Every Seed-Bearing Plant

"Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food." Genesis 1:29

A question I am often asked is "What made you go vegan?" So I thought it might be worthwhile to explain why I eat a vegan diet. Actually I eat a whole-foods plant-based diet, but since the term "vegan" is more widely known let's start there.

What is a Vegan Diet?

First, let's define a vegan diet. A vegan diet eliminates

ALL animal foods and any

A healthy vegan diet would include a wide variety of plants

food that came from an animal. This means chicken, beef, fish, shellfish, eggs, milk and other dairy products.

Why Do I Eat a Vegan Diet?

I eat a vegan diet because it is the diet that promotes excellent health, appropriate weight, provides abundant energy, is compassionate towards animals, and is the diet that uses less land than animal agriculture and thus conserves the earth.

Is Veganism Just a Diet?

One who considers themselves a vegan may also adopt an entirely vegan lifestyle which would mean eliminating leather, silk, wool, and honey for example.

Is a Vegan Diet the Same Thing as a Whole-Foods Plant-Based Diet?

Not necessarily. A vegan diet is on a spectrum from extremely restrictive such as a fruitarian who eats only fruit to what I call a "junk food vegan" who eats highly processed plant-derived foods such as impossible and beyond burgers, oreo cookies, potato chips, and packaged vegan "deli" slices.

A whole food, plant-based diet (WFPB) consists of unprocessed plant foods - fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Many WFPB eaters also avoid salt, oil, and refined sugar. It would also eliminate highly processed foods. Think of it as eating foods that are as close to the earth as possible. One who eats a WFPB diet may or may not adopt other lifestyle components of veganism. For the remainder of this article we will use the term "whole-food plant-based diet" or WFPB for short.

Why is a Whole-Foods Plant-Based Diet Important?

Use of the Earth's Resources

Animal agriculture uses much more water and land resources compared to plant crops. According to Sentientmedia.org "Animal agriculture uses about 77 percent of all the land used for farming in the world, with the remaining 23 percent of land being used to grow crops for human consumption. Much of the land used for animal agriculture is used to grow feed for livestock to consume. Yet farmed animals produce only 18 percent of the calories consumed around the world." (https://sentientmedia.org/could-veganism-end-world-hunger). In addition, raising animals is an inefficient way to provide calories. During it's short life one animal consumes many more calories in animal feed than it produces.

Cows experience emotions such as love and fear just as we do.

Compassion for Living Beings

As a Christian, I also believe in love and compassion towards all sentient beings (those that experience sensation, thinking, thought, or feeling). Slaughterhouses are beyond horrible places of extreme animal suffering. I live next to a cattle ranch and I have watched the calves nursing from their mothers and running towards them when they are afraid. It breaks my heart to think of the calves that are taken from their mothers and sold to be slaughtered for veal. Mother cows will cry out for days on end for their children after they’re separated. For more on this topic and particularly on the conditions of factory farms check out this article.

Human Health

Lastly, as I have written about on this website many times, consumption of any animal product whether meat, dairy, poultry, or fish is detrimental to one's health. See What a Whole Foods, Plant-Based Diet Can Do For You.

God's Plan

Perhaps most importantly, when God created our world His intent was for human beings to eat a vegan diet. Here is what it says in Genesis 1:

"29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good." Genesis 1:29-31

God did not say that animals were to be our food - seed bearing plants are to be our food and they are to be the food for the animals too. When Noah left the ark the worldwide flood had wiped out all vegetation. At that time, God's concession to eat "creeping things" (the literal Hebrew translation of what the New International Version of the Bible has translated "everything that lives and moves") may mean only reptiles and may be only for the time when plant food had not yet been planted and harvested. In addition, when God brings this present world to an end and creates a new heaven and a new earth we are told there will be no more death. Hence, if there is no more death then animals will not be killed for food.

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea...3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them.They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:1, 3-4

God's clear intent from the beginning was for all creation to eat plants, but sin entered the world through the disobedience of man and His good creation was marred. But if this was and is God's intent for all time then why would I as a Christian, or any Christian, not live up to it now?

How to Adopt a Whole-Foods Plant-Based Diet

One of the most powerful steps you can take to improve your health, lose weight, boost energy levels, and prevent chronic diseases is to move to a whole foods, plant-based diet. To learn more about a whole-foods plant-based lifestyle and how you can begin your journey to this healthier, kinder way of eating check out my article How to Start a Whole Food, Plant-based Diet.