We recently heard about this great campaign in North America called Veguary, which is as its name suggests, is encouraging people to become vegetarian for the month of February.
It is no secret that most of us eat too much meat, so this February, let's join the Americans and challenge ourselves to eat a diet based on whole grains, root vegetables, oils, legumes, nuts and vegetables. By aiming to eat vegetarian, vegan, or just even a few meat-free meals per week, you can improve your health, as well as the health of the planet. And hey it is the shortest month of the year... so why not give it a go.
Veguary is not an attempt to turn people vegetarian or vegan. Rather, it is an attempt to get us to look at what a balanced, sustainable diet is all about. So lets use February to review the way we think about our diets, how it relates to our bodies, the environment, and the animals who provide us with food.
Need more reasons for why you should take part in Veguary? Well eating excess animal protein has been linked to many major cancers and heart disease. It also affects immune and hormonal functions, weight management, joint/muscle pain and lactic acid build-up, energy levels, and bone density. In addition to your own welfare there are a number of environmental reasons to give it a go. From water to earth to rain forests to air, our large demand for meat is damaging our planet at an alarmingly fast rate, making it one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.
And if that's not reason enough... even Oprah is giving it a try.
