To highlight this point, creative agency SAMY and production company Flamboyant Paradise have created a stinkin’ cute animation with a “moving” musical message: being vegan is good sh*t!
Read on to learn why being vegan is good sh*t, and how ditching meat can keep you “flushed” with health!
Being Vegan Is Good Sh*t For Your Digestive Organs
The Gut Biome
Your gut biome is a miniature ecosystem populated by trillions of microscopic bacteria and some fungi, viruses, and parasites.
As long as these all remain balanced, we’re good, but an imbalance – often caused by our diet – can spell trouble because this biome is considered by many to be the control centre for digestion and immunity and – as new research shows – impacts brain health.
An analysis of poop samples (yep, that’s a thing!) from 21,561 participants found that meat eaters’ bowel movements contain higher numbers of bacteria linked to inflammation associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Conversely, vegan mud had larger amounts of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) that nourish your gut lining, reduce inflammation, and help maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
The Intestines and Rectum
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines processed meat as “carcinogenic to humans” and warns that consuming red and processed meats increases your risk of colorectal cancer. Meanwhile, the International Agency for Research on Cancer warns that even one hot dog’s worth of processed meat increases your relative risk of cancer by 18%.
Conversely, a 2022 review of 49 studies involving 3 million people found that animal-free diets are protective against all digestive system cancers, including colorectal cancer.
The Pancreas
The pancreas is essential for digestion, secreting enzymes that break down sugars and starches for energy production. When our pancreas isn’t working well, it can lead to diabetes, pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer. Look after your pancreas, kids.
Citrus fruits, cruciferous veggies, beans, lentils, and wholegrains nourish the pancreas, and observational studies show far reduced diabetes risk among those on vegan and vegetarian diets versus other dietary patterns.
Further research shows that a healthy vegan diet was associated with a 44% reduction in the risk of pancreatic cancer. Because they’re lower in saturated fat and higher in fibre and antioxidants, Diabetes UK notes that wholefood animal-free diets “fit well with the current dietary guidelines for people with diabetes.”
Being Vegan Helps You Enjoy Toilet Time
More regular sh*t
Studies show that vegan diets rich in fruit and vegetables are higher in fibre and, therefore, associated with a higher bowel movement frequency. Regular movements are how your body disposes of waste and might even combat cognitive decline! So, vegans aren’t full of sh*t, and that’s science.
Better quality sh*t
Vegans who eat a balanced, largely whole foods diet don’t just have more frequent bowel movements but better quality stools, too! Chef’s kiss!
This means less time sitting and straining on the toilet (sorry Instagrammers) and less chance of bloating, flatulence, rectal prolapse, haemorrhoids and anal fissures.
Being vegan is good sh*t for other organs, too!
The Kidneys
As foods are broken down, absorbed, and metabolised, they produce either acid or alkali, and acid makes the kidneys work harder. Acid-forming foods include red and white meat, fish, cheese, and eggs, while most fruit and vegetables are alkali producers.
A highly acidic diet can lead to dangerous uric acid levels (hyperuricemia), metabolic acidosis, and a higher risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Research finds a vegan diet is associated with a 31% lower risk of CKD in patients with hyperuricemia.
The Reproductive Organs
Because products from animals – whether it’s their flesh, eggs, or milk – contain the hormones of the animal they’re derived from, they can impact our own endocrine system. Multiple studies have linked dairy consumption to ovarian cancer and a higher consumption of processed meat to breast cancer.
Research also shows that an animal-free diet may reduce the overall risk of prostate cancer. It suggests that men with early-stage prostate cancer can reduce their risk of advanced prostate cancer by switching to an animal-free diet!
A healthy vegan diet is even associated with a decreased risk of erectile dysfunction. Up the eggplant! 🍆
The Heart
The cardiovascular benefits of animal-free diets are probably the most well-known. Study after study has shown that eating plants and ditching meat is best for your arteries and reduces your risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, and heart attack.
Recent research from Denmark showed that animal-free diets cut levels of cholesterol and fats in the blood that increase heart attacks to a degree equivalent to about a third of the effect of taking daily medication.
The Brain
The brain requires lots of nutrients and calories to function well, and evidence is emerging that getting those from plants is a great way to prevent neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Research presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference found that constipated participants (three days or more between movements) showed the equivalent of 3 years more chronological cognitive ageing than those enjoying daily bowel movements.
European researchers also found that eating healthy, animal-free foods could significantly reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease for some people.
Vegan Diet is Good Sh*t for Animals
While lowering our own risk of colorectal cancer and other potentially deadly diseases is a great reason to go vegan, there are trillions more in the form of the thinking and feeling individuals eaten by humans each year.
Every animal is someone, and each of them, from the tiniest fish to the largest cow, deserves to be treated with respect and compassion. To feed our appetite for flesh, some 78 million land animals are slaughtered each year, most having spent their lives on cramped factory farms where they are denied everything that comes naturally to them.
Join the “Movement!”
Got the heart to go vegan and want the guts that come with it? Pledge to go vegan!
