Just some thoughts

It seems that there is some contradictory evidence out there on what is the best diet and whether a plant-based diet is the panacea it claims to be.  To me it seems that there is sufficient evidence to suggest that vegan diets can be very healthy and lead to a long life and healthy weight. Look at the 7th Day Adventists, for example, who live much longer than other Californians.  I'm not that convinced that it should be super-low fat though, as nuts and avocados seem to provide many benefits.

In the end I'm not that worried about it though. If I can live a relatively healthy life without killing and maiming animals I'm all for it.  I do believe the environmental arguments against raising animals are strong too.  Of course growing crops can be and is mostly very harmful to the environment, but meeting high demands of meat consumption requires the redirection of human food to animals. It requires that "unproductive" lands be given up to pastures that could be used for conservation.  It uses more fossil fuels, water, etc.  I think that plant-based agriculture must be improved so that we don't use so many toxins and perhaps we can reduce monocultures, but animal agriculture only makes the problem worse and increases inefficiencies.  I'm also a big fan of using human manure as fertilizer.

Ultimately though, it comes down to the animals. Even if it were even healthier to eat animals than not too, and even if it were possible to have sustainable animal agriculture, which I doubt, it would still be wrong to confine, mutilate, separate families and kill sentient beings who suffer, and who can also enjoy life and long to live.  This is by far our strongest argument as vegans. We must never lose sight of the animals themselves, as the other arguments are subject to much debate and perhaps there is still too much conflicting evidence, making it easy for people to be swung either way.

The animals though! They want to live just like us! They fight death and pain just like us! They have only one life and then it's over, just like this. We cannot take their lives and sufferings with so little regard anymore. It is tragic and completely unjust.  As I write this I think of our little family dog, Grubby, who had to be put to sleep yesterday due to very poor health. How heartbroken we are. We valued him and his life, as he did too. It's hard to imagine life without him. And to think of all the billions of land animals, and even more sea creatures that killed each year in horrible ways. It makes me want to weep!