Making the Choice
One of the most frequently asked questions about eating vegetarian or vegan is why? There are many reasons as to why choosing to eat vegetarian or vegan is a good thing. Choosing this lifestyle has been proven to have a positive impact on your body and the environment, and is just one of the many sustainable practices that the Student Environmental Center advocates. Here are some of the main reasons to become vegan or vegetarian:
1. Its Healthier!
Eating vegetarian or vegan goes hand in hand with choosing healthier and organic food options.Vegetarians on average are up to 20 pounds lighter than meat-eaters, and according to the American Dietetic Association, are less likely to develop heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or high blood pressure. You can get all the nutrients and energy you need without having all the consequences of eating meat!
2. You Help Animals
According to PETA, every vegetarian saves more than 100 animals a year from abuse. By choosing vegetarian foods over eggs, dairy, and meat, you save animals from brutal suffering.
3. It's Yummy!
There are plenty of delicious options out there for vegetarians or vegans, which is one of the purposes of this blog. Because of the demand for vegetarian products, many companies are attempting to make products that taste similar to meat, without hurting animals or the environment.
4. You Avoid Tons of Health Risks:
Animal Products are one of the top sources of food poisoning in the United States, and are often noted for being contaminated with feces, blood, bodily fluids, or other dangerous bacteria. By choosing not to eat meat you can avoid bacteria such as campylobacter, which was found in 96 percent of Tyson chicken and is known for causing 2.4 million cases of food poisoning each year.
5. It's Good for the Environment:
One of the main reasons why choosing to eat vegetarian or vegan has a positive impact is because it saves the planet! Eating meat is wasteful and is known for causing extreme amounts of pollution contributing to global warming. You can drastically reduce your carbon footprint by this simple change in diet.
There are tons more cool statistics at Chasing Green: http://www.chasinggreen.org/article/why-going-vegetarian-good-environment/ and PETA's website http://www.peta.org
