Over the past month I’ve tried something new: vegetarianism. I’ve read much about a vegetarian diet, including how it can reduce your saturated fat intake (if you choose the right foods), help reduce your footprint on the Earth and help you increase how many fruits and vegetables you eat. Plus, I just wanted to see if I could do it- and how, or if, it would affect my desire to eat meat. Well, I’m 20 days and counting as being meat-free in my diet, and while I haven’t craved any meat yet, I have noticed a few benefits I didn’t expect.
3 Unique Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
1. More energy. Within just a few days of going meatless in my meals I noticed that I had more energy. This could be to my increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans, but I found that even though I was eating the same amount of physical food at meals and snacks, that the food felt lighter in my stomach and I didn’t have that heavy after-lunch or after-dinner feeling that you can get. Instead I had the energy to go for a walk or even squeeze in an extra 10 minutes of exercise!
2. Better digestive health. Without giving you too many details, lets just say that when you start eating beans regularly, you start getting your digestive system moving quite regularly. Sure, in the beginning, I had some discomfort and GI distress, but my body soon adapted and is now much more efficient.
3. An adventurous appetite. You can only have so many veggie burgers before going bonkers, so I’ve found myself cooking more unique meals at home and trying new filling veggie recipes. I’ve also bought and cooked with completely new items such as polenta and tempeh. Delicious!
Although I’ve gone completely vegetarian for the last few weeks, I do think that you can reap these benefits by just swapping a few of your regular meals with meat-free ones. Consider trying the Flexitarian Diet or making a few of these tasty vegetarian recipes!