Meat is known as the best source of protein and other nutrients. It also pleases our taste buds and makes one of the favorite foods of all. There are many great preparations of meat and it often makes one of the primary items in the menu list of every party and hotels. However, in the light of the recent studies, meat might not be such a healthy item to include in your regular diet, as it was thought even 10 years back. Discarding meat from diet and turning vegetarian has been found to offer a number of health benefits, some of which actually stresses on the fact that having meat can work as one of the primary reasons for diseases. If you are thinking about excluding meat from your diet, but you are not still very sure, read on to know the reasons why you should keep it away from your diet.
Lowers the risk of cancer
It has been established through researches that the meat eaters or non-vegetarians are more susceptible to develop cancer, compared to their vegetarian counterparts. Recent studies have pointed out that including meat in your regular diet can work as one of the major triggers to induce cancerous growths in the body. According to many physicians, vegetarians are 25 to 50 percent less likely to get cancer than the non-vegetarians.
Lowers the chance of heart ailments
Meat is high in cholesterol. The fat present in meat adds to the cholesterol levels of the body and eating meat in your regular diet or even frequently is sure to boost up the level of cholesterol in your blood. High blood cholesterol thickens the arteries and steals their flexibility, which results into increase of blood pressure within the arteries, deteriorating your overall cardiovascular health and increasing your chance of getting a heart attack. So, leaving meat out of your diet can be an easy way to lower the risk of high blood pressure and other heart ailments.
Promotes better digestive health
Meat is a high protein diet and it is not really very easy for your digestive system to cope with it. Digesting meat is a heavy task for your digestive system which has also been linked to cancer of the colon. Consuming meat in your daily diet can also be one of the primary reasons of the conditions like constipation and acidity, which might have other impacts on your body too. Discarding meat from your diet and by going vegetarian you can make digestion much easier for your body, which is sure to promote an overall better health, because your digestive health has a key role to play in your overall well-being.
Lowers the risk of osteoporosis
Eating a diet highly rich in protein has also been linked to loss of bone density, which is one of the primary reasons of osteoporosis and other problems related to weak bones. Regular meat eaters usually consume more protein than their body actually needs, which can trigger the loss of calcium from bones. Hence by discarding meat from your diet, you can also ensure a better bone health and less risk of osteoporosis.
Farmed meat is not healthy
The farms where the animals are reared for meat hardly maintain the best hygiene. Often the animals are reared in the worst imaginable ways and instead of providing them with natural forage they are fed protein and vitamin rich artificial foods, which are often generated by processing the carcass or waste of other animals and birds. In addition to that, these animals are treated with high dosage of antibiotics to ward off the diseases and as you consume the meat on a daily basis, you start to develop antibiotic resistance in your body, which can be actually dangerous for your health. The animals in farms are not reared in the right way that can make it ideal for consumption, and hence staying away from it is certainly the best thing you can do for your health.
Adds to your life span
Recent studies have proved that the vegetarians who take a balanced diet regularly enjoy a longer and disease free life compared to the non-vegetarians. By turning to vegetables and quitting meat, you can actually add few years more to your overall lifespan too. So, if you want to live a longer and disease free life, quitting meat can make the first big step.
There are plenty of tasty and nourishing vegetarian foods
This is certainly another reason to propel you for quitting meat eating. If you stop eating meat that never means you will not have a great deal of variation in your foods or dishes. There are plenty of vegetarian and dairy products that you can consume to get all the nourishment and protein you need and also to satisfy your taste buds. In fact, when it comes to vegetarian eating the options are even more than non-vegs. So, stopping meat eating is the right decision you can take for your health and well being.
How to quit non-veg food
Quitting non-veg food completely might not be as easy as said, particularly if you are habituated with regular meat eating. However, it is not that difficult either. All you have to do is to take the pledge, come up with the right plan and stick to it. Here is a guideline to help you quit non-vegetarian food,
Take the pledge
The first step of quitting non-vegetarian food is to take the pledge. The best way to take the pledge is to note down the downsides of having non-veg foods. How the animals are reared and how eating non-veg can hamper your health should work as the primary propellers to take the pledge. Also consider the good sides of becoming a vegetarian. You can also note down these points in a diary if you feel like. Reading through articles and checking out the pictures of commercial animal farms can also work to help you take the pledge and stick to it.
Come up with a plan
Every person is not same and hence while some people can stop non-veg food and become completely vegetarian in just one day, for some it might be next to impossible. If you are habituated with eating non-veg everyday, trying to quit it quickly can only add to the urge of having more of it. So, come up with a quitting plan according to your own pace. Usually the meat eaters consume many types of meats. You can start by quitting one type of meat at a time and then slowly quit all the types of meats within 6 months to a year. For regular meat eaters it is best to first reduce the amount of meat in their daily diet, while increasing the vegetarian foods of their choice and then slowly skipping non-veg foods completely on particular days.
Stick to the plan
Once you have decided a plan for yourself, make sure that you stick to it in every way. Declaring your pledge and your plan to quit non-veg foods to your family and friends can be helpful as it will ensure that people close to you will not force you to have non-veg food. If you are in a party or some get-together where people might force you to have non-veg that you have quitted, simply tell them that you are allergic to it to end all the poking quickly. Sticking to the plan might not seem to be very easy at first, but it is sure to become easier for you with time.
Get company of like minded people
Being in the company of people who have already quitted non-veg foods or are trying to quit it just like you can be very helpful at this stage. It will not only make your pledge stronger but will also help you by letting you discuss the problems you might be facing to keep up to the pledge with people who are on the same boat like you. According to many vegetarians, who were strict non-vegetarians in the past, getting a company of like minded people or having someone in your home trying to quit the same habit can be actually helpful.
Include tasty and healthy vegetarian meals in your daily diet
Once you are happy with the vegetarian dishes you eat, naturally your cravings for the non-veg will reduce. So, make it a point to include tasty vegetarian meals in your daily diet. Being vegetarian does not mean you will have to eat only the same boring preparations of vegetables in your regular diet; tofu, paneer, soybeans are high in nutrients and protein content and they can be used to prepare all the tasty dishes. Vegetables can also be made into dishes that can taste no less than non-veg dishes. So, put in a little more effort and prepare tasty dishes of your choice with the vegetarian foods and as your taste buds will start to be happy with the veggies, it will become much easier for you to quit non-veg. If you stick only to the same vegetarian preparations while trying to quit non-veg, things will certainly become much more difficult for you, so introduce variations in the vegetarian dishes you cook. While preparing your daily vegetarian diet make sure that you are getting enough protein.
