Nowadays, our societies are marked by disastrous diseases including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Fast food restaurants continue to be popular and people care less about what they eat. Quickness and convenience seems to be the crucial factor in deciding what to eat. Diets have long conquered the market attracting the many overweight and obese people who jump on the train and believe that a diet will change their life only to find out that they jump back to their regular weight shortly after their diet has finished.

The best “diet” one can chose is to become vegetarian or vegan. It is not a conventional diet that makes you swallow pills or makes you eat certain branded foods but it is rather a lifestyle that will change people towards becoming a more balanced and healthier individual.

There are many myths about vegetarians and vegans. Many think that following a strictly plant-based diet or excluding meat and poultry is extremely unhealthy. Research has proven the complete opposite. In fact, vegetarians and vegans are less prone to develop diseases including cancer, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. Of course, there are certainly vegetarians and vegans who do suffer from those diseases but the likelihood is reduced a lot compared to meat eaters. Those health benefits are directly related to substances only found in animal foods. Cholesterol is a main problem linked to heart disease and can only be found in animal food. High rates of cholesterol can lead to overweight and clogged arteries. Therefore, vegans will never have a cholesterol problem. Furthermore, animal food consists of a high rate of saturated fat which is also linked to heart disease and can be prevented by following a vegan or vegetarian diet which has lower rates of saturated fats. Vegans and vegetarians have a higher intake of complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and certain minerals. It is also wrong to say that vegans and vegetarians do not get all the protein they need, which is completely wrong. In fact, meat is not the only source of protein. Other protein sources include whole grains, oatmeal, beans, peanut butter, brown rice, peas, lentils, tofu, soy milk, nuts, seeds, and vegan burgers and hotdogs. Vegans do not suffer from calcium deficiency as many might think because calcium can be found in non-dairy products including broccoli, beans, many leafy green vegetables, almonds, soy milk, tofu and calcium-fortified orange juice. Meat is not the only food that contains iron. Dark green, leafy vegetables, beans, lentils, tofu, dried apricots, prune juice, and raisins are just a few examples of foods with a high rate of iron.

The main problem with animal food is the breeding and drugging of the animals. Besides the fact that many animals live a horrible life filled with artificial pregnancies, little free space, immense stress, and constant breeding, the antibiotics, artificial hormones, heavy metals and other toxins used for speedy nutrition and avoidance of problems can be found in the meat that we buy at the local supermarket. Plant foods are also contaminated with pesticides and herbicides; however, the concentration of these substances is much higher in animal food. Research has also shown that vegans and vegetarians have a stronger immune system and are better athletes.

It is also a myth that following a vegan or vegetarian diet is expensive and too complex and complicated. You do not have to go to special supermarkets to find vegan and vegetarian foods because nowadays, all supermarkets carry vegetarian and vegan foods. Potatoes, rice, beans, corn, and pasta are just some examples of how being vegan and vegetarian can be very affordable. Pre-packaged vegetarian and vegan dishes are expensive and therefore, cooking yourself is the better alternative. There are many vegan and vegetarian cookbooks at your local bookstore or library but you can also browse through hundreds of free recipes on websites such as CookVeg.com, Vegan-Food.net or PETA.org/VeganLiving.

There are also many ways to dine vegan and vegetarian outside your house. While most restaurants offer vegetarian and vegan dishes such as salads, pasta, and veggie burgers, there are many restaurants directed at this lifestyle. At VegGuide.org you can find a list of vegan and vegetarian friendly restaurants in your area.

Many people might hesitate to switch their animal food diet to a plant-based diet because they think that they cannot live without meat because it is simply “too good”. There are many substitute products at almost every supermarket that look like meat and have a somewhat similar taste that you will not miss eating meat. In the long run, everyone benefits from a vegan and vegetarian diet. It is crucial that everyone has to be educated about this healthy lifestyle by emphasizing the fact that it is the vegetarians and vegans who are the healthier people.