World Vegetarian Day
What an awesome day today is – World Vegetarian Day is a day to raise awareness about the fantastic benefits of being a vegetarian.
This day of celebration is also fantastic for our furry friends – farm animals along with companion animals, marine life and our wildlife are all extremely grateful for World Veggie Day!
What are the benefits of going veggie?
- A lot of people become vegetarian because of their love for animals, but there are also numerous other benefits that might surprise you.
- Did you know that the meat industry accounts for around 18% of all greenhouse gas emissions, which directly contributes to glabal warming? Another major contributor is the ongoing deforestation taking place to make more pastureland for livestock, as our population continues to grow and the demand for food and resources grows with it. So, by reducing or cutting out your meat consumption, you are making positive changes to our planet!
- Mulitple studies have also suggested that there are no actual health benefits to eating meat – you can easily find protein elsewhere in your diet through plant-based alternatives, such as quinoa, pulses such as beans and chickpeas, tofu, seeds, nuts and vegetables.
Fun facts!
- Committing to a vegetarian or vegan diet has been described over the years as one of the biggest ways of reducing your carbon foot print, and gradually reducing your meat intake will make a difference along the way. ‘Meat-free Mondays’ are becoming popular for a reason.
- The health benefits are fantastic – it’s easy to cover your ‘5-a-day’ and ‘eat a rainbow every day’ when you follow a veggie diet loaded with plant-based nutrients and goodness!
- For all you animal lovers out there becoming a vegetarian really does make a great impact on animal welfare. 1 vegetarian saves up to 50 animal lives a year, and 1 vegan saves up to 100 animal lives a year. How amazing is that?!
- A REALLY fun fact – Broccoli contains more protein per calorie than a steak. Honestly! Tell your friends that one, and see how many people you surprise!
How you can get started!
If you’re considering reducing your meat consumption or trying a vegetarian/vegan diet, no matter what your reasons are, there are thousands of resources to help you get going. It’s easier than ever before! Supermarkets are bursting with meat alternatives, dairy-free products and generally have a fantastic range of vegan and vegetarian options to suit everyone. There are some amazing accounts you can follow on social media to guide you through interesting and delicious recipe tutorials, or scroll through millions of recipes on the internet! Vegetarian/vegan recipe books are becoming increasingly popular, with a huge variety available to browse and sample (if you want a recommendation, we’ll be happy to help!).
You can also explore various campaigns that are trending at the moment for more information and to help you on your journey – click below to check out a few of our suggestions:
Veg Pledge – Cancer Research UK
