Vegetarian
Many people think of
vegetarians as one
homogeneous group that just doesn’t eat meat. But
nothing could be further from the truth. There are
different categories of vegetarians as diverse as
the reasons for going vegetarian in the first place.
A vegetarian is generally defined as
someone who doesn’t eat meat. But someone who is vegetarian could
conceivably eat dairy products such as milk, eggs and cheese. A
lacto ovo vegetarian doesn’t eat meat, fish or poultry, but does
consume eggs, milk or cheese. A lacto vegetarian consumes milk and
cheese products, but doesn’t consume eggs.
A vegan is someone who doesn’t consume
any animal product or by-product, including dairy food. They eat
only vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and legumes. They also don’t
use animal products, such as leather. Vegans also don’t use white
sugar because it’s often processed with a substance derived from
animal bones that whitens the sugar.
There
are other categories within the vegetarian community. Fruitarians,
for example, eat only fruit. Their rationale is that fruits,
including fruits such as tomatoes, are self-perpetuating and don’t
need to be planted to create the food source. They consider it a
way of eating that’s most in balance and harmony with the earth,
the most natural. There is also a type that eats mostly as a
vegetarian with a little meat, poultry, eggs, milk and cheese.
This type is called flextarian.
All of the above will eat cooked
vegetables, fruits and legumes. There is also a growing movement
towards eating only raw or living foods. This based on the
assumption that cooking food processes most of the nutrients out
of it, and to get all the nutritional value, vitamins and amino
acids from food, it’s best consumed raw, or juiced. If cooked at
all, it should only be cooked to slightly over 100 degrees, so the
nutrients are still retained.
The more restrictive you become with your
diet, however, the more educated you need to become to be sure
you’re getting all the necessary proteins and vitamins that you
need to maintain good health, especially muscle and heart health.
