This Valentine’s Day Have a Heart for Animals, Your Health, and the Environment

Every year on Valentine’s Day, we’re inclined to buy candies, cards, flowers, and stuffed animals to show our loved ones, friends, and family just how much we care. Why not, however, go beyond these small displays of affection and make choices that truly have a positive impact for animals, for your health, and the environment? It’s as simple as choosing to leave animals off our plate this Valentine’s Day.

Showing Love to Ourselves:

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, causing an estimated 2,200 deaths per day. And yet, according to an 11.5 year study, vegetarians are 32% less likely to be hospitalized or die from heart disease than those who eat animals. What’s more, vegetarians have also been shown to have lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancers. This Valentine’s Day, show yourself some love by opting for animal-free foods. Here are just a few delectable desserts to get you started.

A Heart for the Environment:

Perhaps the single most important action each of us can take to protect the planet is to simply choose meat-free foods. Animal agriculture is considered one of the primary sources of pollution and resource depletion today. In fact, producing a veggie burger requires a whopping 93% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than it does to produce a hamburger. And a University of Chicago study found that when all levels of production were factored in, a vegetarian diet is the most efficient. Be kind to the earth this Thursday—try veg.

A Valentine’s for Animals:

Aside from loving ourselves and the earth, choosing meat-, egg-, and dairy-free foods is the most profound way we can show compassion this Valentine’s Day. With over 9 billion animals slaughtered for food every year, almost all of them enduring conditions that would be illegal to subject dogs and cats to, it’s never been more important than now to leave them off of our plates. Be a saint for animals this Valentine’s Day—check out our veg-friendly recipes or order a Vegetarian Starter Guide for yourself or a loved one to get started.