Benefits of Vegetarianism

I know, when we hear "vegetarian" or "vegan" the first assumptions are hippie, animal loving, over-enthusiasts. However, vegetarianism has become a much more common choice lately, not just for the sake of the "poor" "innocent" animals, but for the health benefits! Vegetarian diets are proven to lower one's BMI, cholesterol lovel, and risk of cancer (certain vegies, herbs, and fruits have concer-protective phytochamicals).

In Jonathan Safron's book Eating Animals, Safron creates a great argument (or great arguements) for an animal-free diet. He makes his argument personal and relatable as well as factual (not to mention pretty funny) and points out the moral, scientific, and practical. In the very beginning he tells stories of his youth and why he first dabbled in vegetarianism. As a child, he realized that he should not hurt people, he should not hurt pets, so why should the chicken on his plate be any different? His book synthesizes from basic morality, to factual investigation of the heathy side of vegetarianism.

So why does vegetarianism have such negative connotations? There has to be a reason for the sudden growth, and if so many benefits come from this, why not do a little more researching?

You can read more about the book (which is surprisingly good!) here: http://www.eatinganimals.com/
(There's a short excerpt if you want to see if the book's for you!)
and here's a website with a few pages on health benefits: http://www.benefitsofvegetarianism.com/

-Katy