Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for — today is Hug A Vegetarian Day.
Today is a day to show appreciation for those who have made the compassionate choice to go vegetarian.
If you’re a vegetarian, go ahead and announce to all your friends, family, and even random strangers if you please that today is Hug A Vegetarian Day. Then stare at them awkwardly until they give you a hug.
If you’re not a vegetarian, you can celebrate this holiday today by hugging any vegetarians that you come across. “Why should I hug a vegetarian?” you ask? Here are a few reasons:
- They’re saving animals. Ten billion animals are slaughtered for human consumption each year. And, unlike the farms of yesteryear where animals roamed freely, today most animals are factory farmed—crammed into cages where they can barely move and fed a diet tainted with pesticides and antibiotics. Vegetarians, therefore, are helping prevent at least some of this animal cruelty.
- They’re saving the planet. Going vegetarian may be the single most effective way for individuals to reduce human impact on the environment. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization say that the meat industry is a major contributor to the most pressing environmental concerns today, including deforestation, water and air pollution, loss of biodiversity, and greenhouse gas emissions.
- You love them. It is very likely that the vegetarians in your life will live longer than they would if they were eating meat. The American Dietetic Association reports that vegetarians typically have lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, lower body mass indices, and reduced risk of cancer, type 2 diabetes, and ischemic heart disease than their carnivorous counterparts.
- They smell good? A 2006 study published in the academic journal Chemical Senses examined the axillary body odor of both men who ate meat and those who did not. Study subjects wore odor-collecting pads under their arms for the last day of the study. Female volunteers were then asked to evaluate the scent of the pads for sensory appeal. The female evaluators found the body odor of the vegetarian men to be superior in terms of pleasantness, masculinity, attractiveness, and intensity.
You can also celebrate today by joining the International Hug a Vegetarian Facebook page. You can also celebrate by going vegetarian yourself. For more info and tips visit The Vegetarian Resource Group.
Think that’s a bit extreme, try Meatless Mondays and just simply cut back your meat consumption (let’s not get too crazy).
Image from www.youthareawesome.com.
