While social media and memes can paint vegans and vegetarians as people who eat whole bulbs of lettuce every day, following a plant-based diet can actually be just as enjoyable as eating meat. With the wide array of plant-based options on campus, and in Berkeley in general, following a diet filled with veggies becomes trendier and more popular every day — and it’s not hard to see why. From a healthier diet to a sustainable lifestyle, here are just some of the perks of being vegetarian.

A balanced diet

With a vegetarian diet, each vegetable, fruit and grain is a complex myriad of multiple nutrients. From minerals and vitamins, to fats and proteins — vegetables not only have more variety, but also more nutrients per calorie. These benefits make it infinitely easier to ensure that you’re getting your vitamin intake for the day.

Options galore

In California, and especially in Berkeley, the extent of vegetarian-friendly restaurants is pretty incredible. While being plant-based used to mean cooking from home every day or going to that one Indian restaurant whenever you wanted to eat out, the food scene now lets you appreciate culinary creativity all the more. From vegan mac and cheese to the meat substitute jackfruit, the variety in vegetarian food is growing exponentially and we at the Clog are here for it.

Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, and a lot more

With the high content of fats and cholesterol in red meat, the risk of getting several different types of cardiovascular disease and cancers is kind of ridiculous. With a diet full of vegetables and vegan meat substitutes, this risk drops drastically. Thanks to the reduced amount of fats clogging your arteries, the lowered blood pressure from adding more plants into your diet stands in stark contrast to a diet based on red meat.

Bye, bye pimples!

Yes, it’s true. Thanks to the antioxidants and minerals present in fruits and vegetables, the nutrients help give life to your skin. From leafy greens to blueberries, pretty much anything fresh is good for you and your skin. Avoiding meat also improves your skin’s state since your diet is less likely to affect your hormones, reducing your risk of those pesky pimples. Vegetables are also less processed than meats, ensuring that the food’s nutrients can actually have an impact on your skin and the rest of your body.

Save those dollars

As a general rule of thumb, eating vegetables is simply cheaper than animal products and buying vegetables is easier and faster to obtain. As college students, saving money can be an immense worry in our lives. Being vegetarian can lesson this worry, providing you with filling and large meals for a smaller price.

We’re not saying you have to completely switch your diet to only plant-based, but adding just a few more vegetarian meals into your diet has many perks!