International Meat Free Day (20/03)

Many countries have celebrated International Day Without Meat since 1985. On this day, March 20, shops and restaurants refuse to sell meat, and activists promote vegetarianism, as well as ideas of animal compassion and environmental protection.

In some countries, the holiday has received government support: for example, in Sri Lanka, government officials strongly recommend that supermarket owners refrain from meat products. In Russia, this date was first celebrated in 2012. In particular, in St. Petersburg, volunteers distributed fruits and leaflets to passers-by on the streets about the benefits of vegetarianism for humans and nature.

According to statistics, humanity kills more than 60 billion animals annually (excluding fish, arthropods and mollusks) for the purpose of eating them. At the same time, about a billion people on the planet are hungry and lack clean drinking water. And to produce one kilogram of meat today, more than 10 kilograms of grain and over 15 liters of water are needed. Taking into account the global volume of meat production, the amount of grain used for this would be enough to feed all the starving inhabitants of the planet.

In addition, livestock production produces 18 per cent of the greenhouse gases; this is more than all modes of transport combined. In addition, the destruction of forests to create new pastures and the depletion of land under forage crops do not have the most beneficial effect on the planet's biosphere.

Two more similar holidays are celebrated around the world. October 1 is considered World Vegetarian Day, and November 1, the anniversary of the creation of the «Vegan Society», is International Vegan Day.

However, you should be especially careful about your diet, using only vegetarian foods in your diet. For full functioning, the body needs a balanced complex of substances, among them especially important are proteins, which not all plant products are rich in. In order for enough necessary substances to enter the body, monitor your diet! Use various whole grains in combination with a variety of legumes; if you are not strictly vegetarian, include complete proteins of eggs and fermented milk products in your diet. Be healthy, eat well!

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