Since it is the end of Veganuary, (Veganuary refers to the month of January were people vow to vegan, vegetarian or in general choose to eat less meat in general). I want to disclose seven reasons why it is beneficial to keep your resolution to eat less meat and dairy, or eliminate it from your diet all together!
1. It is just good for your overall health!
Many people found once they stopped eating meat or dairy, they felt more energetic and less lethargic after meals. After eliminating meat and dairy from my diet, I can say that I feel as though I get more out of my workouts and do not tire as easily. Also, being a plant based eater, you are forced to eat more vegetables, which is better for your overall health.
2. Good for the environment
According to The Vegan Society, the production of meat and other animal products ultimately leads to destruction of our environment. Meat production is a significant contributor to deforestation, habitat loss and species extinction throughout the world. They also reported that “in Brazil alone, the equivalent of 5.6 million acres of land is used to grow soya beans for animals in Europe.” For me personally, this convinced me to stop eating meat and dairy altogether because I proclaimed to be as environmentally conscious as I could, when in actuality I was adding to the problem. Even though I am one person, I feel as though me not eating meat or dairy is helping better our environment.
3. Saving animals
Obviously, if you don’t eat meat, you are preventing an animal from being killed. However, the sad-fact about the dairy and egg industries that not a lot of individuals know about is the high number of animal exploitation and cruelty goes on in those industries. So, even if you are consuming dairy and eggs, you are still perpetuating the mistreatment of animals. While I may not be able to go into depth about the cruelty of these industries, a few documentaries such as What the Health and Cowspiracy can (both available on Netflix).
4. Healthy Skin
Another perk of eating more plant based meals is your skin will clear up. Once again, I can attest to this perk. Since you begin to eat foods with less saturated fats and unhealthy sugars that clog your pores, your skin will ultimately clear up.
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5. Pretty and nutritious meals!
I’m weird, so I think it is really awesome when you get a big pile of vegetables on a plate and see all the different colors. Very aesthetically pleasing. Also, you can eat a lot of plant based food because it is already healthy for you!
6. Location
Lastly, if you are wondering what I mean by “location”, well, we are in a city with millions of opportunities to eat plant based! I use a website called Happy Cow, which tells me where many vegan options are in my area. Just in the Fenway area there is a restaurant called its “By Chloe,” which is a strictly vegan restaurant. Panera Bread, Sweetgreen and Chipotle also have many various yummy vegan options. And for dessert, Ben and Jerry’s have amazing vegan options for ice cream and Oreos are vegan as well!
I want to reinforce this idea that I wish I had known when I tried to go vegan for the first time: you don’t have to just stop eating dairy, meat or eggs “cold turkey.” Slowly ease into this new lifestyle. If you don’t, you will end up resenting it! Obviously, I have found many benefits to eating this way, and hopefully after reading this article others will now to!