1. Some of the earliest mentions of vegetarianism are in that of the life of Thomas Parr, a vegetarian during the middle ages who is thought to have lived to a great age only to die while eating meat to appease his king.
2. The Vegetarian Society was founded in 1847 with 150 members, while The Vegan Society was founded in 1944.
3. India leads the world in highest rates of vegetarianism with an estimates of 40% of the population eating a meat-free diet. Italy, Taiwan, Germany and Brazil follow with 10%, 10%, 9% and 9% respectively.
4. Between 2009 and 2012, the number of Americans identifying themselves as vegan rose from 1% to 2.5% of the population. That's about 7.5 million vegans!
5. The average vegetarian will save approximately 40 fish, 26 chickens, one turkey, nearly half a pig, and a little more than a tenth of a cow per year.
6. Vegetarian and vegan diets contribute to much higher levels of 'friendly' gut bacteria, which influences our hormones and plays an important role in our immune system, and general health, among other vital functions.
7. Some of the most influential people throughout history were vegetarian. Included are Socrates, Buddha, Leonardo Da Vinci, Plato, Pythagoras, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Albert Einstein and Gandhi!
8. The official position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada states: " Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence...[and] offer a number of nutritional benefits."
9. "If all Americans were vegetarians, the resulting annual Medicare savings could be estimated at $7.1 to $12.4 billion for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, gallstones, kidney stones, and appendicitis."*
*Nicholson A, Barnard ND. The Medicare savings attributable to vegetarian dietary practices. Am J Clin Nutr, in press.
And....
10. Vegans and meat-eaters can coexist. :)
2. The Vegetarian Society was founded in 1847 with 150 members, while The Vegan Society was founded in 1944.
3. India leads the world in highest rates of vegetarianism with an estimates of 40% of the population eating a meat-free diet. Italy, Taiwan, Germany and Brazil follow with 10%, 10%, 9% and 9% respectively.
4. Between 2009 and 2012, the number of Americans identifying themselves as vegan rose from 1% to 2.5% of the population. That's about 7.5 million vegans!
5. The average vegetarian will save approximately 40 fish, 26 chickens, one turkey, nearly half a pig, and a little more than a tenth of a cow per year.
6. Vegetarian and vegan diets contribute to much higher levels of 'friendly' gut bacteria, which influences our hormones and plays an important role in our immune system, and general health, among other vital functions.
7. Some of the most influential people throughout history were vegetarian. Included are Socrates, Buddha, Leonardo Da Vinci, Plato, Pythagoras, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Albert Einstein and Gandhi!
8. The official position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada states: " Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence...[and] offer a number of nutritional benefits."
9. "If all Americans were vegetarians, the resulting annual Medicare savings could be estimated at $7.1 to $12.4 billion for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, gallstones, kidney stones, and appendicitis."*
*Nicholson A, Barnard ND. The Medicare savings attributable to vegetarian dietary practices. Am J Clin Nutr, in press.
And....
10. Vegans and meat-eaters can coexist. :)