1. Plants yield 10 times more protein per acre than meat.
If we choose a vegetarian lifestyle, or at least a mostly plant-based diet, we can actually feed more people. Of the 20 million tons of plant protein used to raise cows each year, only 2 million tons of protein are used. That means about 18 tons of plant protein are wasted! That 20 million tons of plant protein could have been used to reduce 90% of the world’s yearly protein deficit in humans. Additionally, if all the land used to raise cows and other farm animals was used to produce crops, we could feed thousands of more people from plant protein. Not only would that be more economical, but it could help us build the foundation for a more humane society–for both humans and animals.
2. Cows contribute to global warming more than all the cars and SUV’s combined in the world.
Although trading in a truck for a Prius is great for the environment, switching to a vegetarian diet would actually have a greater impact. It takes three times more fuel to raise cattle for a meat-based diet than it does to produce for a vegetarian diet. Even people such as Al Gore, who are doing extraordinary things to raise awareness about the environment and global warming, do not seem to talk about the benefits of going vegetarian for the environment.
The cattle industry produces methane that contributes to the global warming effect about 27 times faster than CO2 from cars. This industry is taking up over 30% of the land on Earth, which includes deforestation for cattle space expansion and farm land for crops to feed the livestock. This deforestation kills masses of trees and releases the CO2 within them–releasing even more greenhouse gasses into the air. Furthermore, the pesticides used to raise crops at an accelerated rate for cattle feed leads to more chemicals in our soil. In turn, since there is no grass in this top soil to hold it down, all of the pesticides and wastes runs into our water. And the chain goes on and on.
3. Fruits and vegetables have for more healthy, disease fighting, cancer killing, life lengthening properties than scientist even know about.
We all know that fruits and veggies have a lot of vitamins and minerals but did you also know they have other nutrients called phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are what give fruits and veggies their color. Each color is a different phytonutrient with different properties.
Carrots have a classification of phytonutrients called carotenoids. This phytonutrient promotes healthy eyesight. Lycophenes, on the other hand, are found in red foods like tomatoes and are great for cardiovascular health.
4. Vegetarians have a longer expected lifespan.
Although some of the evidence for this is inconclusive–as many of the studies have not been conducted long enough–most findings point to the idea that a vegetarian diet has more life promoting properties than a meat-based diet.
For example, there is a much lower risk of heart disease in vegetarians–which is the leading cause of death in North America. This is because a plant-based diet may not contain bad cholesterol. Vegetarians also have fewer problems with many other diseases, such as cancer and diabetes, because of their high nutrient diet. These factors, along with many others, may lead vegetarians to live longer, healthier lives since their lifestyle helps to prevent life-threatening diseases.
5. Vegetarian diets can be fun and delicious to cook and eat.
There is a misconception that switching to a plant-based diet takes all the fun out of cooking and eating. But the truth its, there are most likely thousands of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, seeds, etc, that you have never tried. That’s thousands of untapped colors, textures, and flavors that you can experiment with!
Since I made the switch to veggies, I have tried so many new plant-based foods that I never knew existed, or would have ever thought I would have liked. For example, a new grain that I have been enjoying and that is high in protein is quinoa. It has a balanced set of amino acids and is an excellent source of magnesium and iron.
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
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