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Top Ten Reasons to Turn Vegetarian *

Each year, more and more people shift to a vegetarian diet. Vegetarianism, a belief that is manifested in the avoidance of animal products in diet and lifestyle, has been adopted by people all over the world. Many scientific studies prove that a shift to a vegetarian diet can have various beneficial results, not only for humans, but to the environment as well.

Vegetarianism is something that should not be taken lightly. There are many reasons cited as to why millions of people all over the world choose to become vegetarians. Some do primarily for health reasons, while others cite environmental concerns. Ethics is another consideration why many shift to a vegetarian diet.

If you are a vegetarian, you already know the benefits it can bring to your life. If you are a meat-eater but you’re reading this article, you are probably looking for reasons to shift to a vegetarian diet. Fret not, as the list below provides the top ten reasons why you should shift to a vegetarian diet.

1. Lower Your Disease Risk!

Many studies show that a vegetarian diet is healthier than a meat-based diet in most cases. Vegetarians do not eat animal-derived foods that tend to be higher in saturated fats and cholesterol, and lacking in fiber. Plant-based foods, on the other hand, are high in fiber, antioxidants, and a variety of phytochemicals. As such, they do not contract various diseases, and can prevent diseases from developing. Cardiovascular diseases, many forms of cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes, are just some of the diseases and health risks that many vegetarians do not experience.

2. Show Compassion!

Animal rights are one of the primary concerns of many vegetarians. Often, the choice involves ethics that question the production and slaughtering of animals to be used as food, which are done in conditions that have little, if no, regard for the quality of life of animals. Animals for food are often raised in cramped, overcrowded spaces that make their lives miserable. They are also separated from their parents or their young, and are denied the conditions necessary for a healthy animal life—all before being killed and served on the dinner table. As such, turning to a vegetarian diet also means that you will no longer be supporting the meat industry.

3. Protect the Wilderness!

Raising animals for food requires huge amounts of resources: land, energy and water. Because of the huge demands for these resources, the environment suffers hard-to-repair damage. Examples of the many environmental problems that result from meat production throughout the world include: habitat loss for animals, soil erosion, water depletion, and grave pollution from pesticides and animal waste.

4. Show Love for the Oceans And Seas!

Increasing demands for fish and seafood (due to numerous advertisements that espouse eating fish for a healthier body), have caused great damage to the oceans and seas. All over the world, the oceans are being overfished, resulting in a decline in fish species. Aside from this, coral reefs, which serve as habitats for ocean life, are being destroyed, leaving many fish and sea animals homeless. Sea floors are also raked with drag nets, dragging underdeveloped marine life to the surface and to their death.

5. Lose Weight, Feel Great!

Shifting to a vegetarian diet is proven to help people lose extra pounds. Vegetarian diets do not include harmful animal fats and cholesterol, but contain a lot of fiber and healthy fats. Vegetarian diets are also usually made up of smaller, regulated portions. Shift to a vegetarian diet and feel the difference. You will have no more reasons to go to plus-size shops, eat or drink meal-replacement food, or waste time bemoaning thighs that have their own postal codes. The American Dietetic Association said that vegetarians, especially those who are vegan, usually have body weights closer to desirable weights than that of non-vegetarians.

6. Live Longer, Be Healthier!

Many health studies show that aside from being a good weight loss plan, a vegetarian diet is also proven to be healthier in general. In one study published by the British Medical Journal, it was learned that vegetarians live longer than non-vegetarians. According to the study, (which tracked 11,125 people over the period of 12 years, and has been adjusted for socio-economic status and lifestyle habits), vegetarians outlive meat eaters by an average of six years.

7. Improve Your Sex Life!

Research on human sexuality and eating preferences has shown that there is a correlation between a healthy body and a healthy sex life. It has been found out that heart and the brain are not the only organs that suffer from clogged arteries resulting from an unhealthy, meat-based diet that is high in saturated fats and cholesterol. Major studies have found out that eating meat can bring about impotence, as cholesterol clogs the arteries in the male sex organ. Try eating vegetarian food for a week or two, and your libido will take on massive proportions.

8. Save Up and Be Economical!

Yes, being a vegetarian will save you on almost everything, not just money from buying expensive meat-based food, and other animal-derived food and non-food products, but also money spent on weight loss plans. Aside from saving money from your pocket, you can also help save the world’s money. What is even better is that you can actually help feed the world! Many economic studies show that it is more expensive to maintain the meat industry than the plant-derived food industry. Not only is the meat industry costly to maintain, it also uses up much of the world’s natural resources. Environmental economists advocate that going vegetarian can actually help prevent world hunger. According to their studies, the amount of land required to raise one heard of cattle can instead be used to produce more grains (or other plant-derived foods, such as vegetables), that can feed more people.

9. Broaden Your (Taste) Horizons!

Contrary to popular belief, a vegetarian diet will not deprive you. of the pleasures of eating. The taste of plant-based dishes may be different from meat-based dishes, but they are definitely not less exciting! Aside from being healthy, vegetarian dishes are also as tasty—sometimes even tastier than non-vegetarian dishes. You can experience the gastronomic taste of a variety of cruelty-free flavors, all without the guilt doing harm to the environment or animals.

10. Be Different!

It is not bad, nor wrong to be a vegetarian—you are just being different! Divert from many traditional and conventional beliefs that bring more harm than good to humans, animals, and the environment. Shift to a vegetarian diet and do something to help the world, in your own little way. Oh, and being a vegetarian is one good excuse to avoid anything covered with animal grease.

If you want to help yourself, the rest of the world, and the animals and the environment in more ways than one, then you should try vegetarianism. Read more than once through the reasons above, and convince yourself that there are many good things you can do for yourself and for this world—by being a vegetarian.

* This article is a repost. I actually wrote this for TGP/Qool Media a few months back, so they own the copyright. Haha. And yeaaaah, I badly miss writing. And I badly yearn to be healthy again. My new work seems to suck the intellectual in me as boring days go by. Buhu.