Note: Aashish Bhimani gave a speech at AHS about changing your diet to help the environment. He was referenced in the article “AHS shifts from red to green” by Charles Simpson and now has written an op-ed elaborating on his speech.

If you were asked what Prince Fielder, Tony Gonzales, Carl Lewis, Scott Jurek, Mac Danzig, and Pat Neshek have in common, you might say they’re all accomplished, top-performing athletes who resemble an image of optimal health and peak physical fitness. You’d, of course, be right, but you might be surprised to learn what else they have in common: they all steer clear of eating meat.

A growing number of people—from athletes to politicians to today’s compassionate youth—are recognizing that our daily dietary choices have a far-reaching impact on our health. The traditional American diet, heavy with meat, milk, cheese, and eggs, is dangerously high in artery-clogging cholesterol and saturated fat. Consumption of these foods has contributed to what some consider a major epidemic: alarmingly high rates of obesity. And among our nation’s younger demographics, the rate of obesity has more than doubled in the past 20 years with close to 5 million girls and boys, aged 6 to 17, seriously overweight or obese. To make matters worse, unhealthy diets and excess weight during childhood and adolescence can lead to a variety of other health problems now as well as later in life, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease later in life.

As the number of people suffering from these often preventable health problems continues to skyrocket in the U.S., many researchers, nutritionists, and medical experts are coming to the same conclusion: A vegetarian diet can help protect our health and even reverse some diseases, including one of the most deadly: heart disease. According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), vegetarians, on average, have lower rates of coronary artery disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and various cancers and are reportedly leaner than their non-vegetarian peers. It’s no wonder that so many athletes, from track stars to football players to baseball all-stars who are concerned about their health and performance are choosing vegetarian foods.

Moreover, eating more fruits and vegetables, which are chock full of essential nutrients, in childhood and adolescence can pave the way to establishing lifelong healthy eating patterns and can offer some important nutritional advantages. Vegetarian teens tend to have lower intakes of cholesterol, saturated fat, and total fat while consuming higher rates of plant-based foods. Plus, the ADA has stated that a properly planned vegetarian diet can be healthful and nutritionally adequate during all stages of life—even adolescence.

Thankfully, you don’t have to have a nutrition degree—or be an aspiring professional athlete—to choose a well-balanced diet with vegetarian foods. All the protein, iron, and calcium our bodies need to stay healthy and strong are readily available in a large variety of plant-based foods. And as a growing number of vegetarians can attest to, leaving meat off our plates doesn’t mean skimping on flavor or nutrition—it simply means choosing the cruelty- and cholesterol-free versions of our favorite foods. Getting started is as simple as trying soy or almond milk on your cereal or in your oatmeal for breakfast or using. Or instead of feasting on a bucket of cholesterol-laden fried chicken for lunch, reach for a protein-packed veggie burger or iron-rich spinach and black bean burrito? Whether you’re eating at home or dining out, vegetarian eating is easier than ever in and around our nation’s capital, and across the United States. You can find delicious meat-free meals at a number of restaurants and cafeterias, and virtually every grocery store sells healthful vegetarian options.

In transitioning to vegetarian eating, each of us deals with the change differently. Some will go all out and never look back, while others prefer the gradual approach. To make your transition fun and painless, be creative by tasting new foods and start out by trying eating vegetarian meals three days a week for the first two weeks. Then, give five days a shot for another two weeks. By the end of the four weeks, you’ll have been a near-vegetarian for a whole month.

As we come to realize how simple it is to opt for healthier and more humane foods, we also find that the benefits of doing so are tremendous. Every time we choose vegetarian foods, we’re taking an important step to protect our health and lower our risk for certain diseases. To help you make the transition, there are numerous websites, magazines, books, cookbooks, and powerful videos on vegetarian eating. Get started today simply by visiting TryVeg.com.

Christina Tacoronti is the campaigns director for Compassion Over Killing, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization focused on exposing cruelty to farmed animals and promoting vegetarian eating as a way to build a kinder and healthier world. www.COK.net

Aashish Bhimani is a volunteer with the Sierra Club’s True Cost of Food Campaign, which encourages people to think about the environmental impacts of their consumption choices and eat less meat. www.SierraClub.org/TrueCostofFood