Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat – red meat, poultry, seafood and the flesh of any other animal; it may also include abstaining from by-products of animal slaughter.
A person who does not eat meat or fish, and sometimes other animal products, especially for moral, religious or health reasons, is known as a vegetarian.
According to Dr. Kehinde Ogoji, “people practise vegetarianism because of their cultural beliefs. It is a taboo for some cultures to feed on animals. Also, some people believe that it is unjust to feed on animals; so they confine themselves to plants feed only. I do not know of any medical issue that requires total blackout on animal feeds; it is totally by choice.”
Many are also vegetarians for health reasons
Vegetarianism could be taken from varying perspectives. For example, some vegetarians may be ignorant of animal-derived substances in the usual production of cheese; hence they may innocently consume the product.
Most vegetarians object to eating meat out of respect for responsive life. Such moral incentives have been organised under several religious beliefs, along with animal rights.
Other motivations for vegetarianism are health-related, cultural and economic.
There are different types of vegetarians, depending on what they eat. The definition of a vegetarian that is most widely accepted by fellow vegetarians is a person who eats no meat, fish or poultry. A vegetarian consistently avoids all flesh, as well as by-products of meat, fish and poultry.
Pescatarian
This is used to describe those who refrain from eating all meat and animal flesh, with the exception of fish. Though a pescatarian is not strictly a vegetarian, more and more people are accepting this kind of diet, usually for health reasons or as a stepping stone to a fully vegetarian diet.
Semi-vegetarian/flexitarian
You do not have to be a vegetarian to love vegetarian food. “Flexitarian” is a term recently coined to describe those who eat a mostly vegetarian diet, but occasionally eat meat.
Lacto-ovo vegetarian
A lot of people think vegetarians take milk and egg. But not all vegetarians take milk and egg. People who do not take beef, pork, poultry, offal, game or animal flesh of any sort, but do eat eggs and dairy products, are lacto-ovo vegetarians (“lacto” is a Latin word meaning milk, and “ovo” means egg).
Vegans
Vegans do not take any type of meat, eggs, dairy products, or processed foods containing any of these or other animal-derived ingredients. Many vegans also desist from eating foods that are made using animal products that may not contain animal products in the finished process, such as some wines.
Raw vegan/ raw food diet
A raw vegetarian eats diets that contain unprocessed vegan foods that have been cooked in slow heat. They believe that foods cooked above this temperature have lost a significant amount of their nutritional value and are harmful to the body.
Macrobiotic
The macrobiotic diet is the natural vegan food, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and allows the occasional consumption of fish. Sugar and refined oils are avoided and are not included in the diet.
Advantages of vegetarianism
Vegetarianism ensures that no animal is injured, in order to feed or clothe a vegetarian. As less people eat meat, there is a concentrated requirement for the farming of livestock for meat. This means less need for intensive farming methods. As more people become vegetarians, farming and the meat production industry will change.
In recent years, the impact of meat in our diets has been studied and examined. Meat can be difficult to digest; the fats are unhealthy and can contribute to high cholesterol levels. There are some cancers (such as bowel cancer) that are more prevalent in meat eaters.
Also, a vegetarian diet is typically high in fibre and rich in vitamins and minerals, which is important to a healthy diet.
A vegetarian can spend much less than their meat eating equals. Most times, vegetarian food is much cheaper; this comprises both the raw ingredients purchased and meals taken in restaurants and other eateries.
Meat makes up a substantial percentage of a typical domestic food bill; therefore taking meat off the equation, you can save a lot. Also, replacing meat with expensive vegetarian meat substitutes may not result in quite the same saving.
