OCTOBER 1st: WORLD VEGETARIAN DAY

October 1, 2013

Today, October 1st, is WORLD VEGETARIAN DAY & marks the start of Vegetarian Awareness Month!

A vegetarian is someone who refrains from eating animals directly, but will still consume their by-products (milk, cheese, eggs). This is different from a vegan who does not eat or use ANY animal products. Vegetarians and vegans that I know each have their own personal reason for eating this way, but one thing’s for sure: we’d all benefit from reducing our meat consumption (let’s get this straight- I’m NOT trying to make everyone reading this a meat-free eater!!).

I’ve mentioned the benefits of going meat-free before, but since the whole wide WORLD should be celebrating their favorite vegetarian today, I’ll do it again. Here are the benefits of a vegetarian diet:

Vegetarians live longer. A study published this past June in JAMA Internal Medicine (Journal of the American Medical Association) found that vegetarians had 12% fewer deaths over the study period, most likely because a vegetarian diet guards against heart disease (from which vegetarians were 19% less likely to die). Authors mentioned that the causality is not well-established, but maybe you can live until 108 too.
Lower blood pressure. High blood pressure is less prevalent or severe in vegetarians versus their meat-eating counterparts. This can be due to decreased blood viscosity, among other reasons.
Lowers cholesterol. Animal meat is high in saturated fat and “bad” LDL cholesterol. If you don’t want to completely give up meat, try cutting back and use it as a side dish instead of your main course.
Have a better sex life. A study published last year found that certain plant-based foods heighten sexual interest by influencing hormone levels. The first of it’s kind, this study focused on phytoestrogens (sex hormones in plants) and how they effect red colobus monkeys. Even PETA was on board with this concept by releasing this graphic video last year for World Vegan Day (disclaimer: not suited for all ages!!!) No one yet knows if this effect carries over to humans, but it’s worth a try…right?
Slashes cancer risk. No, you cannot escape your genetics, but hundreds of studies have proved that eating a veggie-based diet greatly reduces your risk of developing cancer.
Fights obesity. Unless you’re a junk-e-tarian (a vegan/vegetarian who only eats junk food…Oreos are vegan after all!), it’s much easier to maintain a lower weight and prevent long-term weight gain than your meat-eating counterparts. This is a lesson for all: always make veggies the first thing you eat when you sit down for a meal…then eat your grains or meat (if it’s not Monday that is).

You save millions of animals lives per year. I admit it, I’m not obsessed with animals, but I do think some of them are awfully cute and don’t deserve to die in order for me to eat. In the U.S., about 8 billion land animals and 100 billion sea animals are killed every year for human consumption. Just think about it.
You can be just as strong as a VEG. Gorillas, elephants, and buffaloes are all plant-eaters. Enough said. If you’re worried about protein…read here.
You’re helping the environment. Meat production generates a huge portion of the man-made greenhouse gases that suffocate our world and utilizes so much of our water supply. If you care about the world we live in, try to consume less meat!

So if you want to eat like a veg today, check out my green smoothie for breakfast, my quinoa salad for lunch, and black bean burgers for dinner…or check out these other meal ideas…bon appetite!

All of these benefits of a vegetarian diet help not only you, but those around you and the world you live in. Celebrate the vegetarians you know and try to adopt some of their habits by participating in Meatless Monday…because just a little bit of effort can make a huge difference for our world!