I went vegetarian over 2 years ago. I’m not here to convince you to do the same thing. I am, however, here to convince you to REDUCE your intake of animal products. Why? Myriad reasons.
When I decided to reduce my intake of animal products I eased into it. I didn’t jump full-scale into vegetarianism, in fact, I wasn’t even aiming to become vegetarian, I just knew that I wanted to improve my nutrition and lifestyle and that was a logical first step. So, I began with Meatless Mondays. To my surprise, it wasn’t that difficult to go one day per week without meat (for the record, I define “meat” as any animal muscle whether it be chicken, turkey, beef, buffalo, even fish). I slowly expanded my diminished meat consumption and eventually went vegetarian (full disclosure; I still eat fish a couple of times per month, so I’m a “pescetarian,” technically, but I may eliminate fish this year, too).
There are MANY reasons for Meatless Monday, even if you have no desire to go vegetarian.
IMPROVED HEALTH
- Reduce heart attack and stroke – studies show increased plant consumption produces a 4% – 21% reduction in risk of these diseases
- Reduced cancer risk – there is suggestive to convincing research that supports the notion that reducing meat and especially processed meats reduces risk of various cancers
- Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes
- Weight loss – people on plant based diets have significantly lower body weight and BMI
- Longevity – research suggests that plant based diets lead to longer lives whereas consumption of meat and processed meats leads to illnesses described above
- Improved overall nutrition – replace meat with plants = better nutrition
FINANCIAL BENEFITS
- Reduced disease = reduced spending for treatment
- Reduced grocery bills – meat tends to cost more than fruits and vegetables
BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
- Livestock require massive quantities of water – vegetarians lifestyles consume 58% less water per person
- Reduce greenhouse gasses – livestock emit LOTS of gas!
- Reduce Fuel Dependence – it takes a lot of fuel to produce and ship grains to feed animals
And for me, the most relevant issue was that reducing my meat intake meant fewer unnecessary animal deaths.
NOTE: All of this research presupposes that you are REPLACING meat with produce! So, not only does your intake of unhealthy meat decrease, but your intake of healthy plant materials increases. If you replace meat with processed foods you won’t experience much benefit.
So, here’s the summary: Reduce you consumption of meat and you will benefit yourself, your wallet and your environment. There’s literally no downside, except that you sacrifice a few moments of chewing enjoyment.