Reasons to Go Vegan This World Health Day
7 April is World Health Day. Here are six great reasons it’s a perfect day to give vegan eating a go!
1.To be healthy: A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that vegans live longer than meat-eaters, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the largest organisation of food and nutrition professionals in the US, says the following:
[A]ppropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes. Plant-based diets are more environmentally sustainable than diets rich in animal products because they use fewer natural resources and are associated with much less environmental damage. Vegetarians and vegans are at reduced risk of certain health conditions, including ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain types of cancer, and obesity.
2. To save animals’ lives: About 80 billion land animals and up to trillions of marine animals are killed every year for food. Each vegan saves the lives of nearly 200 animals a year.
- To eat delicious vegan food: Check out the winners of PETA India’s Vegan Food Awards 2023, and the wide variety of non-dairy milks available.
4. To protect against pandemics: The leading view is that the recent pandemic stemmed or spread from a live-animal market. SARS, bird flu, swine flu, and other diseases have jumped the species barrier because animals are kept confined in filth at live-animal markets or on factory farms.
5. To protect the environment: Researchers at the University of Oxford found that cutting out meat and dairy can reduce an individual’s carbon footprint from food by up to 73%, making it conceivably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on the planet.
6. All the cool people are doing it: Vegan stars and athletes include Venus Williams, Joaquin Phoenix, Lewis Hamilton, Njovak Djokovic, and many others.
Are you feeling inspired? Sign PETA India’s vegan pledge, and don’t forget to order our free vegetarian/vegan starter kit.
