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Living a more compassionate lifestyle definitely includes veganism.

 

Although people might first try a vegan diet in order to be more fit and healthy, anyone can tell you that over time, a vegan’s eyes will open to the plight of the animals that are slaughtered for the meat industry. Over 56 billion farmed animals are killed every year by humans. These shocking figures do not even include fish and other sea creatures whose deaths are so great they are only measured in tonnes. The longer you’re vegan, the more you realize the insanity of the whole idea.

Protein is created by a process that uses nitrates and chlorophyll. Animals do not have the ability to create protein like plants do. Any protein found in animals was from the plants they ate! Mounting evidence shows that reducing meat and increasing plant-based proteins is a healthier way to go. “A diet with any type of meat raises the risk of heart disease and cancer when compared with a vegetarian diet,” says cardiologist Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a Harvard Medical School professor.

Research has shown that all plants contain protein and at least 14% of the total calories of every plant are protein. Try quinoa, barley, bulgur wheat, amaranth, millet, and brown and wild rice. Nuts, nut butter, and seeds are another source of protein, and they are rich in healthy unsaturated fat. There are many to choose from: almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts; almond butter and cashew butter; and pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. The richest source of plant-based protein is the legume family: lentils, split peas, black-eyed peas, and beans—black, kidney, garbanzo, lima, navy, pinto, white, and kidney. The soybean, another legume, is the source of tofu and tempeh, which are rich in protein.