Why vegan? Vegan because I care....

Having a conversation about why being vegan. It is interesting to see perspectives. The topics brought up were craving meat, meat in moderation is okay, salivating over a steak, not wanting to deprive themselves of foods,Here was my response in case you wanted to know why I am vegan or needed help formulating the words for why you are vegan. What would you say?I don't feel deprived in what I eat.. I think that what you are craving is fat, protein, carbs, comfort foods and salt and tradition. We need micronutrients to survive and I am not running around going OMG i am so craving my B-12 today. OMG- I am dying to eat a little calcium and phytochemicals. What the lion is craving is satiation. He is not craving nostalgia and comfort. He is craving just enough food for survival and for the survival of his family. A chimpanzee, our closest relative in the Animal kingdom, is plant based. Elephants are plant based. Cows are plant based. You may choose to eat meat but the nutrients that you are getting from the meat is actually coming from plants. The animal eats the plant to get its nutrients. You eat the animal to get the nutrients that they got from the plant. I am skipping the middle man - in the sense of health. Otherwise, I choose not to eat meat because unlike the lion - I am unwilling to find my own source of food. My animal foods are treated inhumanely throughout its life, caged and often has family members killed needlessly, or they are mutilated to prevent certain conditions due to the conditions of the space. The lion is usually culling a herd. We are causing genocide on a herd. The lion allows familial heirarchies. We destroy all familial life in the animals that we eat. B-12 the vitamin that is difficult for vegans to get does not come from the animals but the soil they ingest when they eat the plants. I wash my produce of all dirt because - 1... I don't like grit in my teeth and 2. Joe schmoe at the grocery store touched that carrot along with the other 400 people who picked it up and changed their mind.Why vegan? Vegan because I care....Photo Credit: ericawalker via Compfight cc