Why Become Vegetarian?: Culture/Religion & Health
In part 1 of this series on vegetarians, we talked about what a vegetarian is and what the difference is between a vegetarian and a vegan is. Now I wanted to talk about the reasons why someone would choose to go vegetarian.
Part 1: What’s the difference between vegetarian and vegan?
Part 2: Why Become Vegetarian?: Culture/Religion & Health
Part 3: Why Become Vegetarian?: Animal Welfare & Science
There is a lot of study being done these days on vegetarianism and its impacts on the environment, health, and animal welfare. To say that I could cover each area in-depth in a couple of blog posts would be a severe overstatement. Thus, for the purposes of this blog, we’re only going to dip our toes into each category and get a taste for the reasons people go vegetarian. Some of the ideas are still debated among scientists so the best I can do is promise that I try to give the best picture of the current state of scientific knowledge that I can. If you are interested in digging deeper, there are tons of resources available online that I recommend you check out!
Why Become Vegetarian?
There are a lot of good reasons to go vegetarian, so let’s dive in to what they are. Most vegetarians and their reasons for going vegetarian can be split into 4 categories:
- Culture/Religion: Some cultures or religions prohibit eating meat.
- Health: Some studies suggest that removing meat (particularly red meat) from your diet can have big health benefits.
- Animal Welfare: Animals raised for meat and dairy production are generally subjected to what many consider to be cruel treatment.
- Scientific – Impact on climate, sustainability, energy efficiency: Raising livestock is attributed to a large portion of greenhouse gas emissions, meaning it has a big impact on climate, not to mention it’s way more energy efficient to get our energy directly from plants than to have a cow eat it and turn it into meat first.
Convinced to try out being vegetarian? Maybe not. Let’s dive even deeper into two of these categories in…
Part 2: Why Become Vegetarian?: Culture/Religion & Health
Culture and religion
Historically, vegetarianism is most strongly linked with ancient Indian culture and religion. Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism all originated in India and had very strict vegetarian requirements. India is still the most vegetarian country in the world, with ~38% of the population still maintaining strict vegetarian diets. The number 2 slot goes to Israel, which only sits at 13%. That’s a pretty big jump. The USA doesn’t even make the Top 10 list, though the numbers show that vegetarianism is on the rise in the US.
Countries with the highest rates of vegetarianism
- India (38%)
- Israel (13%)
- Taiwan (12%)
- Italy (10%)
- Austria (9%)
- Germany (9%)
- U.K. (9%)
- Brazil (8%)
- Ireland (6%)
- Australia (5%)
One thing to note here is that these numbers are talking about percentages of the total population. If we were going to look at the total number of vegetarian people, the list would be a little different, but India still sits on top at #1. Even in recent times, meat consumption in India sits at around 5.2 kg per person per year (based on 2002 data), while in the United States it was 124.8 kg, a whopping 24 times more!
Overall, Meat Eating is on the Rise
Today, vegetarianism is on the rise in some countries, and on the decline in others. Decades ago, poorer countries (and heavily Buddhist countries) like India and China made up the bulk of vegetarians, but as those countries have grown in wealth, their people have also begun to afford meat, and the number of vegetarians has decreased.
In many western countries, the opposite trend is true: as people start to become aware of environmental and animal rights issues, more people have decided to go vegetarian. Unfortunately, that is happening at a much slower rate than people giving up vegetarianism. Overall, the number of vegetarians globally is decreasing.
Health Benefits
As with most science surrounding vegetarianism, there is still a lot of study being done to determine whether there are health benefits or detriments to switching to a vegetarian diet. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it is a few benefits that have been shown in studies. As such, you’re going to see the word “may” come up a lot here. Keeping that in mind, let’s look at some of the health effects that science has indicated MAY benefit you if you switch to being vegetarian!
1. Potentially More Nutrient-rich
On a proper vegetarian diet, you will be substituting meat with a wide variety of foods, and generally with more variety comes more varied nutrients.
2. May help to lose weight
Vegetarian and vegan diets tend to have a reduced calorie intake. That tend to is a big IF, since depending on the vegetarian diet you choose, you could actually end up taking in MORE calories. However, short-term studies have indeed shown that a proper vegetarian diet can lead to weight loss.
3. May lower blood sugar levels and improve kidney function
Studies have shown that vegetarian diets can reduce the risk of developing diabetes and can be effective at reducing blood sugar levels.
4. May protect against certain kinds of cancer
Many vegetarians increase their consumption of legumes, fruits, and vegetables over non-vegetarians. Quite a number of studies have shown that these increases in legume/fruit/vegetable consumption generally lead to a lower risk of a variety of cancers. Certain animal products also have been shown to have an INCREASED risk of some types of cancers, which is eliminated when you eliminate meat from your diet.
5. May lower risk of cardiovascular (heart) disease
Vegetables are rich in antioxidants, which reduce damage caused by oxidative stress that can lead to some kinds of cardiovascular disease.
Some other documented effects
Some other less documented positive effects of switching to vegetarianism include improved mood, improved eye health, feeling more energetic, and improved skin quality. But these are ones that you kind of have to try for yourself to see if they do all of that for you!
Keep in mind: studies are still ongoing.
All of this info varies depending on what kind of vegetarian you choose to be, as well as how well you manage your diet. Some recent studies have suggested that eating small amounts of meat may actually be MORE healthy than going full vegetarian since many vegetarians substitute meat for large amounts of eggs or other meat substitutions that could contain high cholesterol or other vitamins/minerals that could be bad for your health in large amounts.
Don’t Try Going Vegetarian Without Proper Knowledge
As general good advice, you should take any major switch in diets gradually. Trying to go from meat-eater to 100% full vegan is a biiiiig jump to make, and could potentially be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. To start transitioning to a vegetarian lifestyle, you could try going flexitarian first! Try some of the following:
- Dedicate 1-3 days a week to being vegetarian (Heard of ‘Meatless Monday’?)
- Be vegetarian just for one meal a day
- Be a meat-eater for just one meal a day
Please keep in mind that if you plan on switching to or trying out a vegetarian diet, be sure that you do the research. Removing animal products from your diet removes certain sources of vitamins and minerals that you may not be getting from the fruits and vegetables you currently eat and you may need to supplement your new vegetarian diet with foods you have never tried before. If you don’t feel comfortable, consult a nutritionist for proper vegetarian nutritional guidelines.
At the very least, make sure you read a reputable article (or three) on proper vegetarian nutrition, like this one, which will introduce you to some of the basic vitamins you need to keep track of and has links to other great posts on starting out vegetarian.
Full disclosure: I am NOT vegetarian. Yet.
I made this blog because I’m still a work in process. I want to live life according to my own values and for me, that means being kinder to animals and stopping climate change at all costs. That means changing my life to be more environmentally-friendly. It’s not easy. It takes work and challenging myself. I’m having to do the research and the study to learn about why being vegetarian helps me achieve my own goals. I think that to live a (at least partly) vegetarian lifestyle is more in line with my own personal values and that is something we should all aim to do every day, whatever your values may be.
What am I missing? Is there more that I should’ve included on culture, religion, or health? Do you know some great reading sources for more on these topics? Let me know in the comments below! I’m always looking for more information!
Sources:
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-with-the-highest-rates-of-vegetarianism.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_and_religion
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegan-diet-benefits
https://globalhealing.com/natural-health/9-health-benefits-of-a-vegetarian-diet/