Vegetarian vs. non-vegetarian is a never-ending debate that has been going on for years. Often vegetarians and vegans frown upon meat-eaters, while meat lovers laugh on plant-eaters – it’s a contrasting lifestyle option!
But, today, when the Vegetarian Resource Group’s survey revealed that 4% of the adult U.S. population doesn’t eat meat, the benefits of not eating meat anymore seem gigantic. Not only Americans but 14% of meat-eating British have also reduced their meat consumption. India, where vegetarianism is a way of life for many, are slowly embracing veganism.
However, before deciding on whether to go vegan or vegetarian, you must understand the disadvantages of eating meat first. Once you understood why meat is bad for you, you will embrace vegetarian or vegan lifestyle in a flash!
Why Shouldn’t Humans Eat Meat?
From ethical to environmental – there are numerous reasons to not eat meat, so if you just need a push, the following reasons might be sufficient to change your mind:
Reason 1. Safeguarding the Natural Realm
Before understanding why meat-eating is bad for you – focus on how your meat-eating habits are killing our environment. According to the United Nations report, it is essential to adopt a vegan lifestyle to prevent climate change.
Our land and water resources are depleting due to animal farming—one single milking cow drinks up to 50 gallons water per day or even more during the hot season. The U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification stated that 10 pounds grain is fed to produce merely one pound of meat.
Reason 2. Improve your Health
Why shouldn’t humans eat meat? Simply to live long and healthy! It is proven that a meatless diet can lower down the risk of arteries blockage by 91%. In fact, 60% of plant-eaters have a healthier heart as compared to meat-eaters. However, your meat-eating habits might not impact the mortality rate, but a good quality vegetarian or vegan diet can reduce hypertension death risk by 34%. You can straightaway improve your mortality rate up to 12% by replacing your meats with veggies – wow! Still want more health-related reasons to not eat meat?
Reason 3. Shed your Extra Pounds
If you are struggling to fit into your old clothes and your potbelly is making you concerned, switch to meatless diet. When you cut meat from your daily diet and adorn your plate with a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet, there’s a big fat chance of losing 5 to 10 pounds.
Now, if you are wondering that cutting down on meat might impact your protein or vitamin levels, don’t worry! With a balanced vegan diet plan, you can easily provide the right nutrients and minerals to your body. Plus, meat fat is highly saturated and won’t wash away easily, whereas veggies work like a brush to remove toxins from your body.
Reason 4. Show Compassion
Adopting vegetarian or vegan lifestyle is your way to show compassion towards our fellow creatures. According to Economist, in 2019 alone, 19 billion chickens, 1.5 billion cows, 1 billion sheep, and 1 billion pigs were slaughtered for meat. Nature has granted humans and animals the same rights; thus, by killing animals, we are snatching those rights away from them.
Reason 5. Boost your Mood
New research has shown that a vegetarian or vegan diet could dramatically boost your mood and reduce stress levels. In a study named “Restriction of meat, fish, and poultry in omnivores improves mood”, 39 meat eaters were divided into groups of three – vegetarian diet, meat diet, and fish diet. Within two weeks, the vegetarian group showed significant improvement in mood and stress tests. Thus, if you want to stay happy, you need to stop eating meat now!
Disadvantages of eating meat weigh over the benefits of meat. From your mood to the environment, you can leave significant footprint on the world by adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet. Just take a positive step and quit eating meat today!
