Spanish model Elen Rivas bares her melons for Vegetarian Week

National Vegetarian Week ends this Sunday, and few stars have taken to advocate the movement like Spanish model Elen Rivas. The mother of two bares it all for the cause, covered only in melons and grapes, in an ad campaign for PETA.

According to spokespeople from the animal rights organization, the ad is focusing on the health benefits of eliminating meat from a diet rather than the animal cruelty aspect of being omnivorous.

SEE ALSO: 4 easy steps to becoming a vegetarian?and why you should!

“When I sit down to eat, I feel great knowing that nobody had to die for my meal. Vegetarian food is healthy, it’s delicious, and it’s a great way to stay fit,” said Rivas in the PETA press release.

Our latest ad campaign stars model @MsElenRivas.Her vegetarian diet is definitely suiting her! http://t.co/MuCK56Gq1J pic.twitter.com/vSIKqwRMb0

— PETA UK (@PETAUK) May 22, 2014

Elen Rivas is one of many celebrities who entertain meatless lifestyles, and rumor has it that another Latina beauty, Jennifer Lopez, has enjoyed the benefits of a vegan lifestyle as she celebrates being in her mid-forties.

Are there really health benefits of being a vegetarian?

The verdict is mixed when it comes to cutting out meats from a diet. Most experts agree that as long as a diet is balanced with the right amounts of protein it doesn’t necessarily have to come from an animal.

According to Red Meat Consumption and Mortality, released in 2012 from the Archives of Internal Medicine, an added serving of meat each day can increase your chances of dying early by 13 percent. Add that risk to the issue of antibiotics and hormones that are pumped into livestock in order to keep them healthy among the filthy and overcrowded conditions, and you further complicate the health risks of consuming meat.

Research also indicates 7.6 percent of deaths of among women and 9.3 percent of deaths among men could have been prevented if the study participants had reduced their red meat consumption by less than a half-serving per day.

And aside from the health risks of consuming meat, the health benefits of consuming vegetables are numerous. Experts from Harvard University indicate there is compelling evidence that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.

“The higher the average daily intake of fruits and vegetables, the lower the chances of developing cardiovascular disease,” states the university. “Compared with those in the lowest category of fruit and vegetable intake (less than 1.5 servings a day), those who averaged 8 or more servings a day were 30 percent less likely to have had a heart attack or stroke.”

SEE ALSO: Risk of heart disease significantly lowered for vegetarians

Research also supports a diet high in fruits and vegetables for gastrointestinal health, vision health, cancer prevention, and reduction of high blood pressure.

“Vegetables and fruits are clearly an important part of a good diet. Almost everyone can benefit from eating more of them, but variety is as important as quantity,” writes Harvard. “No single fruit or vegetable provides all of the nutrients you need to be healthy. The key lies in the variety of different vegetables and fruits that you eat.”