The controversy surrounding vegan and vegetarian diets has only grown as they have become more and more popular. Some people see choosing your diet as a personal decision, turning their noses up at people who attempt to educate themselves and the people around them. At the end of the day what you put in your body is no one’s choice but your own. So here are 9 common misconceptions people have about veganism.

1. You’ll Become Nutrient Deficient

A common misconception is that vegans are deficient in a vitamin called B12 while meat eaters are not. Sure most vegans are B12 deficient, but so are most meat eaters. When looking at the optimal intake of B12, vegans and meat eaters are equally deficient. This deficiency is not a strictly vegan problem. Almost everybody is low in B12 and it is a major problem in the world today. For some people, the education they received after transitioning to a vegan diet gave them the information they needed to increase their B12 intake.

2. It Barely Makes a Difference

I can promise you that it makes a significant difference, not just for the animals but for the entire environment. Being vegan for only one year you save over 300 animals, 400,000 gallons of water, 14,000 lbs of grain, 7,000 lbs of CO2 and 11,000 square feet of forest space. One of the largest contributors to climate change is the meat industry. The meat industry now surpasses the transportation industry and electricity generation to claim its place as the greatest source of greenhouse gasses. When you cut meat and dairy out of your diet, you cut your ecological footprint down by more than half.

3. Meat Is Delicious

Don’t get me wrong I love the taste of meat just as much as the next person. It’s natural to crave meat, but that doesn’t mean it’s not gross. Animal products are the top source of food poisoning in the United States. More specifically, meat is usually contaminated with blood and other bodily fluids. Those antibiotics you were prescribed to treat your strep-throat are more commonly ingested by animals. Eighty percent of all antibiotics are given to animals in the meat and dairy industry while only 20% are used by humans. This is why antibiotic resistant bacteria are becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society. Those chicken nuggets you hold so close to your heart are anything but meat. Sixty percent of the so-called meat in chicken nuggets is actually fat, blood vessels, and ground bone. Not so delicious anymore?

4. You’ll Never Eat Your Favorite Foods Again

Vegans don’t just eat fruits and vegetables. There are vegan alternatives for everything: meat, cheese, milk, ice cream, yogurt, mac and cheese, even some girl scout cookies are vegan. Almost any dish can be made vegan with a few simple tweeks. Substitute milk for almond, soy, hemp or coconut milk. Substitute butter for oil or earth balance “butter.” There are a variety of egg replacements for cooking and baking: ½ a banana, one carbonated beverage, ¼ cup of applesauce or 3 tablespoons of peanut butter. One of the most common questions vegans are asked is “what do you eat?” The answer is simple, everything non-vegans eat but the dairy or meatless alternative.

5. Vegans Are Weird

Sure if you count Natalie Portman, Ariana Grande, Flo Rida, Tobey Maguire, Shania Twain, Kristen Bell, Alyssa Milano, Jenna Marbles, Anne Hathaway and Carrie Underwood as weird. With the truth about the meat and dairy industry coming to light, many of our most beloved stars are jumping on the “cruelty-free” bandwagon. It’s the new trend and a good one at that. “What I Eat In A Day” and “Simple Vegan Recipes” videos are plaguing youtube. And if you still have doubts, Snapchat even made a sticker for veganism.

6. It Will Cause Health Problems

Everyone’s aware of the obesity problem plaguing the United States. We have twice the obesity and diabetes rate and almost triple the cancer rate compared to the rest of the world. Hundreds of research studies have proven that the average meat and dairy intake in the U.S. leads to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and many other illnesses. On a more positive note, vegetarians and vegans live roughly 6 to 10 years longer than meat eaters. This is because a well-planned vegan diet provides you with all the nutrients your body needs while excluding the unnecessary and harmful foods.

7. The Animals Don’t Suffer

While this is nice to believe as you’re chowing down on a juicy pile of wings, it just couldn’t be farther from the truth. Hens, cows, and pigs are all shoved into tiny areas to live out their short, painful lives. Female cattle are artificially inseminated to produce milk for the dairy industry for their entire lives. Just after watching their young calf being ripped away hours after birth, the mother is left to produce her milk- intended for her young calf- for our increasing dairy needs. So what do the young calves eat while we drink their milk? Milk replacers.

In addition, cows live a fraction of their usual lifespan because of the constant abuse their bodies undergo. Live baby chicks are thrown into meat grinders. Chicken’s beaks are clipped so that they won’t peck each other to death in the inhumane conditions. So I can assure you that every single animal product we produce does in fact contribute to animal cruelty.

8. You Can Eat “Free Range”

The words “free range” mean little to nothing in the meat and dairy industry. Sadly, the only requirement for “free range farming” is giving the birds an opportunity to access the outdoors. The amount of birds in one area, time spent outdoors, and the quality/size of the outdoor area are all left unregulated. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the free-range label is only applied to birds raised for meat, not eggs.

9. You Won’t Get Protein

While this is usually the most commonly used argument against veganism, it is simply incorrect. You don’t need to bite into animal flesh to ingest your daily requirement of protein. It is easier than most people think to get protein on a vegan diet. Almost all vegetables, grains, nuts, beans, and seeds contain some protein. Not tasty enough for you? Oatmeal, soy milk, nutritional yeast (a vegan’s cheese-fix,) chickpeas, and peanut butter all constitute as good sources of protein as well.

While it’s comforting to say that we need dairy and meat to survive, it simply isn’t the truth. The arguments for vegan diets are not just based off of emotional factors but mostly scientific evidence. The science doesn’t lie; veganism is saving lives. With only 2 percent of the population leading a strictly vegan diet, it is still a growing movement. But no matter what we choose to put in our bodies we all make an impact on this earth and the lives around us every day.

What impact do you choose to have on our planet?