If you make the switch to a vegetarian diet, you can look forward to being sick less often. Vegetarians tend to suffer less from seasonal colds and allergies. They are less likely to pick up the "bug" going around, and if they do happen to get sick, they experience less symptoms and discomfort and recover faster.

Why do vegetarians become sick less often? It's because their diets contain a greater quantity of more nutritious foods. Vegetarians consume a much larger amount of fruits and vegetables than those who include meat in their diets. Fruits and vegetables are rich in the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that support better health. Vegetarians have stronger immune systems, so they are able to fight off the illnesses those eating less nutritious diets cannot.

If you follow a vegetarian diet, you will also avoid consuming the hormones and antibiotics livestock are fed. You can avoid these substances entirely if you refrain from eating eggs and dairy products, too. This is one more way vegetarians bolster the immune system and avoid common illnesses and poor health.

If you have friends or relatives that have switched to a primarily plant-based diet, you've probably noticed they have lost weight. By switching to a vegetarian diet, you'll slim down, too, simply as a side effect of cutting out meat.

Meat is high in saturated fat and calories, and you will take in less of both when meat is removed from your diet. Even if you avoid red meat and eat primarily pork and poultry, you are still consuming far more fat and calories than you would by eliminating these "white meats" from your diet.

If you happen to be someone who has struggled with weight loss and met with very little long-term success throughout your life, you'll be delighted with your leaner vegetarian lifestyle. One of the best things about vegetarian eating is, you can enjoy larger portions of plant-based foods without gaining weight, and if you stay active, you will still shed pounds.

This general rule doesn't apply to all "vegetarian" or meat-free foods, but foods that contain few or no high-fat dairy products such as cheese and cream. You aren't likely to pack on pounds by enjoying extra servings of a hearty lentil bake, but you certainly could from super cheesy portions of vegetarian lasagna.

While many animal-based foods raise cholesterol and actually contribute to heart disease, vegetarians' diets do just the opposite. You will lower your cholesterol and blood pressure and your risk for heart disease by switching to a vegetarian diet.

This may sound too good to be true, but it's a fact. The American Dietetic Association and many other health organizations report on studies and make recommendations about heart healthy eating, and they all agree fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes should make up the bulk of our diets for heart health.

A vegetarian diet will also lower your risk for colon cancer as well as other types of cancer. Scientists are still trying to determine exactly what it is about vegetarian diets that reduces cancer risk, but the effects are real, regardless of whether or not we know why. It is thought that the antioxidants and high level of nutrients in plant-based foods is primarily responsible for the lower cancer risk associated with a vegetarian diet.

There are several other factors that may explain why cancer risk is lower for those eating vegetarian diets. Vegetarians do not consume processed, smoked or salted meat that may contribute to cancer. The chemicals used to prepare these and other meats and meat products are avoided by sticking to a plant-based diet. Vegetarians also tend to be slimmer and more active than meat-eaters, which is also known to reduce the risk of cancer.

By lowering their risk for diseases such as cancer and heart disease and staying slim and physically fit, vegetarians can anticipate living longer, healthier lives. As vegetarians age, they are less likely to suffer with debilitating illnesses and physical conditions that restrict mobility or interfere with active living. Enjoying a long, healthy life is one more way you will benefit from a vegetarian diet.

One final benefit of eating a vegetarian diet you may wish to consider is the significantly lower cost it involves. Meat and animal products are much more expensive than plant foods, and by switching to a vegetarian diet, you can cut your food budget drastically.

You may wish to use the surplus cash in your food budget to purchase the organic grain products, fruits and vegetables you normally consider too expensive. Organic plant foods are much more flavorful than those grown with pesticides and chemicals, and many dieticians argue they are more nutritious. This will provide even more of the benefits associated with vegetarian eating.