Vegetarian Awareness Month

As you may have noticed, I have a soft spot for quirky holidays. National Butterscotch Pudding Day, Johnny Appleseed’s Birthday, National Cherry Popover Day–you name it, I’m celebrating. But novelty aside, I find some of these “holidays” very worthwhile. Case in point: Oct. 1–World Vegetarian Day.

World Vegetarian Day was established as an annual celebration to promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism, according to the North American Vegetarian Society, which founded the day in 1977. The holiday was then endorsed by the International Vegetarian Union in 1978. World Vegetarian Day kicks off Vegetarian Awareness Month, so if you can’t celebrate on the first of October, rest assured, you have the whole month. Of course, there’s no reason to stop with just October.

Recognizing and celebrating World Vegetarian Day and Vegetarian Awareness Month is a fine way to help others learn about the benefits of vegetarianism, and NAVS points out the importance of a vegetarian diet with these benefits:

• Reduction of the risk of major killers like heart disease, stroke and cancers while cutting exposure to food-borne pathogens.
• Offers a viable answer to feeding the world’s hungry, through more efficient use of grains and other crops.
• Saves animals from suffering in factory farm conditions and from painful slaughter.
• Conservation of vital, but limited freshwater, fertile topsoil and other precious resources.
• Preservation of irreplaceable ecosystems, such as rain forests and other wildlife habitats.
• Mitigation of the ever-expanding environmental pollution of animal agriculture.

For non-vegetarians, there are still ways to celebrate World Vegetarian Day:
• Eat meat-free for the day or throughout the month.
• Learn how a vegetarian diet can benefit you personally.
• Try the meatless options available at local restaurants and eateries.
• Discuss vegetarianism with your interested friends, family and co-workers.
• Host a meatless meal or potluck for your friends.
• Eat meatless meals on a regular basis.

To get started, or to enhance your vegetarian repertory, see our archive of more than 380 vegetarian main meal recipes.

By Melissa Breyer, Senior Editor, Care2 Healthy and Green Living

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Micheal M.

8:11AM PST on Feb 2, 2012

"Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food." Hippocrates
we must light up the darkness for knowledge is not power its empowering lets all be empowered to change. life has value beyond measure
Peace and Love

send a green star

Carole R.

7:37PM PST on Nov 14, 2011

Thanks for the post.

Brenda T.

3:31AM PDT on Oct 10, 2011

Thanks for article. I hope it encourages others to become vegetarians.

KARLOLINA G.

2:57PM PDT on Sep 7, 2011

Thank you. I enjoyed this article. :))

Michele W.

7:37AM PDT on Sep 7, 2011

Thank you

Jennifer C.

12:47AM PDT on Sep 6, 2011

Excellent article. Thanks for sharing these great ideas.

Tim C.

8:08AM PDT on Aug 24, 2011

thanks

Charles B.

3:47PM PDT on Jun 12, 2011

Thank you Melissa.

Jessica B.

3:41AM PDT on Jun 3, 2011

Thanks! I guess I celebrate this holiday every day, but im glad it has its own time to be celebrated so hopefully more people will look into it as a possible life change, or at least make people more aware of the alternative foods out there to help themselfs and our enviornment stay healthy :) And its a fun way to find new types of food to use in cooking, I know my cookbook has grown alot since finding and reading new veggie recipes! It seems everyone asks "what do you do for thanksgiving?", well that was the day my sisters and I went veggie, it was the best thanksgiving i can remember! We made amazing food, most of it was experamental, and we had the funnest time together! The three of us have been veggie since that day, its going on five years now :) I feel the healthiest now then I've ever felt before. I can honestly say I'm never going back, and I will never miss it ;)

KS G.

5:35AM PDT on Jun 2, 2011

Thanks for the article.