What's the similarity between Mark Twain, Richard Gere, Alicia Silverstone, Paris Hilton, Martina Navratilova and Sir Paul McCartney? Well, apart from the obvious fact that they are all famous people, they also happen to be strict vegetarians! 'Green' seems to be the buzzword for today's generation with more and more people turning vegans. So, what is it that's forcing people to give up their love for fish, poultry and meat? It won't be inapt, if I say that vegetarian diet has opened doors to a new and healthy lifestyle. There are many health benefits of a vegan diet which helps keep us mentally and physically fit in spite of our stressful lifestyles. Vegan Diet Benefits Preventing Cancer Vegetable products are high in fiber and contain very low saturated fat. They are also rich in phytochemicals, which have excellent anti-cancer properties. People who are on vegan diet are 40% less likely to develop cancer of any form. This diet drastically reduces the chances of breast cancer, cancer of ovaries, colon cancer, prostate cancer, etc. It is noteworthy, that regular milk consumption doubles the risk of enlarged prostate while regular meat consumption triples it, whereas failure to consume vegetables quadruples it. Fighting Diabetes One of the most remarkable vegan diet health benefits is its ability to control and even reverse the effects of diabetes. The high fiber, low fat vegan diet rich in complex carbohydrates, assists in better utilization of insulin in the body. Thus, it becomes easier to regulate the glucose levels within the body. Although, vegan diet does not completely alleviate the need of insulin in type-1 diabetes patients, it definitely helps to keep it in check. A combination of vegan diet and proper exercises can actually reverse the effects of diabetes in the body. Controlling Blood Pressure Vegan diet comes as a huge relief for the large population that's coping with the problem of high blood pressure. Though, it's a well established fact that eating meat regularly escalates the blood pressure, not many people know that only two weeks of vegan diet can considerably reduce your blood pressure. Non-vegan diet adds to the viscosity of the blood, thereby increasing the risk of high blood pressure. Thus, cutting down on these products can lower the blood pressure. Beating Heart Problems Most of the heart problems originate due to cholesterol which is found in abundance in animal products. Also, animal products are rich in unsaturated fats which aggravate the risk of heart diseases. On the other hand, fiber rich plant food helps a great deal in keeping heart diseases at bay. Cutting down on animal products which are devoid of any fiber, is a good way of preventing heart diseases. Besides the above health benefits, the other reasons that lure people to become vegans are;

• Vegan diet to lose weight is one of the top reasons why people turn vegans.
• Longevity is yet another reason enough to give up meat. A research conducted proved that, vegans live 15 years longer than non-vegans.
• Concern for animal rights also motivates many people to become vegans.
• Many vegans also believe that veganism stops the impairment of the environment.

Vegetarianism has become a way of life for many people. You may find it difficult to give up animal products, but considering the innumerable benefits of vegan diet you may relent at last. After all, green is the way to go!