popping up constantly. Maybe it’s the people I follow. Many of the fitness and bodybuilding pages I tune into on Instagram promote their vegan lifestyle, such as @hannahbeefit, a bodybuilding coach and competitor who is based in New England. Maybe it has become more accessible to learn about the topic online, as well as to purchase vegan/vegetarian friendly items in the grocery store that weren’t available ten, fifteen years ago. It has become a mainstream media topic. You can even take a Nutrition and Culture class at a state university where the topic of how becoming a vegan can impact the environment will be brought up.

I have this habit of popping over her family’s house when she’s home, as Sam lives in Washington D.C. full time for college. Whenever I do, I always feel at home in their large country-style farmhouse. The kitchen is the heart of the house, and there is always something going on, whether it’s her younger brother Joey cooking elaborate desserts, or Sam’s very Italian mother cooking homemade pasta. Whenever his sisters are home, Joey makes them a dessert that is vegan friendly, no milk or eggs or butter, just the substitutes. I am always fed in their home, which to me is the true definition of ‘home is where the heart is…and eats’.

Last time I was over, the whole family was gathered in the living room.

“Hey honey! There’s some left over Shepherd’s pie in the fridge,” Sam’s mom called out to me. I was famished from a day working, and so thankful to be there.

“And guess what!! It’s vegan!!” Sam enthusiastically yelled from the couch.

To adapt to Sam and Veronica’s lifestyle, their mom frequently looks up recipes to cook vegan friendly meals while they are home. Before they make an appearance, she goes to the grocery store and stocks up on their favorite necessities, such as coconut oil, So Delicious ‘coconut milk’ ice cream and dairy substitutes of the like. Our local grocery store also sells substitutes for items like cheese, eggs, and of course impersonation meat which is how she made the delicious Shepherd’s pie.

Yes, it truly was so good. Small changes are better than none, I thought to myself. Each decision I make can have an impact for the future of this planet.

Knowing that the meal was ‘cruelty-free’ made it taste even better.