Veggies for Vitality

My name is Destiny Grealy, and the truth is I am fed up. I joined this movement because I am both impassioned and saddened by our world. I am deeply impassioned and feel a connection to the earth we walk on each day. The earth that provides us with thousands of species of delicious plants to eat. The earth that gives us a bright sun to worship in the day, and a beautiful moon to stare in awe at in the night. The earth that continues to mystify and awe us with its beauty. The earth that has given us companions in the form of all animals. I am saddened by the way we as a race, who have been given so much by the earth, give back so little. My aim is that through this movement, other children, teenagers and adults can realise that what we each do has an effect on not only ourselves but our earth, and make a positive change.

I have been researching plant based diets for more than twelve months, and have cut out meat, gelatine, as well as restricting my intake of dairy, eggs and fats for more than six months. Before cutting out meat from my diet I was constantly lethargic, I lacked iron(ically), felt tired after each meal and suffered from indigestion. Now I have more energy than I have ever had, and am able to complete regular exercise. Before vegetarianism I would bruise extremely easy as a result of a lack of iron, and my legs would be constantly dotted with blue and purple marks. Now, as a result of a higher intake of leafy greens, beans and legumes, I am bruise free and no longer have to worry about unsightly skin patches. The tiredness we feel after eating a meal is a result of blood flow being directed from all other parts of the body to aid in digestion. Because the human body is better able to digest fruits and vegetables than meat, less blood is needed to aid in digestion, thus resulting in less tiredness after a meal.

What is the greatest pandemic facing our society today? Obesity. Other illnesses caused by excess weight are type 2 diabetes (hyperglycaemia) and cardiovascular disease. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has revealed that a shocking 63% Australians over the age of 18 are overweight, or 2 in 3 adults. The AIHW has also revealed that 25% or one quarter of all children are obese. What can we do to stop this? I hear you begging me for the answer. I’m sure we have all heard to do regular exercise, to cut down portion sizes and to eat more protein than carbohydrates, but as the statistics show this is not an effective method of treating nationwide obesity.

I propose that the most effective way for our nation, and earth to lose the fat is to literally lose the fat. Cutting out meat from the diet is the most effective way to treat and prevent diseases associated with obesity, as well as reducing the risk of cancer and other ailments. An article published into the International Journal of Obesity compared the BMI’s (Body Mass Index) of different dietary groups and found that meat-eaters had the highest BMI, while vegetarians followed by vegans had the lowest BMI’s. (Spencer et al.,2003.) The World Health Organization in 2015 revealed that meat was “carcinogenic” meaning cancer causing, and stated that eating meat increases an individual’s risk of colon and rectum cancer by 18 percent (World Health Organization, 2015). Furthermore, a recent English study revealed that vegetarians and vegans were twenty-nine percent less likely to develop cancer than meat-eaters (Huang et al.,2012.)

A plant based diet; vegetarian or vegan when done correctly has innumerable benefits. As individuals we actively contribute to the health and wellbeing of ourselves, the animals who are slaughtered for food, and the environment. Each of us can contribute to this wellbeing. Save the animals and save ourselves, for each animal that is slaughtered for our enjoyment, only results in higher and higher obesity statistics. When will we make a change, when 100 percent of Australians are obese? Or now, when we can do something about it? Better today for a better tomorrow.

#Motivation