WORLD VEGETARIAN DAY

The first day of October is celebrated as World Vegetarian Day and it has been observed annually on this date since 1977. It was established to increase the awareness of the ethical, environmental, health and humanitarian benefits of the vegetarian lifestyle. Over one million people each year in the United States become vegetarian for different reasons and the trend is catching on in Europe as well.

The Oxford Vegetarian Study in the British Medical Journal looked at 5000 meat-eaters and 6000 vegetarians. The vegetarians came out on top in many health issues. They had:

40% less risk of cancer
30% less risk of heart disease
80% less risk of food poisoning
14% lower cholesterol levels than meat-eaters
The health benefits are just one reason that many are turning to the vegetarian lifestyle. For many it is a conviction based on killing.

Vegetarians feel that it is inhumane to kill animals for food. They feel that animals suffer in the slaughter process and they cannot tolerate the thought of eating something that at one point was living and breathing.
Vegetarians feel that eating plant matter is more economical. 70% of the crops grown in the United States are fed to animals, not humans. If this land were used only to feed humans, there would be a lot more food available worldwide.
Vegetarianism is environmentally friendly. Forests are felled or burnt to provide land for grazing cattle. The cattle erode valuable topsoil through treading it with their hooves. The trees which are felled to clear the land are often left to rot. Precious water is used for animals rather than humans...... for instance the dairy industry of California uses enough water a year to supply a city of 22 million.
Vegetarianism can be very economical. Replacing meat, fish and chicken with vegetables and fruit is estimated to cut food bills by $4000 per year.
If you are thinking of embarking on a vegetarian lifestyle, get educated about how to best utilize the plant foods that are available to you. There is a wide variety of plant matter which contains necessary vitamins and protein as well. Utilizing these elements to the fullest will give you the greatest health benefit that this lifestyle has to offer.

so, i just want to say...

HAPPY WORLD VEGETARIAN DAY EVERYONE!!! :)