Madrid, May 19 (IANS): "Money Heist" actress Alba Flores says meat-free meals have helped her health and conscience.

She decided to stop eating meat when she saw how much food was thrown away after her family's Christmas Eve celebration.

"I started to think about where that food came from and how much food will be thrown away … and (wondered) how necessary the deaths of those animals really were," she said.

"I started to look into it, and I realised that this wasn't the only big problem. The entire animal agriculture industry poses a very serious problem for the planet," she added.

And now, she feels "so much better eating vegetables and legumes and grains".

Flores concluded: "I think that your food doesn't have to be the cause of suffering and exploitation of animals."

She has now featured in a new ad campaign for PETA India's friends at PETA US that encourages everyone to save animals and the planet by going vegetarian.