The Only 10 Reasons You Need To Convince You To Go Meat Free Today
This article was originally published on EliteDaily.com. Check out the other articles I’ve written for Elite Daily, The Voice of Generation Y…
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Nearly four years ago, I became a vegetarian — not because of a love for animals, not for a dislike of meat and not because Beyoncé was doing it.
It was simply because of happenstance or, maybe, laziness.
I was a busy student living in Tel Aviv when meat slowly disappeared from my life.
I no longer had the convenience — or spoke the language — to call up and order a salad with grilled chicken for a healthy, quick dinner. Shopping for raw meat to cook was also not high on my priority list.
I began to rely on simple, nutritious and healthy combinations of protein, carbs and fat.
I had eggs for dinner, a stir-fry made from mostly frozen vegetables and beans, hearty grains such as quinoa in a salad at lunch, as well as fruit and veggies for snacks.
One day I realized I was a vegetarian, and I wore my new name tag proudly.
I never feel deprived; I never miss or crave meat, and I haven’t had the desire to return to a carnivorous lifestyle since moving back to New York three years ago.
Over time, especially as a dietetics student, I educated myself about my all-about-convenience vegetarian diet.
Once I learned about the health benefits and experienced how much better I felt (and how my body felt about my new diet), adopting a vegetarian diet for the past four years has been easy.
The SAD, Standard American Diet, largely consists of fatty fast food, sugary beverages, nutrition-stripped refined carbs and an overemphasis on protein.
A meat-free diet done right puts the priority on produce and real food: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and more.
While a full-time, plant-based, meat-free diet isn’t for everyone, here are the top 10 reasons you should go meat free today, in honor of #WorldMeatFreeDay: