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| | Vegetarianism (From Latin: vegetus — strong, full of strength, vigorous, energetic) is a way of life, characterized, first of all, by food, excluding flesh of all living beings (i.e meat, bird, fish etc). Also (quite often) vegetarians refuse to use other products of animal origin, as in food (milk of mammals, eggs) and in life (fur, skin, glycerin etc).
Vegetarians do not make use of meat, bird, fish and seafood of an animal origin in food. Dairy products and eggs are ignored only by part of vegetarians — vegans. Honey is also belongs to disputable products. Traditionally, mushrooms belong to vegetable food, though modern science puts them into separate kingdom.
Apart from food items, many vegetarians ignore the following:
* Clothes and other product, part of which is manufactured from fur, skin etc;
* Product, which contain components of animal origin (such as glycerin, gelatin);
* Product, which was tested on animals.
Vegetarianism types:
Types of food products, which are permitted in various directions of vegetarianism:
Majority of classical vegetarians in India and Mediterranean regions (for example, Pythagoreans) were lacto-vegetarians.
Vegans exclusively make use of vegetable food and as a rule, boycott any product, in the manufacture of which products of animal origin were used.
Miscellaneous diets
Following diets are not vegetarian by definition, as can allow dead food, however, presence of dead food is restricted in them:
The so-called “pescetarianism” & “pollotariansm”;
Refusal of red meat but use of fish and seafood (pescetarianism) and /or birds (pollotariansm) if food.
Flexitarianism:
Moderate or extremely rare use of bird, fish and seafood in food.
Raw Food Diet:
Use of only raw products or products, which have passed very thermal treatment for short-term, in food. In most cases, raw food diet simultaneously is vegetarianism or veganism, and some sources name raw food diet particularly vegetarianism or vegan raw food diet. However, raw food diet concept does not exclude use of any products, which did not undergo or underwent minimum heat treatment, including meat and fish.
Phryganism:
Use of animal products in food only in case if animal products are free or else, the animal products are thrown or destroyed (for example, meal remainders in restaurant buffet).
History of Vegetarianism:
Vegetarianism was practiced throughout millennium in countries, in which religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism propagated. Followers of different philosophical schools (for example, Pythagoreans) and representatives of creative and scientific intelligence were vegetarians. In India, according to various data, vegetarians range from 20 % to 70 % of entire population of the country. Therefore, before appearance of term “vegetarianism”, this diet was called “Indian” or “Pythagorean”.
In the last decade of the XXth century, vegetarianism spread amongst some political groups, particularly, amongst the followers of movement “straight edge” and anarchists.
Some of the reasons, according to which people turn vegetarians are listed below:
* Ethical reasons — reducing the sufferings of animals from modern animal industry;
* Religious beliefs (Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, some directions of Christianity — for example, Adventists of seventh day, in Orthodoxy — observance of fasts, sects);
* Maintenance and/or improvement of health;
* Ecological reasons — reduction in environmental contaminations and depletion of natural resources;
* Allergy to animal products or aversion by their organism;
* Nonavailability of some products of animal origin (encountered only in poor developing countries).
Vegetarian food & health:
Repeatedly asserted that it is not sufficient to simply exclude meat from ration but it is necessary to properly plan the diet for high-value vegetarian food. Various studies indicate that on an average, vegetarians are more healthier and have longer life expectancy than non-vegetarians.
American Dietetic Association and dietitians of Canada recommend vegetarian food as the most healthy food for any age group including infantile, child and pubertal and in any period of life including lactation and pregnancy.
Celebrity-vegetarians:
Many popular scientists, art personalities, politicians, sportsmen, actors etc are present amongst vegetarians. Vegetarians were or have become celebrities such as Albert Einstein, Pythagoras, Paul McCartney, Leonardo da Vinci, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, Franz Kafka, Marilyn Manson and others. Some historical group of people such as Pythagoreans and Roman gladiators were also vegetarians. Being vegetarian of some miscellaneous popular personalities is disputable, for example Hitler.
Veganism is mode of life, characterized, especially, by strict vegetarianism. Vegans are followers of veganism - eat and use only vegetatable products, i.e completely excluding components of animal origin from their diet.
Products and consumption:
Not only meat, birds, fish and animal seafood but also eggs and diary products, as in the case of vegetarians, are excluded from the food items of vegans.
Besides these obvious products of animal origin, vegans, as a rule, do not use:
* Products containing skin, fur, silk, wool and other materials of animal origin;
* Honey;
* Product, which contain components, obtained from animal products (such as glycerin, gelatin);
* Products, during manufacturing (often — while cleaning) of which products of an animal origin (for example, some kinds of refined sugar and some varieties of alcoholic drinks) were used;
* Product, which was tested on animals (for example, cosmetics, tobacco).
Several disputable ingredients exist, which can be both vegetative as well as of animal origin (for example, food additives E471, E472). Some vegans make use of these items in food and others do not. |
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October 1 is a World Vegetarian Day. It was established in 1997 by the North American Vegetarian Society to "promote life-enhancing experiences of being a vegetarian". Do we have any vegetarians at Freaking News?
Scientists claim that vegetarians usually have higher IQs.
