Venus and Serena Williams Adopt Vegetarian Lifestyle for the New Year

Men and women on all ends of the spectrum are concerned with their health and well-being. Sports celebrities are no exception to this.

In fact, Venus and Serena Williams have decided to embrace a vegetarian lifestyle as their 2012 New Year's resolutions. The sisters are both world-renown tennis champions, and their announcement came as a surprise and inspiration to many.

Venus paved the way

Venus dropped out of the U.S. Women's Open upon discovering she had an incurable and rare auto-immune disorder. Prior to the diagnosis, Venus had suffered for many months. She saw many doctors and received no answers. The syndrome, known as Sjogren's Syndrome, can cause many painful and excruciating symptoms, affecting the body systemically. Venus decided to alter her lifestyle and look toward holistic alternatives in order to treat her condition and reduce the symptoms as best she can. Serena quickly followed suit, with both sisters pledging to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle for 2012.

Benefits of vegetarianism

Venus and Serena aren't the first to recognize that going vegetarian has health benefits. Consuming animal products, such as meat and dairy, is not without risk. It has been known that animal consumption increases the risk of certain maladies and is believed to even be linked with the development of certain cancers.

Individuals who follow a vegetarian lifestyle are more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI) than their omnivore counterparts, as well as lower cholesterol levels and a longer life expectancy. Additionally, individuals who are vegetarian enjoy a reduced risk of many health issues and conditions due to an increased intake of foods and products that help promote overall health and well-being, such as grains, vegetables and nuts.

Inspiring women

Health and obesity are issues that America is becoming more and more concerned about. With 64.1pecent of American women suffering from being overweight, and health concerns relating to their weight, adopting a vegetarian or mostly vegetarian diet could be beneficial.

As usual, Venus and Serena Williams are promoting health and acting as spectacular role models for women and girls everywhere.

*Samantha Van Vleet is a former high school athlete. She is currently a biology major at UAA and is especially interested in health and nutrition as they relate to sports and athletics.

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