conferencia benefits of veganism 280815d

“Benefits of Vegetarianism and Veganism

for Yourself and for the World”

Jenaro A. Díaz-Ducca, Magíster (TESOL)

Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica

August 28th, 2015

Who’s Prof. Jenaro A. Díaz-Ducca?_____________________________________________

Has a Master’s Degree in English Teaching (TESOL) at the University of Costa Rica. Also has an International SIT-TESOL certification.

Currently teaches English for Adults in the UCR and UNED. Has also worked in Fundatec.

Produces the educational podcast “English For You CR.” You can listen to it here: http://www.EnglishForYouCR.com

http://www.englishforyoucr.com/

I. Introduction:

Vegetarianism and Veganism

Vegetarianism and Veganism_____________________________________________

What is a Vegetarian?

Do you know anyone who is a vegetarian?

What do vegetarians eat? What don't they eat?

Why?

Discuss these questions with the person next to you for 60 seconds!


Definition of Vegetarianism:

“Broadly defined, a vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat, poultry, and fish. Vegetarians eat mainly fruit, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds, and nuts. Many vegetarians eat eggs and/or dairy products but avoid hidden animal products such as beef and chicken stocks, lard, and gelatin...”

(Brown University Health Promotion)


Types of Vegetarians:

“The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) classifies vegetarians more specifically in the following ways:

Lactovegetarians exclude meat, poultry, fish, and eggs but include dairy products.

Lacto-ovovegetarians exclude meat, poultry, and fish but include dairy products and eggs. Most vegetarians in the US are lacto-ovovegetarians.”



What is a Vegan?

Do you know anyone who is a Vegan?

What do vegans eat? What don't they?

Why?

Discuss these questions with the person next to you for 60 seconds!


Definition of Veganism:

“Vegans or total vegetarians exclude all animal products (e.g. meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, and other dairy products). Many vegans also do not eat honey.”


According to the Vegetarian Resource Group, "vegans, in addition to being vegetarian, do not use other animal products and by-products such as eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps derived from animal products."

(Medical News Today)

Famous Vegans and Vegetarians_____________________________________________

Alicia Silverstone (Actress)

Benjamin Franklin (Scientist and diplomat)

George Bernard Shaw (Dramatist, novelist)

Henry Ford (Founder of Ford Motor Company)

Mahatma Gandhi (Politician, pacifist)

Albert Einstein (Scientist)

H.G. Wells (Author)

Hans Christian Andersen (Author of fairy tales)

Joaquim Phoenix (Actor)


Leonardo da Vinci (Italian painter, architect and engineer)

Paul McCartney (Musician)

Plato (Greek philosopher)

Pythagoras (Greek mathematician and philosopher)

Scott Jurek (Ultra marathon runner)

Sinead O'Connor (Musician)

Sir Isaac Newton (English physicist and mathematician)

St. Frances of Assisi (Italian founder of the Franciscan order)

Vincent Van Gogh (Impressionist painter)


So, why do people become Vegans?

To protect Animal rights

“Vegans do not consume or use dairy products or eggs even though doing so would not kill the animal... According to Vegan Action, Veganism is 'an integral component of a cruelty-free lifestyle.' ”




To protect Animal rights



To protect the Environment

“Livestock farming has a devastating effect on our planet... producing food through animal farming is inefficient, because animal feed production takes up a lot of land, fertilizer, water, and other resources - resources that could be used for feeding humans.”




To protect the Environment



To protect their Health

“Eating animal fats and proteins has been shown in studies to raise a person's risk of developing cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, heart disease, and a number of other illnesses and conditions.”




To protect their Health

II. Benefits of


for the Human Body

Benefits of Vegetarian and Vegan Diets_____________________________________________

What do Vegans and Vegetarians eat?


Let's see what Dr. Neal Barnard says,

You can lose weight in an effective and healthy way

It prevents and reverses heart problems

It can prevent or help with diabetes

It helps your brain (reduces risk of Alzheimer's disease)

Reduces blood pressure

You can live a longer life


Other benefits:

“Men with early stage prostate cancer who make intensive changes in diet and lifestyle may stop or perhaps even reverse the progression of their illness, according to one study published in the Journal of Urology.

Another U.S study involving half-a-million people found that red meat and processed meat eaters died prematurely more frequently than other people.”



More benefits:

“An article published in Food Technology in October 2012 explained that plant-based diets either minimize or completely eliminate people's genetic propensity to developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes type 2, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes contain no cholesterol and are low in fat, especially saturated fats.”



Some more benefits:

“Vegetarian diet procures significantly lesser saturated fat and cholesterol than with meat-eaters resulting in significantly low level of blood cholesterol. It means lowering of heart disease and preventing...diabetes and cancer.

It is generally known that vegetarians have less problems in weight loss. The main reason is lower intake of fats in their nutrition.”

(Health and Love Page)


Finally,

“You’ll avoid toxic chemicals: The EPA estimates that nearly 95% of the pesticide residue in the typical American diet comes from meat, fish and dairy products.

Fish, in particular, contain carcinogens (PCBs, DDT) and heavy metals (mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium) that can’t be removed through cooking or freezing. Meat and dairy products can also be laced with steroids and hormones...”

(Vegetarian Times)


These benefits can be summarized in two words,

III. Benefits of


for Animals and the Environment

Farm Animals and the Environment_____________________________________________

What about animal cruelty?

“Ten billion animals are slaughtered for human consumption each year... today most animals are factory farmed...fed a diet tainted with pesticides and antibiotics. These animals spend their entire lives in crates or stalls so small that they can’t even turn around.”

(Vegetarian Times)


What about animal cruelty?

Farmed animals are not protected from cruelty under the law—in fact, the majority of state anticruelty laws specifically exempt farm animals from basic humane protection..”

(Vegetarian Times)


“The same factory farm methods that are used to produce most meats are also used to produce most milk and eggs. These cows and chickens live their short lives caged, drugged, mutilated, and deprived of their most basic freedoms.

Because it is unprofitable to keep cows alive once their milk production declines, dairy cows are usually slaughtered at 5 years of age. Thus, a cow’s normal lifespan of 25 years is cut 20 years short just to cut costs and maximize production.”

(Vegan.org)


What about the environmental benefits?

“Producing livestock, including cattle, goats and sheep, for human consumption is the single largest driver of habitat loss and deforestation worldwide. It accounts for 75% of agricultural land and is a leading cause of climate change, soil loss, water pollution, and the loss of wild carnivores and herbivores.”

(Phys.org)


In a recent study published in Science of the Total Environment, FIU biologists Machovina and Feeley argue in order to decrease the land demands and ecological footprint of agriculture people should reduce animal products in their diets to a daily average of 10% or less of calories.

"The power of the market is what drives meat consumption, and the power of the market can equally drive its reduction. Awareness about the damage of meat consumption to personal and environmental health can help change these trends...”

(Phys.org)


“But there is hope, according to Machovina. Growing crops, including fruits, vegetables, legumes and soy protein would increase the number of food calories available for people by as much as 70% on the agricultural lands currently in use. Soybeans contain twice the protein of beef, pork or chicken, and 10 times more protein than whole milk.

Cultivating them requires less land area than what is needed for livestock. This could allow an additional 4 billion people to be

fed, surpassing the estimated global population growth of 2-3 billion people.

(Phys.org)


How about our children's water?

“More than 70% of the earth’s fresh water is used in agriculture of plants and animals: it takes 100 to 200 times more water to produce a pound of beef than it does to grow a pound of plant foods.

Plus, the United Nations has reported that the livestock sector is most likely the largest source of water pollution. So, skipping the meat may have more of a positive planetary impact than turning

off the water while brushing your teeth or taking a shorter shower!

(Vegnews.com)


How does a vegetarian diet prevent global warming?

Precisely how much livestock contributes to climate change remains up for debate: studies show numbers ranging from 18% (a 2006 UN food report) to 51% (a 2009 World Watch study)... the advice is the same: humans need to eat less meat to curb climate change and resource scarcity.

(The Guardian)


How does a vegetarian diet prevent global warming?

Raising animals to eat produces more greenhouse gasses (via methane and nitrous oxide) than all of the carbon dioxide excreted by automobiles, boats, planes and trains in the world combined. Over a 20-year period, methane has 86 times more climate change potential than carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide has 268 times more climate change potential, according to the 2006 UN report.

(The Guardian)

As a Manner of Conclusion,_____________________________________________

IV. Recommendations for a

Vegetarian and Vegan Diet


Frequently questions about a vegetarian/vegan diet:

How can I move on to a vegetarian/vegan diet?

Where can I get my protein?

Where can I get my calcium?

Where can I get my iron?


Some useful websites for cooking recipes:

Vegetarian Recipes:

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/everyday-cooking/vegetarian/

Jamie Oliver's Vegetarian recipes:

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/category/special-diets/vegetarian

Vegan Recipes:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/vegan.html


Thank you very much!

How about enjoying a vegetarian meal today?

Credits and links_____________________________________________

Being a Vegetarian - http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/nutrition_&_eating_concerns/being_a_vegetarian.php

Vegan Diet: Health Benefits Of Being Vegan - http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/149636.php

Veganism & The Environment: By the Numbers - http://livinggreenmag.com/2013/02/13/energy-ecology/veganism-the-environment-by-the-numbers-infographic/#UIuyATSIOuHcpA0k.99

Veggie Channel - http://www.veggiechannel.com/

Why Go Veg? - http://www.vegetariantimes.com/article/why-go-veg-learn-about-becoming-a-vegetarian/

For the Animals - http://vegan.org/for-the-animals/

Top 10 Reasons Why It's Green to Go Veggie - https://www.downtoearth.org/go-veggie/environment/top-10-reasons

Health and Environmental Benefits of Vegetarian Diet - http://www.healthandlovepage.com/vegetarian-diet-benefits/

5 Ways Being Vegan Saves The Planet - http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=4425&catId=3

Want to have a real impact on climate change? Then become a vegetarian - http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/04/climate-change-impact-vegetarian

Credits and links_____________________________________________

Videos: Vegetarians and vegans - 110 Celebrities MORPHING FACEShttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3Y5OqgzVqI

Meat's Not Green! Vegetarianism and Global Warminghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhPAIO5zJeg

How to Eat a Healthy Vegetarian Diet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk9zSGccntA

What I Eat In A Day #2 // Vegan/Vegetarian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6wfKSCvCuI

Pictures: http://healthandlovepage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Vegetarian-Diet-Vegetarian-Vegan-Diet-Pyramid.jpg

http://cdn.onegreenplanet.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10//2012/07/meat-graphic.jpg

https://footprintfashions.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/water.jpg

http://www.maharajas-express-india.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/vegetarian-meal.jpg

http://www.welcome-to-barcelona.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Teresa-Carles-Restaurant-Barcelona.jpg

http://www.seriouseats.com/images/2012/01/20120126-vegan-experience-day-14-primary.jpg

http://vegnews.com/web/uploads/asset/459/file/Featurette.VegFund.2.jpg

http://www.foodandnutrition.org/vegetarian_foods.jpg

““The day will come when men such as I The day will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals will look upon the murder of animals

as they now look upon the murder of men.” as they now look upon the murder of men.” --Leonardo Da Vinci--Leonardo Da Vinci