Snyder 1

Jordan Snyder

Writing 2

Speiser

M, W 11-12:50

Saving the Planet or Saving Your Arteries?

A new lifestyle that is gaining popularity and attention is veganism. Within the last five

years, vegan restaurants and products have been popping up all over the country and the

movement is spreading like wildfire. Veganism is most popular within the younger generations,

but people young and old are hopping on this new trend. While some have hopped aboard to

prevent harm to animals or because of the environmental benefits brought about by this lifestyle,

the most common reason people are making the switch is for their health. This new craze

promises that cutting dairy and meat out of the everyday diet will bring about a plethora of health

benefits, but is that really the case? Can veganism really be that healthy? To analyze these

complex questions, one might look to a blog or a news article. Blogs are an interesting genre

since they are someones raw, unfiltered opinion. Although blogs are often looked upon as

unreliable, due to their opinionated nature, they almost always include sources backing up those

opinions and they really can add an insightful perspective on the issue at hand. News articles can

also provide intelligent claims or facts backed up by evidence, but this genre is not always the

most interesting to read. While news articles bring about their own set of benefits, such as their

heavy reliance on factual evidence, blogs are a more effective medium when discussing

veganism and whether or not it is a healthy lifestyle. This is, in part, because blogs are more

geared toward the younger generations in their writing style and voice along with being a source

of information that is interesting to read, yet informative. In addition, bloggers are often more
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transparent than traditional news reporters about the fact that they are presenting information

from their own biases or opinions, whereas traditional news is often presented as objective when,

in reality, the news reporter may also be shading information in the article based on his or her

biases.

Although news articles can still provide valuable information, blogs can portray the same

information in a more light-hearted, humorous way that is more likely to keep the reader

engaged. One blog that sheds an interesting, negative outlook on the lifestyle is 10 Reasons

Why Ill Never be Vegan. By the title alone, Lauren Geertsens, opinion on veganism becomes

blatantly clear-- it is not for her. In her blog she goes on to talk about why this way of life

doesnt work for her. One compelling reason is that soy is a staple in a majority of vegans diets

and soy is full of ...phytoestrogens which can mimic estrogen in the body and cause hormone

imbalances(Geertsen). She also claims that vegans lack a lot of essential vitamins and nutrients

that you can only get from meat and dairy. Geertsen presents this information in an engaging

way by putting her 10 reasons as bold bullet points with explanations as to why she believes

these are true. She then uses evidence from various studies and sources in her explanations,

giving validity to her words. By presenting the information in this way, it makes it easier on the

reader to follow along and clearly pick out her reasons against veganism. While she presents

facts and evidence to support the claims in her blog, she is also transparent about the fact that

what is being argued is ultimately her opinion. This transparency adds to her credibility and its

what contributes to the personal feel of blogs since she is presenting her opinion in a

conversational way. This conversational aspect of blogs also invites debate between readers

which could lead to more perspectives being shared and thus more valuable information about a

topic is generated. This characteristic is what makes blogs so powerful and unique.
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Since her blog has to do with health and what she believes is not healthy eating, it is a

safe to assume her audience is that of young people and young adults. Veganism is more

common for these age groups, thus a blog about veganism is most likely written for them. These

younger generations are all about what is new and interesting, so blog posts have become a

popular medium used by these young people to gain information. The author also uses a form of

pathos, humor, to get her message across. She asks the reader How do you create cheese, milk

and meat without cheese, milk and meat(Geertsen)? Starting with this question she compels the

reader to think, thus engaging them into what shes discussing in her blog. Geertsen then goes on

to answer her own question in a satirical fashion, telling the reader, with a slew of non-foods

including stabilizers, gums, thickeners and highly processed protein extracts. Yummy.

(Geertsen). Adding this humor to her blog is a powerful writing tool. This added humor is yet

another of her tools to keep the reader engaged and reading, making it that much more effective

as a genre.

Another effective, interesting blog that, conversely, approaches veganism as a healthy

lifestyle choice is I Love Vegan. This blog contains vegan recipes, links to documentaries on

veganism and its health benefits, and blog posts explaining why veganism is the lifestyle to

choose. It does a great job explaining the benefits, while staying on topic and maintaining

interest. According to the blog, healthy vegan diets are abundant with vitamins B1, C, and E,

folic acid, magnesium, and iron while also being low in cholesterol and saturated

fats(Benefits). Along with naming these benefits it also warns the reader to be careful of

certain nutrient deficiencies associated with veganism that can be avoided with vitamin pills and

supplements. By including this warning, the blog becomes more personal and it gives the

intention that the blogger genuinely is looking out for the reader. In general blogs do give off a
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personal vibe-- almost as if the reader is a friend. This allows the reader to be more trusting of

the information presented in front of them and thus adds to the effectiveness of the genre. This

intimate connection between the blogger and the reader is something that news articles lack. This

blog also has a lot of pictures and its colorful which helps to engage the reader and keep them

interested. If the reader is interested they are more likely to read until the end thus allowing them

to absorb all of the information presented in the medium.

While blogs portray their message and purpose in a more interesting fashion, news

articles are presented in a formal manner, often stating facts and claims with no extra fluff or

humor. A news article, You Asked: Is a Vegan Diet Better?, written by Markham Heid of Time

Health shines more of a positive light on veganism and the lifestyle. In the article he talks about

a study done at the University of South Carolina where a vegan diet was compared with a

vegetarian diet along with the average human diet of both plant products and meat. When

compared with these two diets and lifestyles veganism ...came out on top in terms of weight

loss(Heid). He also mentions research linking veganism to better gut health and significantly

lower levels of stress and heart disease. Another news article even mentioned that the fat and

protein content of cow's milk is very different from human milk[so] we are not designed for

consuming cow's milk(Nordqvist). These statements are compelling and news articles are

definitely effective at getting information across quickly and simply to a reader since they

present facts in a straightforward manner. For an older audience, this method of relaying

information works well and can be very persuasive because it allows the reader to easily form

opinions and ideas. One drawback is that when it is presented in this way, the information can

come across as dry and boring to certain, younger audiences. Another drawback associated with

information relayed in this way is that the underlying opinion of the writer can be hidden in the
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facts presented since news articles are written in such a formal manner. This can be deceiving at

times for the reader since humans and human writers are naturally biased, but the news is

presented in such an objective manner. In this way, news articles are much less transparent than

blog posts. News articles are also missing that conversational aspect that allows the reader to

formulate his or her own opinion based on the facts presented.

Within a news article, the facts are stated in very formal paragraphs using mature

language which is able to get the information across well but, not always in an engaging manner.

From the word choice and language it seems like the targeted audience is older, more mature

individuals. Also, news articles often lack pictures or visuals, something that blogs do often

include, and this is also an indication of an older target audience. This target audience is not ideal

since its mostly the younger generations that are interested in and open-minded to the new

vegan lifestyle. By coming across in this overly formal way, it almost discredits the valuable

information in the news article since some people will stop reading before they even get to it.

This article does do a good job of explaining the health benefits of veganism, but it is impersonal

and lacks the intimate connection between author and reader. Without this connection, the

effectiveness of the genre depletes and makes it once again harder for the reader to stay engaged

and absorb the information presented to them. However, some people do prefer the factual truth

as it may make an article seem more reliable. News articles present information in a

straightforward manner which allows the reader to easily draw conclusions but, due to their

formal nature, generally older target audience, and lack of a personal connection between author

and reader, news articles are not as effective as a genre than blogs when it comes to veganism

and whether or not it is a healthy lifestyle.

Although news articles can be full of valuable information, blogs are a more effective
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medium at getting the point across when it comes to talking about veganism because blogs are

presented in a more interesting and intimate manner while also targeting a younger audience.

Blogs are a unique genre that has blossomed over the years as the use of social media has grown

and have contributed varied perspectives on a number of issues and topics. One topic that blogs

have effectively addressed is veganism and the debate of whether it is healthy or not. Veganism

has grown immensely in popularity over the years and is becoming more widely accepted by

people and researchers everywhere. Although some people accept it, not everyone does and there

is definitely a fair share of information tearing down this lifestyle as a whole. So is it healthy or

not? The answer to that highly debated question is up to the reader but when it comes down to

gathering the facts and forming opinions on this growing controversial topic, blogs are the

information medium to turn to.

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Works Cited

"Benefits of a Vegan Lifestyle." I LOVE VEGAN. N.p., 18 Mar. 2016. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.

Geertsen, Lauren. "Is Vegan Healthy? 10 Reasons Why I'll Never Be Vegan."Empowered

Sustenance. N.p., 12 Jan. 2017. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.

Heid, Markham. "Vegan Food and Vegetarian Diets Linked to Good Health." Time. Time, n.d.

Web. 19 Apr. 2017.

Nordqvist, Christian. "Vegan Diet: Health Benefits Of Being Vegan." Medical News Today.

MediLexicon International, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.