So, you think being a carrot-crunching, tofu-munching plant eater is just for softies? Well, brace yourselves carnivores, recent research says otherwise. If dodging the bullet of heart disease and cancer while flipping the bird at several other gnarly medical nightmares sounds like your cup of green tea, you might want to keep reading.

It seems those self-righteous vegans and vegetarians may be on to something. Scientists, doing scientist things, looked over 48 research reviews published over two decades that checked out the health impacts of these plant-powered diets. For the unenlightened, vegan diets give the boot to all forms of meat, eggs, dairy and other animal products, including honey and gelatin (so much for gummy bears).

What were the juicy details? Both these diets were mates with a lower risk of certain cancers, as well as ischemic heart disease, a not-so-fun affliction caused by a blood flow block party in your arteries. They were besties with a reduced risk of the big 'P'-prostate cancer, and gastrointestinal cancers like the infamous colon cancer. Oh, and vegetarians get bonus points for fewer deaths from cardiovascular disease.

Both dietary champs also seemed to put a chokehold on several risk factors contributing to heart disease and cancer, such as obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and inflammation. The secret sauce? These leafy lifestyle munchers consume copious amounts of veggies and whole foods full of vitamins, fiber, minerals and other health-boosting badasses, while minimizing potential health villains like meat and processed foods.

But wait, before you throw your steak into the abyss, the study only scrutinized the health nuns who followed strictly vegetarian or vegan diets. They also treated all animal proteins as identical culprits (sorry, chicken and fish, you're in with the bad boys). The research also couldn’t nail down the specific health benefits since the smaller studies used different yardsticks to measure plant-based diets. Plus, not all plant dieters are saints, some can be junk food junkies, replacing animal-based foods with unhealthy plant alternatives (Potato chips diet, anyone?).

Still, the research highlights the indisputable benefits of a fiber-rich diet. Fiber, a fan fave present in fruits and veggies, steadies digestion, prevents roller-coaster blood sugar levels, and sends that “stuffed” signal, helping us weak-willed humans avoid weight gain- also a first-rate digestive tract cleaner. Dodging the meat meals also avoids the boosted cancer and heart disease risk associated with saturated fats and animal proteins.

If you're looking for a gentle transition, start by putting plant-based foods at the forefront and dunking the meat only if necessary. And if you're serious about axing animal foods, tell red and processed meats to hit the road first. But fear not meat-lovers, you still get a good report card if you include more plant-based meals in your meaty diet. In the end, whatever you stuff down your food chute, remember to keep the green stuff in focus!