Top 10 reasons to go vegetarian

1. Lower disease risk  Such as heart disease, many types of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, food poisoning, obesity... Vegetarians pass up flesh foods that are high in cholesterol and saturated fat, and lacking in dietary fibre. Plant foods on the other hand contain antioxidants and a variety of phytochemicals that protect against disease.

2. Live longer  A major study published in the British Medical Journal found that vegetarians outlive meat eaters by six years. The study tracked 11,125 people over 12 years and adjusted for smoking and socio-economic status.

3. Compassion  You won't be supporting an industry that raises animals in cramped, overcrowded spaces, artificially breeds them, separates them from their young, denies them sunlight and fresh air – and then trucks them to slaughter.

4. Save wilderness  Meat production requires huge amounts of land, energy and water – which leads to habitat loss, soil erosion, water depletion, and pollution from pesticides and animal waste.

5. For an ocean of love The oceans are being overfished, coral reefs are being destroyed and sensitive seafloors are getting raked with drag nets. Many species are threatened, including dolphins, seabirds and turtles that get snagged in the nets. Fish feel pain, they just lack vocal chords to express it.

6. Expand your taste horizons    Vegetarian meals can be diverse, fast, colourful and delicious!

7. Sex  Research has shown that the heart and brain are not the only organs that get clogged arteries due to a diet high in meat and cholesterol.

8. No more dirty dishes caked with animal grease.

9. Great excuse to...  avoid everything from Aunt Flo’s hamburger casserole to the latest greasy offer from the fast food chains.

10. Win cool prizes Enter the Veggie Challenge!

Vegetarians have the best diet...they have a fraction of our heart attack rate and they have only 40 percent of our cancer rate. On average, they outlive other people by about six years now.
- William Castelli,
MD Framingham Heart Study

For more information:
• Vegetarian Foods: Powerful for Health (PCRM)
• Key Nutrients – Info on protein, iron, calcium, b12, etc.
• What every Canadian should know – The plight of Canada's farm animals
• Meat production’s environmental toll
• The dark side of fish
• Impotence – what causes it? Also see Peta's impotence FAQ page.

Videos

Chew on This
A short 3 1/2 minute video that highlights many of the reasons to choose a compassionate, plant-based diet.

"Vegetarianism not only spares billions of animals from horrific suffering, but also spares your waistline. Simply put, meat and dairy products can make you fat, cause heart disease, put a major damper on your sex life, and destroy the environment."

Meet Your Meat
This excellent PETA video is only four minutes long. Here is what some past Challenge participants have said about it:

The more I researched, the more I wanted to become vegetarian. PETA's "Meet Your Meat" video actually made me cry, and I knew that there was no turning back.
– Kaela, 20's, from mostly vegan to vegan

At first I thought vegetarians and vegans were the saddest beings on the planet. Then I looked up the link about 'MEET YOUR MEAT' on PETA.com. I watched the 4 minute clip. I told everyone in school it was by far scarier than the exorcist. I learned everything about human gluttony! How could humans be SO SELFISH!? It drove me nuts! I sent the movie clip to everyone I knew.
– Stella-luna, teen, from meat-centered to vegetarian

I decided to become a vegetarian after continually seeing meat-related diseases (mad cow, China pork, avian flu etc.) in the news and watched a TV special on PBS on the meat industry (gross). Watching PETA's "Meet Your Meat" movie confirmed it for me that I had to stop eating meat.
– Kerry, 20's, from meat-centered to mostly vegan