Most New Year resolutions are tied to health or other self-improvement goals. I think cutting out or cutting back on meat is the best resolution we can make for our health, the environment, and animals — and here's why.

According to the World Health Organisation, red and processed meat are carcinogens in the same category as arsenic and tobacco.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the leading group of nutritionists in the United States, say plant-based diets are tied to a lower risk of health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and certain cancers.

Cutting out animal products will not only improve your health; it will also reduce your carbon footprint and spare animals from horrific cruelty on factory farms and slaughterhouses.

Transitioning towards a plant-based diet has never been easier or more popular. I am so pleased I made this my New Year resolution and several years on, am still feeling the physical and mental health rewards a plant-based diet brings.

Hence me sharing my experience with fellow readers, in the hope it will help others achieve greater health and happiness also.

Melissa Caals, Valerian Rise, Thetford.