5 Reasons for Being Vegetarian

Have you ever considered switching to a vegetarian diet? There are many good reasons for becoming a vegetarian. If we adopt a vegetarian diet then we will feel lighter, healthier and also do our bit for the environment.

These are some of the best reasons to become vegetarian:
1. Vegetarian Food is easier to digest.

When we eat meat it is difficult to digest. This means that after eating a lot of meat, our stomach feels full and heavy. For a couple of hours we will feel lethargic and be more likely to fall asleep. Have you ever wondered why the whole family falls asleep after eating Christmas Turkey? It is because they are digesting the meat. A vegetarian diet is, by contrast, much easier to digest. We will be less lethargic after meals and find it is easier to digest. Try some tofu fritters for Christmas dinner, that will keep everybody awake.

2. Vegetarianism avoids cruelty to animals.

It is an unfortunate fact, that the modern livestock industry adopts many cruel practices. Animals are reared in close proximity and often die painful deaths. Many people choose a vegetarian diet to avoid contributing to this unnecessary cruelty to other living creatures.

3. Vegetarian Diet Improves consciousness.

When we eat meat, we take on board the animal qualities in the meat. An animal is more likely to be aggressive, and restless. When we eat meat, we take on board these qualities. Therefore, imperceptibly, we find it more difficult to curb our animal anger and develop peace of mind. If we adopt a vegetarian diet, we will take on board the milder qualities of vegetables, this will make it easier to conquer our restlessness and anger.

4. Vegetarian diet is better for the environment.

At the moment there is a lot of concern about global warming. This is caused be excessive emissions of carbon dioxide and methane. Gaining food from an animal based diet, is much more carbon intensive. To raise livestock require a much higher percentage of land, chemicals and energy. If the world adopted a vegetarian diet, we would find energy needs would fall dramatically.

5. Vegetarian diet is better for health.

A vegetarian diet helps us to avoid animal fats, which can contribute towards heart disease. Also a vegetarian diet tends to be higher in fibre, which has been show to reduce colon cancer. Various studies have shown that those who adopt a vegetarian diet have a much longer and healthier lifespan.

• Benefits of Vegetarian diet
• Pages on Vegetarian Diet at Sri Chinmoy Centre