Your mama told you to eat your vegetables if you want to have dessert, right? But what mama didn’t tell you was that your vegetables should be your only meal.

And if you’re like me, your mama fed you frozen veggies boiled with butter. Yuck!

For the longest time, that’s what I thought vegetarians ate. Frozen vegetables or raw onions or something. And while the not so talented vegetarians might eat these things, most are skilled cooks out of necessity.

But why would someone give up the American staple that dominates so many plates around the country? And why would anyone go to the extreme of even giving up any kind of animal product?

For some, it might be a taste issue. But for many, it has to do with health. And both vegans and vegetarians tend to be the healthiest people on the planet.

So, what do they know that we don’t? Stay tuned to find out.

1. Setting the Scene

Before we get into the “why”, let’s get the lay of the land. The state of our country’s health is pretty grim. Heart disease kills more people each year than cancer.

Heart disease does not discriminate either. Every race and ethnicity in America suffer the same disease. And, since I started writing this article, 20 people have died of a heart disease related event. That’s one every minute.

But is this a contemporary problem? Actually, it’s a human problem. While, yes, today heart disease is an epidemic. We can find that heart disease killed people as far back as Ancient Egypt.

Scientists have examined Egyptian mummies using CT scan machines. And they’ve discovered that Egyptians died of the same things we die of today. And their problem? Diet.

The ancient Egyptians, especially the rich class of Pharaohs and Satraps ate a lot of fatty and rich meats. And why not? Those things tasted heavenly. And Pharaohs were seen as gods, so they deserved the best.

But the problem has increased ten fold if not more in modern times. Western society is rich enough to have meat with every meal. And it’s not done the body good.

2. Red Meat: The Silent Killer

The biggest culprit of heart disease is red meat. But why does this bit of flesh that tastes so heavenly kill our hearts?

It all comes down to a nutrient called choline and the microbes that break it down. The gut microbes break down choline into trimethylamine N-oxide or TMAO for short.

This resulting chemical literally changes the walls of your arteries and hyperactivates the blood platelets that clot your blood. This combination is deadly. It increases the risk of blood clots and blockages that cause heart attacks and strokes.

The study did not take into account antibiotic free or grass fed beef, but the fact remains, our bodies don’t react well to red meat.

3. Put Down That Bacon!

When spending time in Ireland during college I ate a lot of rashers, the thick and salty Irish version of our bacon. And my tongue can’t sing its praises any louder.

But my heart probably could have done without the many pounds of pig flesh I ate back in the day. While red meat will increase bad cholesterol and clotting risk, bacon increases your blood pressure.

Why? Mainly sodium. According to University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, bacon increases your sodium and sodium is linked to high blood pressure.

And not only does it increase your sodium levels, it contains saturated fats. And these fats cause heart disease.

But we’ve all known these things since we were children. Bacon is too tasty to give up just because of a little fat and sodium, right?

Well, maybe. Except, the bad news about bacon doesn’t stop there.  Bacon is a smoked or cured meat. And the chemicals added to preserve its shelf life is linked to nasty conditions such as migraines, asthma, heart failure, kidney disease, and cancer.

In fact, the nitrates in most processed meats increase the risk of colorectal cancer by 18% if consumed every day at two ounces daily. While colorectal cancer is one of the kinds we can cure completely, it’s still a horrible disease.

How do they cure colorectal cancer? By taking out your rectum (where cancer resides), sowing up your anus, and installing a colostomy bag. It’s not a pretty result.

3. Pick Up the Tofu

Ok. Tofu wouldn’t be my go-to if I wanted to convince a meat lover to switch to veganism. Tofu is great if done correctly. But it’s not a great meat substitute.

There are plenty of meat substitutes out there better than tofu.

If you’ve eaten meat your whole life, you might have no clue how vegans and vegetarians are still alive and grow muscles. Protein is everywhere in the plant world. And the variety is stunning.

Since I’ve probably scared you away from meat (or maybe not) it’s time to talk up a non-meat diet.

Do you know where heart disease is conspicuously absent in the world? Places where diets are plant based.

Whole plant foods contain antioxidants. And antioxidants fight cancer and decrease the effects of aging on the body.

Not only that, but clinical research shows that plant based diets increase weight-loss, improve your insulin production, reverses type 2 diabetes, and decreases blood sugar and bad cholesterols.

The weight loss is easy to see. Plants and fruits and nuts all contain lots of good fiber. And if you want to lose weight, eat fiber-filled foods. They help you feel full faster.

Fiber also cleans out your gut. And having a “clean” gut means fewer toxins and other chemicals that increase your chances of cancers and other intestinal diseases.

But why give up cheese and non-meat animal products?

The problem, again, lies in the blood. Cheese and milk and eggs all contain high levels of bad cholesterols. Again, think heart disease, the number one cause of death in our nation.

If you cut out both meat and dairy and eggs, then you’re decreasing your chances of heart disease to virtually zero.

Conclusion: Go Veg Today

Whether you’re going full vegan or just cutting meat out of your diet, your life will change for the better. You will increase your life expectancy and just feel better overall.

If you to live a healthier life, go vegan today. You won’t regret it.

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