Have you ever wondered why people today are now focusing on turning into a vegetarian? People have started consuming plant-based foods more than before and also promoting it in several ways. For instance, Jennifer Lopez turned vegan in 2014, and since then, she is promoting to follow a vegan lifestyle.
It is good to hear that several reasons are making people aware of the disadvantages of food that contain animal products. Also, some believe that animal products damage the environment. But according to researchers, animal cruelty or environmental concern are not the major points that motivated people to follow the vegetarian lifestyle. Instead, it is the health that is making people eat vegetarian food.
A professor at the university and the study co-author, Christopher J Hopwood, revealed that the most common reason why people are turning vegetarian is based on health and not the environment. The researchers found that eating is a basic behavior, and it has nothing to do with social dynamics.
It is Vegetarian Eating Motives Inventory (VEME) that measures the three main motives like health, animal rights, and environment. Over 8000 people of different ages were surveyed to understand the reasons why people turn vegetarian.
It was found that health is the winner when it comes to motivation. Also, people who are committed to vegetarianism are motivated by animal rights and environmental concerns.
J Hopwood said,
"The most common reason people say they would consider being vegetarian has to do with health ... However, people-driven primarily by health motives may be least likely to respond to vegetarian advocacy, in general.”
According to a study published in 2019 in the Journal of the American Heart Association, middle-aged adults who eat plant-based foods have healthier hearts than those who consume regular food.
Also, consuming plant-based foods reduces the risk of stroke and maintains blood pressure. Furthermore, it prevents obesity and type-2 diabetes. You could consume these veg foods if you are a diabetic.
Whether you have recently started following a vegetarian lifestyle or are an experienced person, you know that vegetarian food offers several health benefits. Also, embracing vegetarianism should be the basic step to get the healthier you.
Earlier, people believed that consuming vegetarian foods might not give the required amounts of vitamins and minerals to the body. But several vegetarian myths revealed that it is nothing like that, and veg food offers great and positive results. It doesn’t matter what the motivation behind people changing their lifestyle is; health should be the priority.
Vegetarian is not just a type of diet, but more of a lifestyle. It’s a healthier choice you make for the people, for the animals, and for a better planet