Whenever I tell people that I'm a vegetarian, the first thing they ask is "Why?" For me there is no easy answer, because there are so many good reasons to be a vegetarian, whether it has to do with health reasons, environmental reasons, or just for the sake of keeping one animal alive. Here's a list of benefits of being a vegetarian:
You'll prevent heart disease and heart problems--Because vegetarian diets tend to be very low in cholesterol and unhealthy fats--the two main causes of heart problems--vegetarians are much less likely to get heart disease. And since herat disease is the single largest cause of death in the United States, this is a BIG deal.
You'll Maintain a Healthy Weight-- A recent study done by the CDC follwed several overwight Americans who were assigned a low-fat vegetarian diet to follow. They lost an average of 24 pounds within the first year and kept it off for 5 years--without counting calories, measuring, or ever feeling hungry. And since 64% of Americans are overwight these days, more Americans should be urged to follow a lower-fat diet with less animal protein.
You'll Live Longer-- Vegetarians live an average of 13 years longer than meat-eaters! This is because animal protein clogs your arteries, gives you less usable energy, and slows down your immune system
You'll Build Strong Bones-- Common vegetarian foods like tofu, soybeans, and dark leafy greens are very high in calcium, which can help build and maintain strong bones. Even if you're vegan or lactose-intolerant, you can still get more calcium than a non-vegetarian because lactose-free vegan milks like almond milk and soymilk tend to have 50% more calcium than cow milk, along with Vitamin D and Omega 3's.
You'll Reduce the Risk of Food Poisining--The CDC reports that there are 76 million cases of food-bourne illness around the world every year--most of which poorly cooked or sanitized meat and fish. And when cooking, contamination is a huge deal when working with raw meat--especially chicken. So being a vegetarian greatly reduces your risk of contamination or food-poisining. (But keep in mind eggs are one of the worst of all when it comes to contamination, so if you're an ovo-vegetarian like me, don't let your guard down!)
You'll Have More Energy!-- Being a vegetarian usually entails people eating an all-around healthier diet, and eating healthy makes you feel physically and emotionally great. Not only that, but animal protein tends to be high in saturated and trans fats and cholesterol, which can clog your arteries, preventing oxygen from getting to your muscles. Eating vegetarian gives you more usable energy.
You'll Keep Your Tummy Happy!-- Vegetarian diets tend to be higher in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains--which are high in fiber--which keep your digestive system in good working order!
You'll Help Reduce Pollution-- It takes 11 times more resources and fossil fuells to produce one calorie of animal protein than one calorie of plant-based protein. This is because when you're producing animal protein, you have to feed, house, and give water to an animal for it's entire life--then transport it to the slaughterhouse, use an enormous amount of enregy to slaughter it, then sanitize, handle, and refrigerate it before even sending it to the grocery store. In addition, the EPA states that the two best things you can do to help the environment are to not drive a car (which most people are not inclined to do) and go vegetarian.
You'll Avoid Toxic Chemicals-- An EPA study showed that 95% of the chemicals in an average American household comes from meat, fish, and dairy. Many of the toxic chemicals and unnatural hormones consumed by Americans come from eating animals that were fed growth hormones. In addition, fish in particular tends to be contaminated with mercury and lead, which cannot be removed by cooking or freezing.
You'll Help End World Hunger--About 70% of the grain produced in the U.S. is used to feed animals destined for slaughter. This is food that could be fed to humans! If all the food currently fed to livestock were to be given to humans, you could feed 800 million hungry people, a recent Cornell University study shows. In addition, if it were to be exported, it would boost the U.S trade income by $80 billion per year!
You'll Save Money!-- By giving up meat, you can reduce your annual food costs by $4000!!
You'll Spare Animals-- Ten billion animals are killed every year in America alone for food consumption. And unlike in farms of the past, most animals today are living in tiny, filthy spaces with no access to the outdoors. No innocent animal deserves to live such a life of misery! The main reason animals are treated this way these days is because Americans have an appetite for meat, and since Americans are also eating much more than they used to, there is a large demand for it. If more people are vegetarians, less animals will be killed, and more will live the happy, free lives they were meant to have.
You'll prevent heart disease and heart problems--Because vegetarian diets tend to be very low in cholesterol and unhealthy fats--the two main causes of heart problems--vegetarians are much less likely to get heart disease. And since herat disease is the single largest cause of death in the United States, this is a BIG deal.
You'll Maintain a Healthy Weight-- A recent study done by the CDC follwed several overwight Americans who were assigned a low-fat vegetarian diet to follow. They lost an average of 24 pounds within the first year and kept it off for 5 years--without counting calories, measuring, or ever feeling hungry. And since 64% of Americans are overwight these days, more Americans should be urged to follow a lower-fat diet with less animal protein.
You'll Live Longer-- Vegetarians live an average of 13 years longer than meat-eaters! This is because animal protein clogs your arteries, gives you less usable energy, and slows down your immune system
You'll Build Strong Bones-- Common vegetarian foods like tofu, soybeans, and dark leafy greens are very high in calcium, which can help build and maintain strong bones. Even if you're vegan or lactose-intolerant, you can still get more calcium than a non-vegetarian because lactose-free vegan milks like almond milk and soymilk tend to have 50% more calcium than cow milk, along with Vitamin D and Omega 3's.
You'll Reduce the Risk of Food Poisining--The CDC reports that there are 76 million cases of food-bourne illness around the world every year--most of which poorly cooked or sanitized meat and fish. And when cooking, contamination is a huge deal when working with raw meat--especially chicken. So being a vegetarian greatly reduces your risk of contamination or food-poisining. (But keep in mind eggs are one of the worst of all when it comes to contamination, so if you're an ovo-vegetarian like me, don't let your guard down!)
You'll Have More Energy!-- Being a vegetarian usually entails people eating an all-around healthier diet, and eating healthy makes you feel physically and emotionally great. Not only that, but animal protein tends to be high in saturated and trans fats and cholesterol, which can clog your arteries, preventing oxygen from getting to your muscles. Eating vegetarian gives you more usable energy.
You'll Keep Your Tummy Happy!-- Vegetarian diets tend to be higher in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains--which are high in fiber--which keep your digestive system in good working order!
You'll Help Reduce Pollution-- It takes 11 times more resources and fossil fuells to produce one calorie of animal protein than one calorie of plant-based protein. This is because when you're producing animal protein, you have to feed, house, and give water to an animal for it's entire life--then transport it to the slaughterhouse, use an enormous amount of enregy to slaughter it, then sanitize, handle, and refrigerate it before even sending it to the grocery store. In addition, the EPA states that the two best things you can do to help the environment are to not drive a car (which most people are not inclined to do) and go vegetarian.
You'll Avoid Toxic Chemicals-- An EPA study showed that 95% of the chemicals in an average American household comes from meat, fish, and dairy. Many of the toxic chemicals and unnatural hormones consumed by Americans come from eating animals that were fed growth hormones. In addition, fish in particular tends to be contaminated with mercury and lead, which cannot be removed by cooking or freezing.
You'll Help End World Hunger--About 70% of the grain produced in the U.S. is used to feed animals destined for slaughter. This is food that could be fed to humans! If all the food currently fed to livestock were to be given to humans, you could feed 800 million hungry people, a recent Cornell University study shows. In addition, if it were to be exported, it would boost the U.S trade income by $80 billion per year!
You'll Save Money!-- By giving up meat, you can reduce your annual food costs by $4000!!
You'll Spare Animals-- Ten billion animals are killed every year in America alone for food consumption. And unlike in farms of the past, most animals today are living in tiny, filthy spaces with no access to the outdoors. No innocent animal deserves to live such a life of misery! The main reason animals are treated this way these days is because Americans have an appetite for meat, and since Americans are also eating much more than they used to, there is a large demand for it. If more people are vegetarians, less animals will be killed, and more will live the happy, free lives they were meant to have.