(ThyBlackMan.com) Ideally, three quarters of our plate should be filled with fruits and plants. But these days, vegetables take a backseat to meat. The average American eats almost 300 lbs of meat a year! When meat is the center of the meal, it’s easy to lose focus on the other potentially-amazing foods on your plate. Consequently, we began to lose focus on the importance of fresh vegetables and fruits.
Planning a meatless meal for one day a week doesn’t have to be about becoming a vegetarian permanently…it can simply re-acquaint you with the other important and delicious delights your palate is missing out on. 
According to an article on Medscape Today, “Polyphenols in fruits, soybean, vegetables, herbs, roots, and leaves act as bioactive components related with prevention of cancer, heart diseases and diabetes.” So not only do you reduce saturated fat, but you also increase your consumption of nutrients proven to fight for you if you go vegetarian one day a week.
Here are 6 good reasons why:
1. YOUR HEALTH
Eating less red meat is known to help reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer. Studies have also shown that a diet rich in fruits, grains and vegetables greatly reduce heart disease and diabetes.
2. THE HEALTH OF THE ENVIRONMENT
Save 84,000 gallons of water in one year. The water needs of livestock are far more tremendous, than those of vegetables or grains. Up to 2500 go into a single pound of ground beef as opposed to soy tofu for example, which requires 220 gallons of water per pound. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide as our annual worldwide demand for meat continues to grow. Reining in meat consumption once a week might help to slow this trend.
3. EXERCISES YOUR SELF DISCIPLINE
Eating meat everyday at every meal is done more out of habit than necessity. Few things feel better or stronger than taking control of our impulses and controlling our desires.
What it all boils down to is balance and moderation. Although moderation never sounds exciting, the benefits to your health, your waistline, and your wallet can be very exciting indeed.
4. MORE CREATIVE MENUS
Once meat is removed as the centerpiece of every menu, it’s amazing how many exciting ways you can find to fix vegetables and fruits. From baked apples to grilled pineapples or curried rice and beans, flex your creativity and treat your taste buds to something different.
5. EASIER TO LOSE OR MAINTAIN WEIGHT
Eating less meat and more grains, beans, fruits and veggies means you’ll be consuming fewer calories, less cholesterol, saturated fat and higher amounts of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. That can add up to many of health benefits. On average, people who eat less meat are leaner, less apt to gain weight than those who eat the most meat, less prone to
colorectal cancer, and suffer from fewer heart problems. People who eat less meat or no meat at all have significantly less body weight indices.
6. COMPASSION
What we choose to eat makes a powerful statement about our ethics and our view of the world. Choosing to act with compassion is the ultimate affirmation of our humanity. Compassion opens the door for understanding and with understanding people can — and will – help change the world for the better.
Written By Deborah Easton
