Dean M Novosat

What Does it Mean to be a Vegetarian?

The word vegetarian is one that has become somewhat vague among the general population because too many people have inappropriately adopted it as a label for their lifestyle.

Vegetarian is a blanket term used to describe a person who does not consume meat, poultry, fish, or seafood. A vegetarian is someone who avoids meat and, to some extent, products derived from animals. A strict vegetarian is called a vegan. Vegans are more vigilant about avoiding any product derived from animals including clothing, shoes, and accessories.

Ovo-lacto vegetarians are vegetarians who do not consume meat, poultry, fish, and seafood, but do consume eggs and milk. Ovo-vegetarian is a term used to describe someone who would be a vegan if they did not consume eggs. Lacto-vegetarian is a term used to describe someone who would be a vegan if they did not consume milk.

What is a Vegan

Vegan is the strictest sub-category of vegetarians. Vegans differ from all the other types of vegetarians as they eat only plant based foods and consume no animal products of any kind. Vegans eat no animal products, no meat, fish or poultry, no eggs or dairy. Vegans eat grains, beans, and soy products in order to get their protein. They can get calcium from foods such as tofu, kale, broccoli, sunflower seeds, dried figs, and tortillas.

Vegetarians Can Be Very Healthy

Numerous epidemiological and clinical studies have shown that vegetarians are nearly 50 percent less likely to die from cancer than non-vegetarians. For many of the same reasons, vegetarians are at a lower risk for osteoporosis. Many legumes, beans, lentils, and nuts provide enough protein and minerals for our health needs and vegetarians know this. However, just because you cut out meat doesn't automatically make you healthy. There are some unhealthy vegetarians out there. They are called “junk-food vegetarians” because while they don’t eat meat, some will eat potato chips, french fries, and snack foods. Even though these foods don’t technically contain meat, they aren’t good for you. Vegans and vegetarians are less likely to get diabetes or have gall bladder problems and gallstones and it has been proven that vegetarians are less likely to have cholesterol and high blood pressure problems. Vegetarians are also less prone to obesity. Being vegetarian is actually very conducive to an athletic lifestyle.

Becoming a vegetarian is a blanket term used to describe a person who does not consume meat, poultry, fish, or seafood. And, on the whole, vegetarians are less likely to be afflicted with the chronic diseases that are leading killers and cripplers in societies where meat is the centerpiece of the diet. Medical studies have shown that vegetarians are less likely to suffer from heart disease, cancer, diet-related diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure, so a vegetarian diet is very good for your health. So if you want to get healthy without taking a lot of pills or having to go to the gym seven days a week, one place to start is by giving up all meat, poultry, fish, or seafood. One final reason to be vegetarian is the animal rights aspect.

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