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Nutrition / Diet News

What Is The Vegetarian Diet? What Are The Benefits Of A Vegetarian Diet?

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Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Article Date: 27 May 2004 - 1:00 PDT

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The term vegetarian generally means a person who does not consume animal products; this includes land and sea animals. Most vegetarians generally do consume eggs and dairy products (milk products). Somebody who does not consume any animal protein at all, not even eggs, dairy, or honey, is a vegan. Some people call themselves vegetarians, but they consume fish. According to Medilexicon`s medical dictionary a vegetarian is "One whose diet is restricted to foods of vegetable origin, excluding primarily animal meats". The dictionary also has the following terms: This article is part of a series called What Are The Eight Most Popular Diets Today?.

The four main types of vegetarians are:

In this article, vegetarian refers only to people who do not consume protein of animal origin (not even fish or seafood), with the exception of eggs, dairy and honey - Lacto-ovovegetarians.

Virtually all vegetarian and/or vegan societies and associations do not accept the term "semi-vegetarian", in the same way a doctor will not accept the term "a bit pregnant".

A short history of vegetarianism

According to Wikipedia, the earliest records of vegetarianism come from the 6th century B.C., in India, Greece and the Greek civilization in Southern Italy. In all these cases vegetarianism was closely linked to a desire not to harm animals. In India this peace towards animals was called ahimsa and was a common lifestyle among religious people and philosophers. The conversion to Christianity of the Roman Empire virtually eliminated all traces of vegetarianism from Europe. Many orders of monks in medieval Europe either banned or limited meat consumption as a gesture of personal sacrifice or abstinence - however, none of them shunned fish. It was not until the 19th and 20th centuries that vegetarianism started to get a foothold again in Western society.

The Vegetarian Society was formed in England in 1847; equivalent societies soon followed in Germany, the Netherlands and other European countries. During the 20th century vegetarianism caught on swiftly throughout Western society. People´s motivations were for ethical, environmental, or economic reasons - and sometimes a combination or two or three reasons. Approximately 70% of the world´s lacto-vegetarians are in India, it is estimated. Approximately 20% to 42% of India´s population is vegetarian.

What are the benefits of being a vegetarian?

Until a few years ago, the benefits of vegetarianism were more anecdotal than clinically proven. However, over the last couple of decades several studies have indicated that a person who adopts a vegetarian diet will: Vegetarian food is generally lower in fat, especially saturated fats, and much higher in fiber, than animal based foods. However, a vegetarian, like a meat eater, has to watch his/her intake of calories, snack foods, refined carbohydrates, whole milk dairy products, and non-meat junk foods.

How do I become a vegetarian?

It is possible to make the jump in one go; to go into it cold turkey. Most people find that a gradual change into vegetarianism works better for two reasons. 1. Any change that is gradually introduced tends to become more of a lifestyle and long term move. 2. Some people find that sudden changes to their eating patterns may have unpleasant consequences for their digestive systems, such as irritable bowel, diarrhea, etc.

A gradual change could include increasing your intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes (beans, lentils), and whole grains, while cutting down on your intake on meats.

The American Dietetic Association has these tips for people who want to adopt vegetarianism:

News on Nutrition / Diet

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Video - The Art of Being Vegetarian - Defining Vegetarian

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Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today




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