Did you know that? November 1 – World Vegan Day – eKefalonia

“I will not let my body be a grave for other animals, an inn of the dead, a vessel of corruption”
Leonardo da Vinci.

Veganism, like all isms, is a philosophical view, a lifestyle and even a movement, whose members abstain from eating animal foods and avoid using products made from animal body parts such as skin, entrails , fur, teeth, etc. Every minute that passes 1680 animals are killed, 50 billion worldwide a year. In the US alone, 27,000,000 animals are slaughtered to be put on the human table, while hundreds of tons end up in the trash or landfills. In Greece 4,000,000 chickens, having lived a short and miserable life, are killed without ever seeing the light of the sun. In a year, 4,000,000 other animals are slaughtered, of which 180,000 large mammals, 2,300,000 lambs and 1,330,000 pigs.
This lifestyle of herbivores and vegans is based on compassion, ethics, but also awareness of the harmful consequences of eating animal products on health, climate change, and the environment. It is known that 66% of the arable land is intended for the production of food for consumption in livestock units. 82% of malnourished children live in areas where land is used for animal feed production. It has been estimated that if the earth’s population were to gradually reduce meat consumption and adopt a plant-based diet, grain crops could feed 10 billion people.
In the last decade we have witnessed the contribution of animal husbandry to climate change in the environment. The growth of the world population also contributes to this phenomenon. It is a fact that on earth humans, who constitute 0.01% of the biomass, oppress 99.99% of the animals.
Devotees of veganism are reacting to this ominous future. The shift to a plant-based diet has been growing rapidly in recent decades. This is mainly due to the studies and findings of the sciences according to which animals are intelligent and sentient creatures and possess their own form of intelligence. At the same time, cultural progress recognizes animals’ rights and forces humans to adopt attitudes and behaviors according to which animals enjoy the same treatment as humans. In Great Britain for example, sales of vegetarian products have increased by 1500% from 2015 to 2016 and in the same country the number of vegans has increased by 350% in the last 10 years. In more and more schools there are also vegan products for students. About 700 million people today claim to be vegetarian, and the number is growing daily.
Countless scientific studies now prove that the vegan diet is a sustainable diet, feasible and easily applicable from human birth and healthier than the diet containing animal products. Nutritional associations in the US and UK have clearly stated that a vegan diet is suitable for all stages of life even infancy. Today, vegetarian products are easily found in chain stores, even in small neighborhood stores. Vegetarian options are now available in most restaurants and fast food restaurants, in school canteens, etc. A large number of chefs are teaching and teaching the vegetarian diet, while hundreds of recipe books are on bookstore shelves. Also, specially trained obstetricians undertake the care and delivery of vegan pregnant women.

Veganism is the logical evolution of man when he realized that he grew up in lies and violence. We will never succeed in establishing Peace in our hearts and in society when there is a dead creature on our plate, which we butchered in the most barbaric way.

Ioannis Kosmatos