Every year there are thousands of people making the move to a healthier, more socially responsible way of living. These people care about the lives of animals and want cruelty to come to an end, they want to live long healthy lives and avoid the perils of heart disease, and they want to have beautiful bodies sustained by living in tune with the Earth. Who are these people? They’re vegetarians, and World Vegetarian Day celebrates their decision to eliminate meat and animal products from their diet and live a more conscientious life.

Learn about World Vegetarian Day

Did you know that roughly every one in ten people around the world is a vegetarian? That figure often shocks people. It’s more than you would probably expect, right? A lot of people are also surprised to learn the fact that India is the country that has the lowest meat consumption per capita around the globe.

On World Vegetarian Day, we celebrate all of the good things that are associated with being a vegetarian. It is a good day to show people that you can still enjoy eating food by going meat-free! It is not boring, and there are some amazing recipes out there.

Even if you are not a vegetarian yourself, you can celebrate World Vegetarian Day. Why not go vegetarian for this day and see how you manage? From veggie burgers and cheese pizza to tofu and carrot sticks; there are a lot of amazing meat-free delights that you can enjoy on this day. Plus, you never know, it may inspire you to have more meat-free days in the future.

There are a number of different benefits that are associated with going meat-free. Firstly, you have the benefits for your body. Vegetarian diets tend to involve consuming a lot of the good stuff that you cannot typically find in meat. This includes a large number of phytochemicals, unsaturated fat, magnesium, vitamins E and C, folic acid, and fiber. This translates into a healthier weight, lower blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease, and also lower cholesterol.

If that was not enough, going veggie also offers a number of different benefits in terms of the environment. Not only does this spare animals, but it conserves fossil fuel too. For example, one calorie of beef requires 78 calories of fossil fuel! This is something that a lot of people don’t realize. For soybeans, only one calorie of fossil fuel is needed for one calorie of beef. This means that it is 780 percent more efficient when compared to the production of meat.

History of World Vegetarian Day

World Vegetarian Day was established by the North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) in 1977 to help promote the vegetarian way of life, and educate people on the health and social benefits of making the move to eliminate meat from their diets. As omnivores, humans are capable of surviving in complete health on a diet that contains no animal meat or products of any kind, but are there other benefits than merely a clean conscience?

As it turns out, the answer is an unequivocal yes. Vegetarian diets are significantly more healthy than diets that contain animal products, especially when you are conscientious about your fat intake. With a low-fat vegetarian diet you can completely avoid any issues with cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States alone.

Not only do vegetarian diet remove animal fat and cholesterol from their diets (especially true for vegans), but they consume more fiber and anti-oxidants, well known for their ability to fight cancer! So profound is the effect of vegetarianism on our health it has statistically been shown to add 13 healthy years to our lives.

Need more proof? Just look at Okinawa, where the people with the longest life-span in the world live. Guess what their diet primarily consists of?

WHY WE LOVE WORLD VEGETARIAN DAY

1. It’s good for the environment

   Going meatless not only spares animals — it also conserves fossil fuel. Did you know it takes 78 calories of fossil fuel to churn out 1 calorie of beef, but just 1 calorie of fossil fuel to produce 1 calorie of soybeans? That’s 780% more efficient than meat production!

2. It’s good for your body

   Vegetarian diets typically involve consuming lots of the good stuff you can’t always find in meat: fiber, folic acid, vitamins C and E, magnesium, unsaturated fat, and tons of phytochemicals. That translates into lower cholesterol, reduced risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, and a healthier weight.

3. Vegetarian food can be delicious

   Meatless diets get a bad rap for being bland and tasteless — but that’s not always true. Almost any vegetable can be turned into scrumptious veggie-based pancakes. Pizza (as long as it doesn’t contain sausage) is totally still an option. Ice cream is good to go. Who said vegetarians can’t have fun?

WORLD VEGETARIAN DAY DATES