Happy World Vegetarian Day!

While I realize that we are all different people, with varying backgrounds, beliefs, and opinions, we should all be aware of the effects our daily diets have on our Earth and the creatures we share our Earth with. Today is World Vegetarian Day, the kickoff for World Vegetarian Month! If everyone on Earth stopped eating meat for just one day, let alone an entire month, the effect would be felt world-wide.

My 3 main reasons for avoiding animal products?

• My health.
  - Did you ever meet a lima bean with a liver? All animal products contain cholesterol, and many types of meats and cheeses are packed with unneeded saturated fats, genetically modified ingredients (GMOs), and hormones that don't belong in our bodies.
• The environment.
  - Factories that produce animal products are destroying our Earth.
• Ethical reasons.
  - Personally, I find eating other sentient beings to be a conflict with my beliefs and the way I want to live my life.

If you're interested in learning more about vegetarianism or veganism, here are some of my favorite books and resources that I think you may enjoy:

BOOKS (all can be found in the Public Library):
Being Vegetarian for Dummies
The Ethics of What We Eat
Six Arguments for a Greener Diet

WEBSITES:
www.goveg.com/ : Vegetarian and Vegan Information.
www.vegetariantimes.com/ : Great food, good health, smart living.
www.vrg.org/ : The Vegetarian Resource Group.

Before you judge and think all vegetarians are nuts (no pun intended), do some research for yourself and try to refrain from eating meat for a few days, just to see how you feel and how easy it is to leave meat out of your diet.