11 Great Reasons to Eat Less Meat (Even If you’re Not Ready to Go Vegan)
Whether you’re thinking of going vegan, vegetarian or just cutting down your meat intake, there are plenty of great reasons to reduce your consumption.
Eating more veggies, fruits, beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts, and seeds instead of meat can have huge implications for your health, and the planet’s health as well.
Need some motivation? Here are 11 good reasons to consider.
1. You're likely to reverse heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Switching patients to a plant-based diet has been shown to not only treat heart disease, but reverse its progression.
2. You'll stay slim. Research has shown that eating meat has been linked to obesity.
3. You'll save money. Vegetarian and vegan meals tend to be less expensive than meat.
4. You'll reduce greenhouse gases. Animal Agriculture is estimated to produce more greenhouse gases than the whole of the transportation industry combined. Lowering or eliminating your meat intake can have huge implications on climate change.
5. You'll reduce animal cruelty. Millions of cattle and poultry are killed each year for meat, with a huge number of these being raised in factory farms. Switching to a less meat or no meat diet is voting to end the cruel treatment of animals.
6. You'll be in good company. Join the likes of the Natalie Portman, Ellen DeGeneres, Olivia Wilde, Paul McCartney, Carrie Underwood and Betty White.
7. You'll be aligning with some of the greatest minds in history. Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Gandhi, Charles Darwin and George Bernard Shaw all thought it was a smart idea to follow a plant-based diet.
8. You'll join many ultra-endurance athletes in following a plant-based diet. What do marathon-runner Bart Yasso, triathlete Rich Roll and ironman Brendan Brazier all have in common? No meat in their diets!
9. You'll help save the Amazon from destruction. The Amazon is being destroyed to grow feed crops for cattle and make space for grazing. The situation is severe — the majority of Amazon deforestation can be contributed to animal agriculture. Switching to a no-meat or less-meat diet can help save the Amazon, the earth’s lungs.
10. You'll discover more delicious recipes. Chicken for dinner again? Reducing the meat in your life allows you to expand your food horizons and discover exciting new main dishes.
11. You'll be making a choice already embraced by religions around the world. Whether you’re non-religious, spiritual or a God-fearing person, it says something that many world religions endorse a meatless diet in some form. For example, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism all encourage followers to adopt a plant-based diet.
Reducing or eliminating your meat intake has so many benefits:
look better,
feel better and
Save the planet.
Eliminating meat from your life is one of the more significant things you can do for your health and especially the planet.
If you're still on the journey of decreasing or eliminating meat from your diet, start taking baby steps today. Improve your health and the planet, one meatless meal at a time.