7.3 million people are following a vegetarian diet in the United States that you too could join.

For those of us who are not vegan or vegetarian thinking about not eating meat can be daunting and difficult. But, what if we started by giving up one day to try it? This could be a gate way into vegetarianism or just a sacrifice once a week for a much needed cause. The movement "Meatless Mondays" began with visionaries who saw a problem in animal life, our environment, and diet. These three aspects are the reasons Meatless Mondays could be the start to fixing major crises.

1. Animals Life

This is the most discussed issue and reason so many are changing their diet to benefit animals. If you are not familiar animals are suffering in the factories and are not getting the proper living conditions needed before they are slaughtered. For people who eat meat, this is why they are protesting. They want the factory conditions to change to better suit the animals. Because of this highly discussed issue, many are looking to grass-fed eggs, or cage-free eggs as a solution because on the farm the animals are treated more fairly before they are slaughtered. For those who do not eat meat, they are protesting the right for the animal to live. Which ever way you feel, Meatless Mondays is a good trend to hop on to create a statement, "we are not buying the meat in the stores because of corporate factory conditions."

2. Our Environment

Another strong reason people are leaving meat behind is the impact it has on our environment. This can be a hard case for some, mostly older generation, to follow because this issue is not right in front of us. It can be hard for some to see how the amount of beef we are producing daily can have a negative impact on our natural water ways. The amount of water it takes to produce beef is through the roof and cutting back one day a week can make a huge impact on our environment. Yes, some might argue is it a small thing to worry about and there are other ways to cut back in water, but I say everything helps and if this is the area in your life you want to cut back on, it will make an impact.

3. Diet

Lastly diet. this is more of a personal reason than sacrificing meat for the cause, but cutting meat out of your diet can make you lose weight, lower cholesterol, and live a more energetic lifestyle. You gain a lot of good energy from eating plant based foods and this green energy will help you last throughout the day.

If you are sticking up for a cause or sacrificing for your health, Meatless Mondays are always a good start.