Did you know today is World Vegan Day? And did you know the month of November is World Vegan Month? So, if you’re one of the millions considering becoming vegan – whether it’s because you’re concerned about your health, the environment, or animal welfare – here are 10 fascinating facts about why swapping to a meat-free diet could be the best thing you’ve ever done for your body (and the planet in general).
- A well-balanced vegan diet contains all the protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins, and minerals you need. Low in saturated fat and free from animal protein, cholesterol, and hormones – all of which are linked to disease – a vegan diet can provide all the nutrients required for all stages of life.
- Compared to meat-eaters, vegans weigh less, have lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and rates of type 2 diabetes. They have a 30% lower risk of heart disease and lower cancer rates.
- If the world went vegan, it could save eight million human lives by 2050, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two thirds, lead to healthcare-related savings, and avoid climate damages worth $1.5 trillion.
- The World Health Organization report in November 2015 ranked processed meat as a group 1 carcinogen (the same category as cigarettes, alcohol, and asbestos). Eating just 50g per day increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. It also classified red meat as a group 2A carcinogen.
- John Hopkins University found that, on average, a vegan diet is the most environmentally friendly of all diets and would cut emissions by 70%, while a Western style diet adds +135% to the emissions.
- Those who eat meat spend a whopping AED 6,000 extra a year on food, compared to those on a meat-free diet.
- A 2018 study – one of the most comprehensive analyses to date of the damage farming does to the planet – found that ‘avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth’ as animal farming provides just 18% of calories, but takes up 83% of our farmland.
- A study published in Environmental Research Letters found that eating a plant-based diet has three times more positive environmental impact than washing your clothes in cold water, four times more than hang-drying clothes or recycling, and eight times more than upgrading light bulbs.
- Animal agriculture is responsible for up to 91% of Amazon rainforest destruction.
- Those who eat seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables per day have a 33% reduced risk of premature death, compared with people who eat less than one portion.
