There are many different "definitions" and ways people practice vegetarianism. Vegan- eat plant-based foods: fruits, vegetables, legumes (dried beans and peas), grains, seeds and nuts. Lactovegetarian- eat plant-based foods plus cheese and dairy products. Lacto-ovovegetarian- eat plant-based foods plus cheese, dairy and eggs. Pesco-vegetarians- eat plant-based foods plus cheese, dairy, eggs and fish.Flexitarian (semi-vegetarian)- eat animal foods in limited quality or frequency.
Who's to say what is good, or bad, right or wrong? Everyone is entitled to live and consume freely, as they see fit. Some people choose to become vegetarians because of ethical, religious, or moral reasons and issues of animal cruelty, where as others simply do not like meat, or want to eliminate meat and poultry from their diet to afford and seemingly healthy lifestyle. Are you considering becoming a Vegetarian? Whatever your reasons may be, it is first important to closely scrutinize both the advantages and disadvantages of this lifestyle choice on your body before deciding if this is something you are willing and want to do.
Advantages: Eliminating red meats, which often are high in saturated fat and fatty acids, makes for a better, healthier lifestyle and often leads to lower cholesterol. Vegetarians are also about 50% less likely to develop heart disease and type two diabetes, due to lower cholesterol and over all less fat intake than meat-eaters. Plant foods contain an abundant of nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and protein. Non-vegetarians who consume animal products and animal by products are much more likely to be obese than there non-meat eater peers. Vegetarians have stronger immune systems and according to research, they live, on average, six to 10 years longer than those that eat meat.
Aside for the advantages the body will receive, abstaining from consuming animal products reduces green houses gases, and is overall better for the environment. Vegetarianism does not require the killing of animals, in order to eat, and this may place a huge factor is many people's decisions to abstain from eating meal and animal by-products.
Disadvantages: It can often be more difficult to get the high quality protein the body needs when abstaining from eating meat.Plant based foods proteins do not usual contain all essential amino acids, which help the body to properly function. If diary products are eliminated, calcium deficiency can be another disadvantage, however your doctor can prescription you calcium supplements. Also, too much fiber (as found in a lot of plant based foods) cannot fully metabolize into the body. If the vegetarian diet does not include fish, an Omega3 deficiency is likely. Vitamin D and iron intake will be low, because they aren't found in abundance in fruits or vegetables. Iron, which is found in some plant based founds is more difficult to absorb into the body, whereas the iron found in most meats is more absorbable.
While adapting to a vegetarian lifestyle, you may find that going out to eat may change a bit for you, and finding a variety of vegetarian meals may be a bit of a challenge. Increasingly, restaurants are providing more and more vegetarian and vegan options. You can simply view more restaurant menus online to check for vegetarian options and make sure there is enough variety for you. However, cooking for yourself at home won't be such an issue because there are copious amounts of vegetarian cookbooks and online resources to help you adapt to this lifestyle.
Amanda Maynes is an aspiring writer with a wealth of knowledge in the areas of health and fitness. She enjoys researching and writing about different topics with the aim of benefiting her readers.
To see more of Amanda's writing, check out the following website: http://calorize.com/food-and-health/healthy-desserts.html
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