Six Reasons Why Vegan Australians Are the BEST Australians

In honour of Australia Day, here are a few reasons why vegans are an awesome bunch of Aussies:

1. We’re patriotic: we don’t eat or wear the animals on our national flag.

Kangaroos are slaughtered by the millions every year for their meat and because their skins are considered prime material for soccer shoes. Hunters normally shoot adult roos. However, the Australian government guidelines recommend that orphaned joeys and adult kangaroos who are wounded be decapitated or hit sharply on the head “to destroy the brain”. Many wounded kangaroos flee, only to die a slow, agonising death from their injuries, while young joeys die of starvation because they are unable to fend for themselves after their mothers are slaughtered.

BBQ tofu skewers? Yes, please!

2. We’re generous: we always bring our own delish assortment of vegan mock meats to throw on the grill at barbecues, with plenty of extras to share with our mates.

The first thing that a vegan learns is to come prepared to BBQs. We arrive stocked with vegan burgers, sausages and even shrimp! If you’re looking for a totally vegan and undeniably delicious meat alternative, check out Fry’s frozen food products. You can find ready-made, cruelty-free burgers as well as chicken-style strips, schnitzels and pies in the cold and frozen sections of your supermarket. Asian supermarkets will also usually stock vegan prawns and shrimp. Share them with everyone, and see whether your meat-eating friends can tell the difference!

3. We’re considerate in others’ homes: we drive carefully in areas where animals are common.

Animals such as possums, koalas, wombats, wallabies, kangaroos, birds and reptiles all too often end up being injured or killed on our roads. It is important that drivers take care in areas where wildlife is common, especially between dusk and dawn, when the animals are most active, and in areas where there is bush land on the side of the road. If you do hit an animal or see an injured animal on the road, please call the Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service on 1300 094 737.

4. We’re neighbourly: we help feed the world.

Eating meat doesn’t just hurt animals – it hurts people, too. It takes tons of crops and water to raise animals used for food. In fact, it takes up to 10 kilograms of grain to produce just 1 kilogram of meat! All that plant food could be used much more efficiently if it were fed directly to people. The more people who go vegan, the better we’ll be able to feed the hungry.

5. We’re totally green: we help save Australia and the rest of the planet!

Meat is not green. Consuming meat is actually one of the worst things that you can do for the Earth, as it is wasteful and causes enormous amounts of pollution. Raising animals for food is a leading cause of water pollution, land degradation and the greenhouse-gas emissions responsible for climate change. Adopting a vegan diet is more effective than switching to a “greener” car in the fight against climate change.

6. We’re healthy!

The government has given a vegan diet the green light! The summary of the latest version of the Australian dietary guidelines released by the National Health and Medical Research Council states that a vegan diet can be healthy and well balanced for all Australians. Ditching meat can help combat Australians’ growing girth, as meat-eaters have three times the obesity rate of vegetarians and nine times the obesity rate of vegans. Going vegan can also lower your risk of heart disease, strokes, diabetes and cancer.

This year, celebrate Australia Day like a true blue (ie, patriotic, generous, considerate, neighbourly, environmentally conscious and healthy) Aussie and host a vegan BBQ. You can order your FREE vegetarian/vegan starter kit here.

Posted by Claire Miller