Some people may not see the benefits of becoming a vegetarian and think that vegetarians are pushing their views down their throat. However, vegetarianism has huge benefits for health and the environment. There are also ethical reasons for the decision to become vegetarian, as will be discussed later in this article, and as a vegetarian for almost 7 years, I can assure people meat alternatives aren’t as bad as you think!
Health benefits
A healthy vegetarian diet includes many nutrients and fibres that you don’t actually get from meat. Foods like chickpeas are extremely high in protein and you can have them in anything ranging from a salad to a curry. These foods are alsoa lot lower in fats and cholesterol compared to meat. Because of this, numerous studies have shown that vegetarians tend to have a lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers.
Vegetarian diets can also lead to improved digestion – because the amount of fibre you consume helps with bowel movements and supports your gut. Vegetarians often find it easier to achieve a healthy weight or and to manage their weight. Plant-based foods are usually lower in calories, and eating lots of fruits and vegetables helps toward weight regulation. This means the risk of obesity and related health problems such as heart and joint problems is reduced.
Environmental impact
- The meat industry, particularly livestock farming, is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions such as methane. A vegetarian diet can reduce your carbon footprint, thus helping to manage the issue of climate change. Studies show that switching to a plant-based diet can reduce an individual’s carbon footprints by 50%.
- Raising animals for meat requires significant amounts of water and land resources. Producing 1kg of beef can require around 15,000 litres of water. Becoming vegetarian can help conserve these resources.
- The expansion of livestock farming is one of the leading causes of deforestation. As forests are cleared to make room for grazing land or to grow animal feed, more animals are dying as habitats are being destroyed.
Misconceptions about becoming vegetarian
- That it is hard to obtain proteins and nutrients on a plant-based diet. There are a lot of high protein foods that are not animal-based, such as lentils, beans, tofu, nuts and others.
- That the food is bland. This is completely unnecessary – you can add spices, flavourings, stock cubes, sauces, pastes and many more to create flavouring. Everything you add to season meat you can use on a vegetarian alternative.
- That because you are vegetarian and not vegan, you don’t care about animals. If you decide you want to become vegetarian, but you still want to eat eggs and milk, that is completely ok. You don’t have to explain your dietary choices to anyone, however if you feel you want to, you can try alternative milks like oat or almond. You can buy free range eggs from local farms, where chickens aren’t being cooped up and forced to lay eggs. Cutting out meat is a good start.
The most important part of vegetarianism – the ethical side
- Becoming vegetarian was, for me, all to do with the animals. Not only because of the treatment of the animals but the thought of eating a living and breathing creature. In my opinion, animals are friends, not food.
- Factory farming has been criticized for its inhumane treatment of animals, including overcrowding, lack of access to light, locked in cages and small spaces, forced to breed until they get too old or raised to grow as quickly as possible, then a disturbing transport to a slaughterhouse, and painful slaughtering practices. You wouldn’t do that to a dog or another human, so why do it to pigs and cows?
- One person being vegetarian can also make others consider making that change. I have influenced other members of my family to become vegetarian or at least cut down on their meat consumption. A build up to becoming vegetarian by slowly cutting out meat still makes a difference.
Vegetarianism makes more of a difference to the environment than you think and helps save animals from a life of suffering and slaughter. It is a healthy and sustainable diet and trust me, you can hardly taste the difference between a sausage and a Quorn sausage!
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