I feel that designating an entire month to the broad topic of food on my personal blog has been interesting, and for me personally quite life changing. In uncovering truths and learning information that I was not previously exposed to, I have changed my lifestyle to eating about a 98 percent plant-based diet. I have essentially eliminated meat and ultimately raised my standards on what goes in my body. All because I wanted to talk about food knowledge; turns out I knew less than I thought.

I was hanging out with one of my best friends when he asked me why someone might go vegan. I tried explaining to him the thousands of variables and how each person differs. I maybe talked about three reasons, and in a little detail. Afterward, I figured it might be worth writing about.

Remember that for each individual, reasons are going to differ. Emotions will be different, and how people think about eating a plant based diet will be vastly different. However, thinking about eating a plant based diet in the broader sense, I have come up with some "umbrella-reasons".

1. The inhumane treatment and exploitation of animals.

The way these animals are treated would give anyone a pit in their stomach and bring a tear to their eye, if they only knew. They are treated as property and handled with no care or empathy. They are starved when profitable and stuffed full of terrible food that nature never intended them to eat, when that is more profitable. Some never see daylight and some never turn around. Most suffer from debilitating diseases and infections due to the environment they are forced to endure.

Some have their young taken from them immediately after birth, tearing apart the strongest bond with greasy money-laden fingers. Young are mutilated if they meet standards, and those that don't meet standards are thrown in massive dumpsters or even ground up in giant meat grinders while still alive. Then mixed in with corn to make feed pellets. These feed pellets are then fed back to the same breed of animals and all other farm raised animals including fish. I could go on and on but I will let the videos below this article speak for themselves.

The point is that we all must understand that everything is profit driven for these people. If they can skip something or change something to make it worse, but it makes them more money, then they will. These corporations, no matter how the media would love to deceive you, give absolutely zero shits about you. They don't care what you're eating as long as your buying it from them. They don't care about your health, your environment, or this planet as a whole.

They only care about money, and making lots of it. Not the worst motive, I know; the worst way to go about something--yes. These corporations have manipulated and brainwashed most of you into thinking that what they are doing is good practice with good intentions. You see happy animals and farms with open fields--all lies. Time to wake up.

I recently had a buddy say, "It's the circle of life." Well when you play god, completely manipulate your environment, manipulate the creatures within, destroy the planet in the process, diminish natural resources, cause mass extinction, leave millions on this planet hungry and thirsty, destroy rivers, kill rain-forest, deplete oceans,and cause human beings to die from creating your product and consuming your product. I think the "circle" went out the window a very long time ago.

I had to put this as its own sub-category because it is a certain kind of cruelty, to exploit something that is alive and breathing to the point of death, in order to gain money. Money, of all things. Something ridiculous and petty that only exists today and in this life. You cannot carry money with your soul, but you can carry peace and love.

Whether it's stripping a raped cow from her young before she can even clean her baby, or causing chickens to lay an unnatural amount of eggs so that they prolapse and suffer serious infections from constant tearing and overproduction; in turn causing their organs to shut down. That is, of course, they have been physically mutilated by chopping off the ends of their beaks. Wait, what? Yes, they do that so as the chickens slowly go insane they don't pluck out all their feathers and mutilate themselves. I digress.

Once the animals are "done", they all are then sent to slaughter. If they are too ill, well that doesn't matter. Instead of being a steak it will be ground beef so that it is mixed in with thousands of other cows. Instead of being chicken breast, it becomes canned chicken or McNuggets. They are then processed and loaded with preservatives to hide the terrible flavor.

Watch the video below and learn for yourself:

You know, it's one thing to raise and slaughter an animal, and it is another to do what they do. Likewise, it is one thing to eat meat, and it's another to gorge in a glutenous-gut-wrenching-manor the way the average U.S 'murican does. The least you can do is raise your standards. If not, well, to each their own I guess. At least, you've become aware. That's what truly matters; an irradiation of global ignorance.

There's also a huge impact on other wild animals. Predators are being hunted to extinction because god forbid they snag a chicken or take out a sickly animal. Other animals that would have lived on the same plot of land cannot, because the land where big agribusiness is conducted becomes completely depleted of its nutrients. Likewise, oceans have "dead-zones" where nothing grows or lives because of the contamination from big agribusiness.

We are on the brink of the largest mass extinction of species since the dinosaurs and we can thank big agribusiness. Whether ocean dead-zones, over fishing and by-kill from drift-nets, rain forests being cut down at the rate of an acre per second, or predatory animals (crucial to the food chain) being hunted; the loss of species is constant and expanding. This is not just a problem for the animal kingdom.

It's a problem for the entire world. Remember that we are all part of this world and we all suffer from messing with it too much, or simply sitting back and allowing others to mess with it. There is no excuse and no justification. We loose enough creatures and the entire system, which has been perfected over the course of millions of years, will begin to crumble. When that happens human beings will suffer together, and that most likely means your family will have to endure worse times than you.

2. The negative impact on the environment

Speaking of worse times to come. The effect industrial livestock has on the ozone is incredibly detrimental. Animal agriculture produces more green house gasses than all transportation combine. They produce more methane gas emissions which is much more harmful than CO2.

Within the oceans now lay "dead-zones", contaminated by toxic runoff and leaching from animal agriculture plantations. Not to mention the loss of species from fishing using the absolutely ridiculous technique of drift-nets. My god they are a terrible way to fish... Unless of course your a corporate demon who's sole purpose is to exploit. For every one pound of intended fish caught, five pounds of unintended fish are caught. They scoop up everything. three-quarters of the worlds oceanic fisheries are now depleted.

If you think you're in a drought, or you hear the news talking about droughts you have probably wondered about the causes. If not, the news still attempted to give you a vague and wrong representation of the true factors. Big agribusiness is responsible for much of the fresh water consumption among other majors. One of which being coal-powered generators.

Here are some facts about water, and you might just think of the next time you hear some news reporter telling you the "real" main causes. Fracking, hydraulic fracturing, water use ranges from 70-140 billion gallons annually. Also, animal agriculture water consumption ranges from 34-76 trillion gallons annually. Keep in mind that agriculture is responsible for 80 to 90-percent of US water consumption. The growing feed crops for livestock consumes 56-percent of water in the US. Californians use 1500 gallons of water per person per day. Close to half is associated with meat and dairy products. Finally, 2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of beef.

Then there are the rainforests. Rainforests are being destroyed at an astronomical rate. In fact, it's so much so fast, most can't even fathom it and dismiss it because it sounds ludicrous. One to two acres is destroyed every second. Animal agriculture accounts for 91 percent of the Amazon's destruction. Along with the forest, many species of creatures go extinct. This is scary because most of the world's oxygen comes from that rainforest. I mean, come on. Is anyone really this empty headed and heartless?

You also have to take into consideration the devastation of the land. One-third of the world's landmass is dedicated to livestock and livestock feed. This depletes the land of nutrients so nothing can grow there. Toxins leech through the soil and into the groundwater, contaminating that, creeks, rivers, and eventually the oceans. Nothing about big animal agriculture is sustainable. Now because of it, one-third of the planet is desertified.

Taking into account our technology, we have the means to preserve the land and feed every person on the planet. It just might not be very profitable, therefore; we don't aim for that.

3. The harmful effects on fellow humans.

Millions of people go hungry and thirsty every day and every night. Yes, this includes the U.S as well. With how water is used today, you can't tell me that same technology couldn't get fresh drinking water efficiently throughout the globe. It's just not profitable. Even though you could slow droughts and allow all to have fresh water. They won't do it. Same goes for food.

There is enough food produced today to feed the globe. Instead, most of the food goes to livestock. And the real kicker is that 82 percent of starving children live in countries where food is fed to animals, and the animals are eaten by western countries. Ponder that for just a moment. Soak it up. Realize that this is not referring to wild game or something you took from out in nature. It's referring to "farm" raised beef cattle. It's The crap offered in every grocery store.

Worldwide at least 50% of grain goes to livestock. Kinda messed up. Animals before people. Kind of defeats the argument for those who support this industry don't you think? Saying animals are more a priority over humans. Wait, not all humans you say? Only certain ones you say? The privileged are the only ones important enough to care about? Huh.

The other fascinating aspect to this particular portion is that there is a complete disregard for future generations and the children living today. Those making the decisions, from the corporate douches to the political puppets, have no heart. They don't care if generations keep on. They only care about profits. If they don't care about the people then why should they care if those people live in a better world. It's truly sad, to be honest with you.

4. Meat has a dangerous influence on your health.

Straight up, it is much healthier for you to live a mostly plant based diet than a mostly meat based diet. We have been literally brainwashed. We have been programmed to think differently. Meat with every meal, cheese added to the meat and don't forget your big breakfast in the morning including pork. All ideas that have been embedded in our minds by lots of money and very successful marketing campaigns.

We have to wake up from this illusion and admit we have done nothing but let others choose facts for us and we blindly followed. We need to start asking questions and searching for answers. We need to be critical thinkers. I mean if red meat is directly linked to cancer then why would you consume so damn much. A little sure, indulge; but jeez, most people over do it.

Meat carries with it more negative properties than positive properties. Again, specifically regarding all "farm" raised livestock (chickens, pigs, cattle, fish); from unhealthy fats to hormones and antibiotics. This includes dairy. Don't even get me started, but dairy is not good for you. Especially milk. We aren't baby cows trying to become 800-pound bovines as fast as possible. We don't need it. Sure, indulge in some good foreign cheeses here and there but the amount of unhealthy dairy and beef we consume is dangerous. There is a plant-based alternative for everything. The point is that if you could substitute unhealthy for healthy, why wouldn't you? Plants are delicious. They not only carry tons of nutrients but have tons of flavor when done right. Meat gets most its flavor from the basting, sauce, or spices added to it. That is because it is crap meat.

The number one excuse for consuming lots of meat is to acquire protein. Well, you can get all of the protein your body needs from certain plants. Namely lentils, legumes and seeds. Not only that but your body gets more energy in the form of Kcals, from plant based protein than from animal based protein. Aside from the negative health effects, even just having a better alternative should convince.

5. The industrial farming just isn't sustainable.

Essentially, were cashing checks we didn't earn. And by checks, I mean our resources and environment, and by not earning them I mean we are stealing from the future. We have done nothing close enough to justify stealing from innocents that have yet to walk this planet.

Those in power have created an unsustainable world. The planet cannot live on meat and dairy. It destroys, it pollutes, and it continues to keep masses starving and thirsty. Destroying species messes with the ecosystem and food chain, which is causing problems that people are beginning to feel. The ramification for mass extinction is detrimental to everything. Who gave them the right to steal the future from our kids?

Switching to a plant-based diet is the most sustainable way of life now that there are so many people and so much destruction. The most amazing part of that is it would even begin to reverse the damage already done. Just 1.5 acres can produce 37,000 pounds of plant-based food. The same amount of land can only produce 375 pounds of meat.

Also, a person who follows a vegan diet produces the equivalent of 50 percent less carbon dioxide, uses one-eleventh oil, one-thirteenth water, and one-eighteenth land compared to a meat-lover for their food.

It takes one-sixth of an acre to feed a vegan for a year. It is three times that for vegetarians and 18 times more land for meat eaters. That is just not sustainable; again, not with the amount of people that are here today. Maybe at one point, but it is too late.

Obviously, the true solution to all these problems is everyone going vegan. For right now, that will not happen. However, the least people can do is educate and start to raise standards. Eat wild game only, or at least, get your meat from your local meat guy at your local farmers market. Eat more plants period. You can only benefit. Shifting your mentality to "meat as a treat", is a great way to start.

There are a thousand reasons why someone might want to start eating a plant based diet, but I talked about some of the main ones. You don't have to be a radical to create positive change. You don't have to be a vegan stereotype to eat a plant based diet. You don't have to be smart, special, or rich, to change the world. You need only to eat healthier and have actual standards to the food you put in your body. You need only to be you.