10 Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet + How to Get Started

I’ll be the first to admit, I haven’t always understood vegetarians or their plant-based diets.

I mean, do they really have to eat so many salads? And how are we supposed to go out for cheesesteaks after work? Relax and live a little, am I right?

But as I’ve grown older (and wiser), I’ve come to recognize the 10 million benefits of a vegetarian diet.

Now just to clarify, I’m not talking about your vegetarian coworker whose diet consists of French fries and cheese pizzas. Don’t get me wrong, Frenchfrytarians will definitely reap the financial, ethical, and environmental benefits of a vegetarian diet.

But the vegetarians who will reap all of the benefits (including the health benefits) listed below are those whose enjoy a balanced diet consisting of healthy, whole grains and loads of fruits and vegetables.

A well-balanced vegetarian diet is typically lower in saturated fat and higher in dietary fiber, complex carbohydrates, vitamin C, vitamin E, and essential nutrients. And that adds up to loads of health benefits!

Health Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet

Lower Blood Sugar Levels & Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

One study found that vegetarians’ risk of developing diabetes was half that of nonvegetarians. And that was even after taking BMI (or body mass index, body weight divided by height) into account!

Other studies have confirmed that the more animal products people consume, the higher their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Because lots of vegetarian food is high in dietary fiber, rich in essential nutrients, and has a low glycemic index (GI), it can help to regulate blood sugar levels. Add that to the fact that a vegetarian diet makes a positive impact on weight loss and/or maintenance of a healthy body weight (see below), and it’s no wonder it lowers your risk of diabetes and related diseases!

Lower Cholesterol Levels

Studies have also found plant-based diets have a positive impact on lowering both total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. In fact, one study found their tested vegetarian food diet lowered cholesterol levels almost as well as medication!

Lower Blood Pressure

According to Harvard Health Publishing, “Compared with meat eaters, vegetarians tend to consume less saturated fat and cholesterol and more vitamin C, vitamin E, dietary fiber, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, and phytochemicals (plant chemicals), such as carotenoids and flavonoids.”

Not only do these nutrients improve your cholesterol, they also help to lower high blood pressure!

Lower Risk Factors For Cardiovascular Disease

Reducing your cardiovascular disease risk factors, like unhealthy cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, will decrease your risk for cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. A study of over 76,000 participants also found that vegetarians were 25% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, making plant-based diets a win for heart health.

Lower Risk Factors For Developing Certain Cancers

Hundreds of studies have connected fruit-and-veggie-heavy diets with a reduced risk of developing certain cancers, including colorectal cancer.

However, these results may be less about going meatless and more about eating the recommended minimum of five daily servings of fruits and vegetables, which is much easier to accomplish on a plant-based diet. It’s difficult to say for sure!

Lower Risk of Obesity + Weight Loss Potential

A study of 38,000 participants found that vegans, vegetarians, and fish eaters enjoyed lower BMI than meat eaters. Other studies have shown that vegetarians gain less body weight than meat eaters over a five-year period.

This data also means that transitioning from regularly consuming animal products to eating primarily plant-based foods has weight loss potential for those with a higher body weight!

Longer Life

Plant-based foods lend themselves to lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and lower BMI, all of which decrease your risk factors for many chronic diseases and increase longevity (lifespan).

Financial Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet

Save Money

Because meat is expensive! Research suggests that the average vegetarian spends at least $750 less on food per year than the average nonvegetarian.

Sub in beans, lentils, or vegetarian proteins for animal protein just a few meals per week and watch the savings stack up thanks to plant-based foods!

Ethical Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet

Avoid ethical conflict

If you’ve recently watched a documentary like Food, Inc., you could be concerned about animal welfare, the use of antibiotics and hormones in livestock, and more issues surrounding animal products. A vegetarian diet provides a fantastic means of very practically supporting your beliefs and making a positive impact on the world!

Environmental Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet

Save the environment

Producing vegetarian food is much more economically sustainable than producing meat. It avoids excessive use of environmental resources and reduces damage to the environment.

If you’ve been a Planeteer since the 90s (“The power is yours!”), then you know that an earth-friendly diet is a win-win!

Types of Vegetarianism

So…you’re convinced of the positive impact plant-based diets make, but are wondering where to start. The first step is to understand the different types of vegetarianism that exist.

Typically, vegetarians avoid all red meat, poultry, and seafood but consume dairy products, such as milk and cheese. However, depending on your goals and convictions, there are several types of vegetarianism to consider:

Lacto-vegetarians avoid meat and eggs, but consume dairy products like milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt.

Ovo-vegetarians (or “eggetarians”) avoid meat and dairy products, but consume eggs.

Lacto-ovo-vegetarians avoid meat, but consume dairy products and eggs.

Pescatarians avoid red meat, but consume fish and other seafood.

A vegan diet avoids meat, eggs, dairy products, and all other animal products, therefore leaving just plant-based foods. (A vegan diet is notoriously the most challenging to maintain since it enforces the most restrictions.)

A flexitarian diet is a mostly vegetarian diet, but sometimes includes meat in small quantities.

Ramping Up to a Vegetarian Diet

Once you’ve decided on the type of vegetarianism you’d like to practice, it’s usually recommended to take gradual steps to change your diet.

This will help to make the transition feel more manageable both physically and mentally. It will also increase the chances of developing a vegetarian lifestyle rather than a week-long fling with plant-based foods.

Start by scheduling two to three meals a week sans animal products. (Need ideas? We’ve got you covered! We’ve compiled 50 of the highest rated vegetarian recipes into one place here.)

Once you’ve successfully completed a week or two of this, increase your weekly vegetarian meal count by a few more. Continue increasing the number of vegetarian meals per week until you’ve reached official vegetarian status.

If you’d like to pick up the pace, start by eating one vegetarian meal every day for a week. Then increase it to two meals, then three, until every meal and snack is vegetarian.

Not a fan of trying new things? Start with familiar vegetarian foods, like salads or veggie burgers, before diving into new soy products or tofu recipes.

As always, be sure to consult with your healthcare provider and/or a registered dietician before undergoing any major dietary revamps.

Helpful Guidelines for a Vegetarian Diet

The American Dietetic Association also suggests the following guidelines in planning healthful plant-based diets:

• Choose a variety of foods including whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, and if desired, dairy products and eggs.
• Choose unrefined, whole food often. Minimize the intake of highly sweetened, fatty, and heavily refined foods.
• Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables.
• If animal products such as dairy and eggs are used, choose lower-fat dairy products. Use both eggs and dairy products in moderation.
• Track your vegetarian food intake for the first few months to ensure you’re still receiving enough protein in your diet now that you’ve cut animal protein out of the picture.
• Use a regular source of vitamin B-12 and, if sunlight exposure is limited, of vitamin D.

With a long list of financial, ethical, environmental, and health benefits of a vegetarian diet, you really can’t go wrong giving it a try! Just remember to take it gradually and ensure you’re enjoying a balanced diet.

Have any tips for vegetarian food newbies? Or maybe some questions that weren’t addressed in this post? Be sure to share in the comments below!

Disclosure: While all opinions are our own, we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate advertising programs, designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, at no additional cost to you.