Deciphering the curious World of Vegetarianism

"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet". Albert Einstein

More than likely you will meet someone who refers to themselves as a vegetarian in your lifetime, if you have not already.

People who pass over beef in favor of fish or those who forgo any type of animal product have been know to sport the title.

For the sake of avoiding confusion, the definition of Vegetarian given by the Webster's dictionary is the following:

      One who believes in or practices
      vegetarianism; herbivore.

If you can recall from grade school science class, an herbivore is an animal that feeds on plants. Call it our love of selection or individualism, but due to the varying degrees of strictness people have in regards to what type of animals they consume, if any, there are several different categories of vegetarians to familiarize yourself with.

Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian
Lacto-Ovo Vegetarians do not consume meat. This means no fish, no poultry, no pork or beef! They do however eat eggs, yogurt and various dairy products.

Pesco-Vegetarian
Pesco Vegetarians like Lacto-Ovos refrain from eating poultry, pork and beef, but do consume fish. They also eat dairy products, including eggs.

Lacto-Vegetarian
Lacto-Vegetarians refrain from eating fish, poultry, pork and beef. While they will consume most dairy products, they also abstain from eggs.

Vegan
Vegans practice the strictest form of vegetarianism. They do not eat any type of meat and they will not eat the byproducts of animals. Some vegans even avoid using substances such as honey, because the substance comes from honeybees. Leather, fur and products tested on animals are also off seen as off limits for some.

As of late, the term Flexitarian has been coined, which refers to a person who generally adheres to a Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, but occasionally eats meat. However, because the ingestion of meat goes directly against what the definition of what a actual vegetarian is, Flexitarianism will not be counted as any form of vegetarianism here on Startyourhealthylife.net

So why does anyone try to adhere to any kind of vegetarian diet? What would be the benefit of a life with no Big Mac's and Thanksgiving turkey? Well, plenty!

A meat free diet allows for a diet where less saturated fat and cholesterol is consumed. A vegan's diet is 100% cholesterol free! Furthermore, vegetarians and vegans who do not stick to a diet of white pasta and French fries, but take in complex carbohydrates, receive higher intakes of fiber, photochemicals and minerals. What does all this mean exactly? In a nutshell, vegetarians and vegans greatly lower their risk for numerous health problems, like cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke and heart attacks! This is only naming a few.

Want to know another benefit of becoming a vegetarian? Now here this- not eating meat is better for the planet! Seriously. Livestock creates over 100 polluting gases! The fuel that is put into creating fertilizer, animal feed, as well as harvesting and producing the meat, all contributes to 9% of carbon dioxide. FYI- Carbon Dioxide is the most common green house gas. Cows alone make up for 78% of CO2 omissions!

According to Chris Weber, a professor of environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, stopping meat and dairy consumption would have as big of an impact on the environment as changing how often we use our cars. He says,

"Switching to no red meat and no dairy products is the equivalent of (cutting out) 8,100 miles driven in a car".

That's a lot of miles! To learn more things about vegetarianism, including more of the benefits of becoming one, check out our vegetarian fun facts section.

---

References:

Kovacs, MS, RD, Betty. "Vegetarian and Vegan Diet." Vegetarian and Vegan Diet Types, Benefits, Disadvantages and Nutrition information on MedicineNet. Web.
"Beef: As bad for the environment as the Hummer?" Http://www.environmentalleader.com. Web.
"Hamburgers are the Hummers of Global Warming: Scientist." AFP. Web.
"Vegetarianism Quotes." World Of Quotes. Roy Russo. Web. .

Nutrition Links:

• Living the Raw Life
  
• Vitamins
  
• Minerals
  
• Fruits
  
• Vegetables