I did not get into plant-strong diets for animal rights, it just happened to be a wonderful side-effect.

Most crops we grow feed the animals we eat. Food, water, land, medical intervention, and waste removal are the things required to keep a piglet alive. Once the piglet is fully grown and sent to slaughter, they must be transported to the slaughterhouse. Slaughterhouses require energy to kill, dismember, and remove flesh during the processing of the animal. Transportation is required again to get product to the grocery where cuts of flesh are frozen or cooled for purchase. End users transport, store, clean, and cook the flesh to reduce the risk of contamination. home by the buyer and either frozen or cooled or cooked. This process is wildly inefficient!

Now let us take an apple.  Plant a seed and wait. However, we conveniently already have apple trees.  An apple requires no drugs or veterinary visits, no artificial insemination, and no waste removal.  Yes, it takes up land and water, but an apple tree releases oxygen back into the air and becomes an important part of the ecosystem.  Once the fruit is ripe, it is picked, transported to the grocery, and finally transported home where it does not require refrigeration or freezing.  Freezing fruits and vegetables is a great option, but it’s not required. Nor do fruits and vegetables pose health risks while in the fridge. If meat juices seep into the fridge, they pose risks.

A bonus with each apple is they come with seeds of which you can plant if you wish. Bring a piglet home and find out how much effort and cost is required to raise it. Now compare that effort and cost to that of the apple tree within the context of the longevity the benefits (fruitfulness, if you will)! The apple tree will bear fruit for years. I believe a plant-strong diet is worth it for the health benefits alone, but reducing the need for processing animals, supporting ecological biodiversity, and increasing health is simple… I’ll take the apple!

-Wheeler