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The Veganism Movement
In the past decade, “going vegan” has become a wide-spread trend, numbers increasing by 377%. This movement has been coupled with the increase in options for those that are unable to consume dairy products, or just choose not to. While many choose to become vegans to follow the craze, there are many reasons to pursue such a lifestyle. Some choose to avoid animal product in order to protest animal cruelty; some individuals pursue this diet for the health benefits; lastly, some go vegan to conserve water and help the environment.

Beginning of the movement
In 2014, a documentary, “Cowspiracy,” was released. This documentary called attention to the injustices being experienced and imposed for human benefit. Until 2014, the dairy industry had been on a steady rise. At its peak (2014), it made 53 billion dollars in revenue, and employed 140,000 individuals. After the release of the exposé, the entire industry took a massive hit. There was a 28% decrease in profits over the next year. Today, milk production accounts for $37 billion annually. 135,000 people are still employed in the industry.

Animal Rights
Those that claim ethical reasons tend to stay vegan for longer than those that claim health or environmental reasons. To choose to be vegan for ethical reasons is to protest the treatment of animals. The injustices against the animals consist of cruelty and suffering, commodification, and needless suffering. A “factory farm” is a term used to describe a facility used to raise immense amounts of farm animals, including cows, pigs, and chickens. In this situation, thousands of cows can be present on one farm. The mammal is given antibiotics regularly since infection arises with overpopulation. In addition to the antibiotics, cows are given an abundance of growth hormones. They are forced to produce six times the amount of milk that they were able to produce a century ago. Cows are in a constant state of pregnancy, by means of artificial insemination since bulls are a loss of profit. The animal is pushed to maximum efficiency for three to four years, and then it is unable to continue, so it is slaughtered and sold as meat.

Health Benefits
The typical meal for an American today consists majority meat, a large serving of carbohydrates, and a small amount of a vegetable. This dietary outlook has lead to an overindulgence of animal products, resulting in an abundance of fats consumed, leading to an increase in obesity. The average BMI of an American today is 28.8 which is considered overweight. Th average BMI of a population of vegans is 23.6 which falls in the range of a healthy BMI. The consumption of animal products has been linked to many ailments, such as heart attacks, cancer, diabetes, amongst other issues. The individuals that choose to avoid animal products for health purposes tend to be the most lenient about the diet.

Environmental Conservation
The world is being faced with an issue of disappearing resources and pollution. Many choose to become vegan as a response to this. To nourish one cow that is being used for milk, it takes 50 gallons of water a day, twice that if it is hot outside. It takes 2400 gallons of water to produces 1 pound of beef. Farm animals produce 500 million pound of manure a year. With no way to properly dispose of this much waste, runoff often pollutes the lakes and rivers surrounding farms. Since 1970, 90% of the Amazon that has been cleared has been for raising livestock. Contrarily, by going vegan, a person could save 219,000 gallons of water a year (it only takes 244 gallons of water to produce a pound of tofu). It takes 20 times less land to feed a person that is vegan.

Disadvantages of being Vegan
Being vegan comes with many obstacles. Communion is one of the most important ways to socialize in today's world. With so many restrictions, it is difficult for a vegan to enjoy a meal with friends. This causes a barrier among people. The most important difficulty that vegans must overcome is the inability to consume the nutrients that most people receive from animal products. These necessary nutritions are Calcium, Proteins, Iron, Zinc, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, and Iodine. All of these are necessary for the body to function properly, and to be vegan and healthy, one must pay special attention to make sure they consume enough of all of these. Supplements are available.