This Valentine’s Day ask your partner to make a Meatless Monday Pledge! Veganism is about celebrating life by taking care of your health and the health of our planet, and protecting the lives of the animals who share our world. Plant-based diets are very healthy, low in fat, yet high in fiber and essential vitamins and minerals. Plant foods are also naturally cholesterol-free, while meat, dairy, and eggs are extremely high in cholesterol. Plant-based diets have been shown to lower the risk of many diseases including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Keeping your arteries plaque-free increases the blood flow to all of our important organs.

Many people choose a plant-based diet because they are compassionate. They do not want to contribute to animal suffering. Every year in the U.S., about 10 billion land animals and 15 to 20 billion sea creatures are killed for food. The vast majority of pigs, cows, chickens, and turkeys sold in the U.S. are raised on factory farms, where they are tightly confined and live miserable short lives filled with pain and fear. A plant-based diet uses far fewer resources (water, land, petroleum, etc.) than a meat-based diet. Animal agriculture is responsible for over half of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Factory farms also pollute the air, land, and water in our communities, endangering people and destroying habitats for wildlife.

So this Valentine’s Day, ask your sweetheart to make the commitment. Ask your partner to make a Meatless Monday Pledge!