Are you currently looking for a good excuse to be vegan? Before you go any further, we want to say something very important, and we want you to take this to heart: You dont need a reason to make a positive change for your body and your well-being.

The only person you need to answer to in that regard is you so please, really, keep that in mind and take a look at these 10 purely selfish reasons to be vegan. Sometimes there is more than enough reason to be selfish.

Vegetarian men lived up to 83 years while non-vegetarians lived to about 73.

1.) Reduce your risks.You hear this on television all the time: Reduce your risk of and its always followed by a laundry list of conditions. Today isnt going to be too much different, as were going to say that going vegan can, in fact, reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, and even help to lower your chances of migraines and allergies. There are so many reasons to start the vegan lifestyle, but once again, its all up to you. If you need even more reasons, however, were going to give them to you right now.

2.) Lose the constipation or bloating.Heres a fun fact that you probably didnt know: Many of us actually lack the enzyme needed to digest cows milk. If you have digestive issues, such as constipation or bloating, then it could be traced right back to something as simple as milk consumption. You might not be lactose-intolerant, but that doesnt mean you can handle it.

3.) Clear up your skin.Who doesnt want clear skin? Dairy productshave been linked to acne (and digestive problems, as we mentioned before), and at the end of the day it does a fantastic job of stimulating the hormones linked with acne. Cut out the dairy, and you might just find yourself with clear skin.

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4.) Be less resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotics are often our last ditch effort to feel better, but you probably know that your body builds up a resistance to them after a while. If you want to slow down your bodys unfortunate but inevitable adaptation, you might want to cut out the meat, because most factory farms breed antibiotic-resistant bacteria not to mention the horrific conditions that the animals are kept in just before they die.

5.) Lower your risk of food poisoning. The USDA has definitively stated that 70 percent of food poisoning is the direct result of contaminated animal flesh, responsible for 76 million illnesses every single year. If you dont want to be among them, going vegan might just be the best decision youve ever made.

6.) Prolong your life. No one lives forever, but you dont have to die anytime soon. A study performed with more than 70,000 people once showed that vegetarians were 12 percent less likely to have died during the following six years than meat eaters.

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Vegetarian men lived up to 83 years, while non-vegetarians lived about 73. It doesnt seem like a long time or a big difference, but thats up to a decade more you can spend with your friends and family, and that makes it worthwhile.

7.) Improve your PMS. A low-fat, vegan diet can actually reduce pain and PMS for women. It doesnt work for everyone, but its definitely worth a try, as your monthly will remind you.

8.) Improve you relationship with food. Do you ever feel guilty after you visit the kitchen? I know I used to, but after going vegan, I dont think of food as something thats going to make me fat anymore. Instead I think of it as something thats going to make me healthy, and quite frankly, I enjoy knowing Im eating something that wasnt spawned from cruelty.

9.) Know youre going to be happier. By eating natural foods, youre going to find that you can avoid illness, obesity, and a pile of chronic health issues that plague manyAmericans.

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10.) Connect with like-minded individuals. Becoming vegan is about more than just feeling good; its about connecting with other, like-minded individuals who have tons in common with you. Youre going to meet some great people, and youre going to feel great overall.

You dont need anyones permission to become vegan. Its a liberating feeling, and honestly, if youre going to do it do it for you.

This article originally appeared in VivaGlam Magazine.

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10 Seriously Selfish Reasons to Be Vegan - LifeZette