Vegan and vegetarian diets are growing in popularity, which is causing many people to ask why? Pretty much everyone has heard the claim that it's a healthier way to eat, but how exactly? Well here it is broken down: some of the main advantages for going meatless:

• Less fat and less calories. Obviously this depends on a person's individual choices (if you're a vegetarian living off peanut butter and Twinkies that's not going to be the case), but as a general rule healthy vegetarian diets are lower in bad fats and higher in fiber and good fats -- this also has the nice effect of helping you feel fuller faster.
• Better nutrition. A healthy vegetarian diet puts greater priority on vegetables and whole grains than a meaty diet does, making it naturally easier to take in enough servings of each on a daily basis.
  
• Avoiding Mad Cow disease. This threat just isn't going away.
• Save money. Generally speaking, vegetarian meals are less expensive.
• It's easier and more convenient than ever to go meatless. There are more options than ever before when it comes to meatless eating -- long gone are the days of cardboard-flavored veggie burgers and strange looks from other people. Eating vegetarian is fun and tasty whether you're cooking at home or eating out.

Interested in trying a vegetarian diet? If you're not sure how to get started the article also has some excellent tips on making the transition.