Conscious Rewards of Committing to a #Cruelty-free, Vegan Lifestyle

Can going vegan lead to higher consciousness, beyond your physical body?

Yes. Going vegan is more powerful than you think. I began my vegan journey to improve my health. What I didn’t expect was the deep awakening that came with it. As I dipped my toe into veganism, I discovered there was more to it than just what I put on my plate. This was about compassion for other beings, about saving the planet.

You could call veganism a positive gateway drug. It’s like a portal through which you can access a healthier body, create a fulfilled life, and make the world a better place. So, what are the conscious rewards of committing to a cruelty-free vegan lifestyle?

Compassion for other sentient beings

Every second, over 2,000 animals are slaughtered for meat. In the time it takes you to read this article, half a million animals will have been sent to their death.[i]Reared to be violently murdered, kept in unimaginable conditions, over-fed and medicated, these animals suffer needlessly. They are not, as many adverts depict, skipping through lush fields or being lovingly looked after.

Before I decided to make the switch to a cruelty-free lifestyle, I turned a blind eye to what was happening every single moment to thousands of sentient beings around the world. But the moment I knew, it became impossible to keep eating meat. Understanding the plight animals go through just to make it to the dinner plate can give you an unwavering motivation to stick to a vegan diet, even when it’s tough and you’re tempted to give up.

Every time you choose tofu over chicken, beans over beef, or seitan over bacon, you are saving animals and demanding a more compassionate world. You’re sending a strong message to food manufacturers: we want no more slaughterhouses. We want food that does not harm animals.

Saving the environment

The meat and dairy industries impact the environment in various ways. Individually they are scary enough. Combined, they’re like a horror movie on steroids.

Factory farming is responsible for 65% of all human-related emissions of nitrous oxide. That’s a greenhouse gas with nearly 300 times more global warming potential than carbon dioxide.[ii]In other words, a meat-based diet speeds up climate change.

Over a third of the world’s land is used for animal farming, or to grow grains to feed livestock.[iii]For scale, all the cities in the world make up around 2% of the planet’s surface.[iv]What happens if we keep eating meat? Some reports say meat production will have to increase by 80% to keep up with demand. That’s goodbye to any remaining rainforests and hello to hog farms on your doorstep. Going plant-based is the only sustainable solution.

But the statistic that made my jaw drop was related to water. It takes over 3,380 gallons (15,400 liters) of water to produce 2 pounds (1 kilo) of beef. That portion of meat could feed a family of four for a day, but the water it takes to “grow” that meat could hydrate a family of four for seven years. Read that sentence again. Everywhere around the world we are seeing water shortages. The impact of taking a shorter shower is microscopic compared to the thousands of gallons of water you can save three times a day by going meat-free.

Experts tell us we have less than 12 years to redress the damage we’ve done to our planet, otherwise we are heading towards complete extinction. With governments dragging their feet, it’s time to act, we don’t have a moment to lose. It’s so easy to feel powerless in the face of these statistics. But we are not powerless. The number one most impactful thing you can do to protect the environment is going vegan.

Growing the Vegan Movement

As you turn away from the industries that do the most damage to our planet, you turn towards brands that are doing their bit to make the world a kinder, cleaner, fairer and greener place - brands that preserve the planet for future generations. As your awareness grows and you share it with others, you help and inspire others to make changes in their lives and reap the conscious rewards of a cruelty-free vegan lifestyle.

Elevate Your State

Knowledge is power. The more you know, the higher your consciousness, the more you can do. These are two of my favorite resources:

Gaia- an online channel dedicated to raising humanity. They go beyond the mainstream narrative to answer deeper questions, empower you to achieve higher consciousness and live your best life. You’ll find documentaries, interviews, films, workout videos and more…

MindValley- a global education platform for elevating humanity. MindValley offers free and paid training programs for personal transformation on all levels, from diet and heath, to peak human performance, to consciousness, career and spirit. I am just completing the Limitless Course conducted by Mind Valley, founder, Vishen Lakhiani and it is amazing. Check back for a comprehensive review of Limitless.

The biggest reward when you go vegan is the knowledge that you are creating better world - one where animals are safe, where we respect our environment, where we can live in harmony with each other. It all starts with loving yourself and honoring your body with life-giving foods, opposed to decaying flesh of tormented animals.

What about you? Are you thinking of going vegan? Are you feeling the benefits of veganism beyond your health? What motivates you to try a cruelty-free lifestyle?

MF, XOXO

Sources:

[i]https://animalclock.org/

[ii]http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.htm

[iii]http://science.time.com/2013/12/16/the-triple-whopper-environmental-impact-of-global-meat-production/

[iv]http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/179na4_en.pdf