Why Go Vegetarian

Why Go Vegetarian?

Vegetarianism is a way of life. It hasn’t always been the easiest road to take but at the end of the day it tends to be the path that is easiest on my conscience. Here’s my list of reasons to go veg:

Do it for the animals:

Whether it be a cow, pig, dog, or cat all sentient beings feel pain and experience fear. We are all the same in that we all want to live a free and happy existence, and no one creature’s life should take precedence over another’s.

“Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.” – Optimus Prime, Transformers

“But for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh we deprive a soul of the sun and light, and of that proportion of life and time it had been born into the world to enjoy.” – Plutarch

Do it for your health:

 I have read time and time again about the health benefits of a vegetarian diet. Take a look at this quote I found on the  PCRM website.

“Vegetarians have much lower cholesterol levels than meat-eaters, and heart disease is less common in vegetarians.” Quote retrieved from Vegetarian Foods: Powerful for Health.

Do it for the environment:

Let’s conserve our precious resources! I found this great quote on the Vegan Outreach website, and I thought I would share:

“The way that we breed animals for food is a threat to the planet. It pollutes our environment while consuming huge amounts of water, grain, petroleum, pesticides and drugs. The results are disastrous.”

David Brubaker, PhD, Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins University Environmental News Network, 9/20/99

If we all went vegetarian, even for a day, just think of the resources we could conserve…

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” – Albert Einstein

And most importantly do it for yourself:

Living a peaceful compassionate life is good for your soul!

“My body will not be a tomb for other creatures.” – Leonardo Da Vinci

Resources:

1. The books,  Being Vegetarian for Dummies and Vegetarian Cooking for Dummies by Suzanne Havala, M.S., R.D., are both great resources for any newbie vegetarian who may not know where to start or how to go about transitioning to a vegetarian diet. I have read both books!

2. Top 5 Health Reasons To Go Veggie. Down to Earth Organic & Natural. Retrieved from  http://www.downtoearth.org/health/top-5-reasons. There is a wealth of information on this website. Please check it out!

3. For some more great vegetarian quotes, take a look at this blog I came across. It is called Change For A Year – Year Two: Midlife Crisis.  Vegan Quotes – Socrates, Buddha, Einstein and Others on Going Vegan: http://changeforayear.com/2013/02/19/socrates-buddha-einstein-and-others-on-going-vegan/

4.  Vegan Outreach. Working To End Cruelty To Animals:  http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/health.html. If you are looking for information regarding a vegan diet or becoming an advocate for animals this website is a great resource!

5. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: http://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/1999/animal-prod.html. This is where the great quote by David Brubaker, PhD can be viewed.

6. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: http://www.pcrm.org/. This is where I retrieved the quote regarding the health benefits of a vegetarian diet. The article is called Vegetarian Foods: Powerful for Health.