Feeding Your Body and Your Bank Account

Despite people’s differences, we are all born with the instinct to eat. We eat for reasons of hunger, tradition, celebration, comfort, enjoyment, and, let’s face it, sometimes even boredom. We all also have a natural desire for knowledge. Yet it’s strange that many of us are constantly eating food that we know so little about. Although we want to look and feel better and be financially secure, we’re eating food that makes us look and feel bad and that drains our wallets.

A vegan diet is better for our health. Eating excessive amounts of animal protein has been linked to the development of endometrial, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. The American Heart Association reports that people who do not consume meat have a “lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease (which causes heart attack), high blood pressure, diabetes … and some forms of cancer.” And women who eat fish just twice a week have blood mercury concentrations that are generally seven times higher than women who don’t eat fish. But eating meat isn’t the only problem. Research has also suggested milk to be the biggest dietary cause of osteoporosis. Fortunately, according to T. Colin Campbell, a nutritional researcher at Cornell University and the director of the largest epidemiological study in history, “[t]he vast majority of all cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and other forms of degenerative illness can be prevented simply by adopting a plant-based diet.”

Although some people are hesitant to go vegan because they think it’ll cost more, that’s not the case. You can make a variety of delicious meals using low-cost grains, beans, and vegetables.

You can begin transitioning to a vegan diet today! Check out these healthy, affordable recipes to get started.

Written by PETA Asia intern Cardia Speziale