Three years ago Friends of the Earth launched the annual campaign – Meat Free May. The organisation’s aim is to highlight the disastrous effects meat production has on the health of people and our planet. Challenge yourself by saying ‘No’ to meat this month!
The vegetarian diet is becoming more and more popular especially as avoiding meat no longer means boring green salads or boiled rice. There are so many awesome cookbooks and creative recipes out there these days. Remember ‘Eat more greens’ by Pete Evans, for example? In fact, you can now go as far as having a vegan Birthday cake without sacrificing any flavours.
But really, what are the health benefits of giving up animal products?
- Meat can take up to 12 hours to digest so, by not forcing your body to work all day long, you’re giving it a much needed break.
- It’s no secret that meat or fish might contain hormones or antibiotics, as well as plastic that’s accidentally been ingested and we definitely don’t want those bi-products in our food. Meat-free month is the perfect detox! By the way, here are a few more ways to detoxify your body both inside and outside.
- It lowers your cholesterol levels.
- A vegan diet reduces the risk of heart disease. As soon as we stop eating an artery-clogging diet, our body starts healing itself! It’s also thought that clogged arteries might play a crucial role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
- There are way less vegan diabetics than meat-eating diabetics.
- A plant-based diet improves or, in some cases, even eliminates arthritis symptoms.
- Your body becomes more alkaline and thus healthier and stronger.
- Overall, you’ll feel lighter and more energised!
And how about the positive environmental impact?
- Cutting down on meat consumption will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By the way, did you know that something as simple as swapping dairy for a plant-based milk will also help? Here are some of the healthiest and most environmentally-friendly milks on the market.
- A meat-eater’s diet requires 15 times more water than a plant-based diet so being vegan saves approximately 5 million litres per year! To put this into perspective, you and your partner combined will use less water for showers IN A LIFETIME .
- We can produce 16,000 kilos of veggies on the same plot of land that would product 170 kilos of meat! By eating more veggies and less meat we reduce land use and cause less deforestation (at the moment livestock occupies 45% of Earth’s land surface, so people cut down forests to have more land).
- We have already wiped out 90 percent of bluefin tuna, swordfish, marlin, king mackerel and other fish that have been used for cooking. If we continue fishing to this extent, by 2048 there will be no more fish to catch.
P.S And need we even mention that Meat Free May saves you money – you’ll be surprised how much cheaper veggies, pulses and grains are in comparison to steak!