What does being a vegetarian mean?
Vegetarianism is the tradition of eating a diet containing primarily or completely of foods that is derived from plant sources (such as grains, nuts, fruit and vegetables). A vegetarian can hence generally be defined as a person who does not ingest meat, fish, poultry or any slaughterhouse by-product such as gelatin – especially for moral, religious, political or health reasons. Environmentalism and vegetarianism are also often practised together.
With that in mind, vegetarians are frequently sub-categorised from the variety of food products they are or aren’t willing to eat. Of course, vegetarian eating plans can vary greatly and there are many different kinds of vegetarians.
Semi-vegetarians
Semi-vegetarian diets are made up mainly of vegetarian foods, but may include fish or poultry, or some other meats on an irregular basis.
In cases like this, the vegetarians concerned will probably define “meat” only as mammalian tissue. A pescetarian diet, for example, is said to include fish, but not meat – so there is plainly believed to be a distinction between the two.
The common use correlation and uncertainty between such diets and true vegetarianism has inspired vegetarian associations (for example the Vegetarian Society) to confirm that eating regimes containing these foods are not in fact vegetarian, due to fish and birds being animals.
Ovo-vegetarians
In this case, the eating regime includes eggs, but excludes dairy products.
Ethical motivations for excluding dairy products relate to worries with the industrial practices. For instance, the practice of keeping a cow consistently pregnant to enable her to lactate and the slaughter of unwanted male calves. Additional worries include the customary practice of splitting the mother from her calf and denying the calf its natural source of milk.
This contrasts with the industrial practices around egg-laying hens, which produce eggs for human consumption without being fertilized. However, ovo-vegetarians frequently favour free-range eggs, in particular those produced by uncaged hens.
People who practice ovo vegetarianism are known as ovo-vegetarians or “eggetarians.”
Lacto-vegetarian
A lacto vegetarian (generally termed as a lactarian) diet plan comprises dairy products (including milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, cream etc), but excludes eggs. Lacto-vegetarians also avoid cheeses that have animal rennet and yogurts that includes gelatin.
The reasoning behind and practice of lacto-vegetarianism by a considerable number of individuals derives from ancient India and was initially centered around faith. Even today, lacto-vegetarian diet plans tend to be used often by many fans of Eastern religious ways of life such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism. The central principle driving a lacto-vegetarian diet is the law of ahimsa, or non-violence.
Ovo-lacto vegetarian
An ovo-lacto vegetarian (or lacto-ovo vegetarian) is a vegetarian who does not ingest animal tissue of any type, but is able to consume dairy and egg goods. This kind of vegetarianism, as with the others, is oftentimes driven by moral considerations. Nonetheless, the inclusion of dairy and egg products is accepted on the basis that they don’t require the killing of the animals (although check out the arguments of ovo-vegetarians and lacto-vegetarians respectively relating to the treatment of dairy cows and hens).
In the Western world, ovo-lacto vegetarians are the most common sort of vegetarian. Typically, any time one uses the word “vegetarian”, an ovo-lacto vegetarian is assumed.
Vegan
Veganism is the personal habit of wiping out the use and intake of animal products. A vegan eating plan thus excludes all animal products, including eggs, dairy and honey.
Furthermore, veganism is inclined also to exclude animal products even where these do not involve the killing of the animal (for instance wool). In contrast, the majority of vegetarians simply do not wear clothes made of leather, fur, or any type of animal product which required the death of the animal.
Ethical vegans deny the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians remove them from their diet only.
The term “vegan” was coined in England in 1944 by Donald Watson, co-founder of the British Vegan Society, to signify “non-dairy vegetarian“; the society additionally opposed the use of eggs as food. It extended its definition in 1951 to mean “the doctrine that man should live without exploiting animals,” and in 1960 H. Jay Dinshah started the American Vegan Society, linking veganism to the Jainist concept of ahimsa, the avoidance of violence against living things.
Veganism is a small, but expanding, movement. In 2007, 2% of the United kingdom population termed themselves vegans.
The Vegetarian Society
The Vegetarian Society is an educational charity “working to support, represent and increase the number of vegetarians in the UK”. Established in 1847, it is the earliest vegetarian organisation on the planet.
Diet and supplementation
If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you will undoubtedly know how tricky it can sometimes be to ensure that you’re getting all of the vitamins, minerals and nutrients you need daily.
Plant-based eating plans cause certain health challenges that ought to be borne in mind. For example, they frequently have a particularly low intake of protein (not surprisingly), vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, iron, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids. There are also certain nutrients (notably B12) that are found chiefly in animal-based products or are not absorbed as effectively in their plant form.
The initial step
Step one is to actively plan a wholesome and well-balanced eating plan, which recognises both the advantages and the difficulties of a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. In case you are finding it too difficult to keep up the required amount of calories and/or protein (for instance, you may not like legumes!), you could consider dietary health supplements.
Meal replacement powders and protein powders are good ways to improve the nutritional content of a vegetarian or vegan diet and ensure that you’re getting all of the protein, healthy calories, vitamins and minerals that you need on a daily basis.
Try our terrific dairy and gluten free meal replacement, MEALtime Protein Drink. MEALtime is a soya-based protein drink liquid meal rich in superior protein, complex carbohydrates and nutrients. This protein drink powder (with added psyllium husks for colon detoxification and cleansing), is the ideal solution for vegetarians and vegans trying to maintain ideal nutrient intake and high energy levels. On top of that, it is dairy and gluten free, which makes it suitable for individuals with delicate stomachs and people who suffer from coeliac disease and dairy allergies.
Your second step
The second step is to watch your weight. A frequent concern is that, frequently, vegetarians and vegans do not take in adequate calories or protein to keep up their weight. Again, if your are finding it tricky to meet these requirements through food, dietary supplementation (through meal replacements, protein powders or vitamin supplements) can offer a quick and easy method to top-up on nutrients.
Your third step
The third step is to start exercising regularly.
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