Benefits of Eating a Vegetarian Diet

There are many benefits to becoming a vegetarian but do you know why? Although in the scheme of things you may wonder just what effect one person can make. Individually it probably won't as it is only a small scale thing but if many people feel the same way, it does have an effect on the lives of many animals. A diet made up largely of meat causes heart problems which are the most common causes of death in the United States and other meat consuming countries.

Circulatory, heart problems, high cholesterol and heart attacks are primarily caused by the regular consumption of dairy products, eggs and meat; a reduction in this consumption would lower these health problems. The organization Earth Save says that a meat eating individual is four times more likely to have a heart attack as a vegetarian. The risk of a heart attack for vegans is even lower with only a one in ten chance of having a heart attack against those of a person who eats meat. The improvements in health do not end there if you are a vegetarian.

Normal, everyday food contains a whole host of preservatives (especially common in meat) that has shown links with many types of cancer. Of course vegetarians will not be exposed to the number of additional hormones that are fed to cattle as part of their feed and will not experience some of the hormone problems people have because of this. The consumption of lactose will also be reduced which is claimed to cause some digestive problems. The fact is people who become vegetarians have healthier lives; they can also feel comfortable knowing that they are not responsible for the slaughter of any animals.

One particular study illustrates this point by claiming that the average American is responsible for the death (for food) of over two thousand seven hundred animals during their life. It is a sobering thought that a change in diet could literally save hundreds of animals from being slaughtered over the course of a decade alone.

To help even further and stop the number of battery hens and dairy cows from having to suffer degrading conditions you could stop drinking milk and eating eggs. So if you haven't worked it out by now, yes we can all make a difference both individually and collectively which should show why becoming a vegetarian is so important. It matters to the thousands of animals you could potentially save and it matters to you as an individual because you can greatly reduce your chances of getting cancer and heart disease.