A growing number of people in the United States and worldwide are making the conscious choice of not harming animals for their food and easily obtaining all of their nutrition from a wide assortment of plants. When we sit down to breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, we reap so many benefits when we eat vegan!

• Gain inner peace, knowing that your life is more in line with your ethics
• Advocate for other species, and show respect for them and their right to live free from exploitation by humans
• Help reduce the breeding, suffering and killing of other animals for food
• Protect rivers, forests, air, oceans and various habitats from pollution and other harm
• Reduce your risk of contracting chronic illnesses, including cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, kidney disease, and hypertension
• Prevent heart disease, improve cholesterol, and lower blood pressure

Staples of a balanced vegan diet — including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes — are dense with fiber, vitamins and minerals, and low in saturated fat and free of cholesterol.

Plus, as vegan cuisine is now widespread and diverse, you don’t have to give up your go-tos, whether you love traditional American, Italian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Japanese, Mexican or Indian. In other words, with new vegan products added to the shelves every day, vegan restaurants popping up across the world, animal-free menu items growing ever more popular and non-vegan companies developing vegan product lines, you can be vegan, have your cake (cheese, burgers and ice cream), and eat it too!