Four good reasons being a vegetarian is better for the planet and you:1. Animals contribute significantly to global warming. The vegetarian Society's Silent But Deadly campaign is getting the word out there that farmed animals contribute 18% of greenhouse gas emissions. Scary when compared to the entire world's transport system which is believed to emit 13.5% of total gas emissions.
2. Raising cattle is tortuous to our land and uses far more energy and resources than growing fruit, vegetables and grains. You could feed twenty vegetarians on the same piece of land you would need to feed one meat eater. Also animals hard pack the soil, destroying plant species and making it more difficult to grow crops on in future.
3. We now know meat is not essential to a healthy, balanced diet. Complete proteins found in animal products can also be found in foods like soya. Plus nuts, seeds, beans, pulses and grains like quinoa are all good sources of protein. There's strong supporting evidence organically grown produce contains more nutrients and minerals than chemically sprayed crop varieties so you can get even more iron from your organic vegies like spinach.
4. It's trendy. The Food Standards Agency's Consumer Attitudes to Food Standards survey this year found that 2% of people in the UK are now vegetarian. Stella McCartney, Anthony Kiedis and Leona Lewis are but a few well-known vegetarian celebrities paving the way with a greener diet.
If you love meat too much maybe just try cutting down a bit for the sake of our animal friendly earth, and certainly go for organic as it is kinder to the animals and the environment.
For those interested, the London Vegan Festival is on September 7th and will be held from 11am to 8pm at the Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, W8. Adults cost £1 to ender and kids under 16 are free.
