Vegetarianism: What’s Everybody Excited About?

Monday 21 June, 2010 at 6:14 pm / 0 comment

Leo Tolstoy, Albert Einstein, Mr. Rogers, Clara Barton and Paul McCartney all made the choice to eat a vegetarian diet. Even Benjamin Franklin ate tofu, so going veggie is not just
a popular trend. I am not going to try and sell you on the choice to go meatless, but I would like to dispel some of the mythology about vegetarianism and offer some helpful hints.
Basically, people who follow a vegetarian diet never or rarely eat meat, fish, or poultry. Instead, they rely on a variety of plant- based foods. However, there are different types of vegetarian diets. The Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian includes some animal products in their diets, specifically milk (lacto) and eggs (ovo). The Lacto Vegetarian will include milk but not eggs. The Vegan strictly excludes all foods made with ingredients from animals. Pescatarians include fish in their diets. I am a Flexatarian, in that I am primarily a vegetarian, but am flexible and will eat animal products upon occasion.
There are a variety of reasons for being a vegetarian, including health, ecological, and religious concerns, dislike of meat, compassion for animals, belief in non-violence and economics. The American Dietetic Association’s position statement on vegetarianism affirms, “Appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”

Excerpt From Vegetarianism:
What’s Everybody Excited About?

Leo Tolstoy, Albert Einstein, Mr. Rogers, Clara Barton and Paul McCartney all made the choice to eat a vegetarian diet. Even Benjamin Franklin ate tofu, so going veggie is not justa popular trend. I am not going to try and sell you on the choice to go meatless, but I would like to dispel some of the mythology about vegetarianism and offer some helpful hints.

Basically, people who follow a vegetarian diet never or rarely eat meat, fish, or poultry. Instead, they rely on a variety of plant- based foods. However, there are different types of vegetarian diets. The Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian includes some animal products in their diets, specifically milk (lacto) and eggs (ovo). The Lacto Vegetarian will include milk but not eggs. The Vegan strictly excludes all foods made with ingredients from animals. Pescatarians include fish in their diets. I am a Flexatarian, in that I am primarily a vegetarian, but am flexible and will eat animal products upon occasion.

There are a variety of reasons for being a vegetarian, including health, ecological, and religious concerns, dislike of meat, compassion for animals, belief in non-violence and economics. The American Dietetic Association’s position statement on vegetarianism affirms, “Appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”

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