Contributed by Mahima Purohit, founder of The Vegan Wagon
Diwali symbolizes the spiritual triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. So, this year, what’s that one thing we could do to help ourselves, the animals, and the planet? Yup, it’s going vegan. If you have toggled with the idea, read on for not one, but five reasons to go vegan this Diwali.
Feel happier and healthier
Cutting out dairy and meat from our diet frees our system up from digesting proteins that aren’t optimal for the human gut in the first place. A vegan transformation saves us this energy, making us feel more active and energetic. It also beats the lethargy resulting from dairy and meat consumption, making us feel a lot healthier. In fact, 68% of Veganuary participants from 2021 reported health benefits including more energy, better skin, and improved mood.
Making vegan choices is easier on the conscience as we are reminded of the highly positive impact it has on our fellow beings, our health, and the planet. And a clear conscience is the first step to a happy mind, don’t you agree?
Vegan food is delicious
That vegan food is not tasty is my favorite myth to bust! This Diwali is a great opportunity to step into the kitchen and challenge yourself to prepare vegan yummies for the whole fam. And the cherry on top is the bragging rights you claim for serving a fully vegan spread to your guests. I personally love to hear when they exclaim that they can’t believe it’s all vegan and yet so delicious!
Save the animals – kind is the new cool
The milk, butter, and ghee used in our traditional dishes are not voluntarily given to us by happy animals. Sadly, the process of obtaining dairy products, whether from an industrial farm or a backyard farm is inherently cruel. It involves lifelong suffering and deprivation from family for countless animals. But it doesn’t need to be that way. We can enjoy all our traditional dishes this Diwali, with equally delicious vegan alternatives to dairy. Knowing that your actions are actually making the world a kinder place brings a peace of mind and satisfaction that few other things can. And isn’t that a good-over-evil win we can all do with this Diwali?!
Help feed the hungry
Raising animals uses 83% of global farmland to produce only 18% of the world’s supply of calories. This disproportionate use of land is one of the main reasons why nearly 6.9 million people in the world go hungry every year.
This highly resource-intensive industry deploys essentials like agricultural land and water in an inefficient manner. The land that can be used to grow food to feed humans is being used to grow food for animals, who in turn are used for meat and dairy. By adopting a vegan diet, you will contribute to eliminating world hunger and thus solving this basic, yet widespread problem faced by many nations even in these modern times.
Save the planet
Been going green for the last few Diwalis by saying no to crackers? Here’s how you can bump it up a notch this time. Going vegan is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact. Just by cutting meat and dairy from our diet, we can reduce our individual carbon footprint from food by up to 73%!
It helps save more water and emit lower amounts of greenhouse gases, which are known to advance global warming. As more people adopt a vegan lifestyle, wildland that has been lost to agriculture can be freed up to restore forests and habitats of many species on the verge of extinction.
So don’t miss the opportunity to try vegan this Diwali. Thank us later!
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