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Vegetarianism - Insight into a healthy lifestyle.
by Aurora Rose 8/20/04
I love being a vegetarian! And I’m not alone. Did you know that approximately ten million vegetarians live in North America alone? It’s a staggering number, but many people are confused about vegetarianism, its advocates and its benefits. This article will provide some insight into the movement, explaining both the basics, as well as the motivation behind it. It will also explore some common misconceptions about the vegetarian diet and vegetarians themselves. Finally, it will explain why it’s great to be a vegetarian.
First, I shall begin with an explanation of the terms of vegetarianism. There is often confusion regarding the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan. Both vegans and vegetarians do not consume anything that was once an animal, including chicken, beef, pork and fish. They don’t eat anything that has been prepared in or with meat, such as vegetable soup with a beef base, even in the absence of actual pieces of meat. They would not eat a food such as marshmallows, which contains the animal product gelatin. The difference between vegetarians and vegans involves dairy products. A vegetarian will consume dairy products such as milk and cheese, items that come from an animal but was not the animal. A vegan, on the other hand, will not eat dairy foods or anything that came from an animal at all, even if the animal wasn’t slaughtered to produce it. Though these are the black and white definitions of vegetarians and vegans, many people fall within these categories to varying degrees. Some people eat only certain types of meat. A very common deviation includes those who are vegetarian save for the consumption of fish.
"Why did you become a vegetarian?" I can’t count the number of times I’ve been asked this question, and my reasons are simple. For lack of more eloquent words, eating meat was always a little "gross" to me. It simply felt... wrong. I never thought of meat as simply meat, an arbitrary word, but instead of what it actually was: a deceased animal. Though this may appear harsh, it is reality, and it constantly nagged at my conscience. I had trouble differentiating those animals from my beloved pets: my cat, my birds, my fish. Thus, I always believed I would become a vegetarian, but I didn’t feel ready. Then one day, approximately five years ago, after twenty-one years of eating every type of meat, I completely stopped. I haven’t had another piece of meat since.
Another large part of my decision to became a vegetarian stemmed from the cruel treatment of most slaughtered animals. The conditions of animals bred for food can be summed up in one word: horrifying. Many live in miniscule cages with no room to move, and are fed hormones and extra food to force them to gain excessive amounts of weight. When the newspapers report animal cruelty to a cat or a dog, people are aghast, yet most do not realize much worse is being done legally and habitually by meat producers.
I am also often asked whether it is difficult to become a vegetarian. It was difficult becoming a vegetarian - for exactly one month. When I first became a vegetarian, I must admit that I was constantly plagued by doubts, unsure of whether I could actually carry it out. Every other thought in my mind was "I’ll never eat that again, I’ll never eat this again." For a month, this persisted, and then, just as suddenly as my conversion to vegetarianism had been, the longings disappeared and the doubts vanished. I accepted and gloried in the fact that this was now who I was, and I loved it. Perhaps, it was because I always told myself I could go back, whether for one bite or forever, whether it happened three days from when I began or ten years later. I never did and never will put that limit on myself. However, I don’t believe I will ever go back.
That is why I became a vegetarian, however other people possess completely different reasons. Some simply dislike the taste of meat. For others, it is a matter of religion or custom. Some have been raised that way and know no other. Still more become vegetarians for entirely different reasons altogether. Some are vegetarians for months, some for years, some forever. Some start as children, some as adults. These facts lead to the first of the misconceptions regarding vegetarianism I would like to address: the stereotypes.
Some believe that to be a vegetarian, you have to be an extremist, a "tree-hugging" hippie who rebels against mainstream society. That could not be further from the truth. Vegetarians can be found in nearly every facet of our population. We are liberal and conservative, rich and poor, young and old. We come from a variety of different backgrounds and incomparable circumstances. Of course, certain people may be more likely to become vegetarians than others, however, you could no easier classify us into a stereotype than any other demographic group.
Another great misconception about vegetarians is that our diet is naturally lacking, depriving us of the basic vitamins and minerals necessary for a healthy lifestyle. Protein, or lack thereof, is inescapably mentioned. In truth, however, the opposite is true - a vegetarian is often more likely than a non-vegetarian to have a healthy diet. Regarding the protein issue: Most people fail to realize that a variety of food contains protein, from breads to nuts to dairy. Vegetarian sources of protein are abound, and few suffer from too little of this. On the other hand, however, most Americans are not utilizing the powerful, life-lengthening strengths of another category of food: fruits and vegetables. Formidable opponents of cancer, soldiers against killer heart disease and countless other ailments, fruits and vegetables are the kings and queens of the nutritional monarchy. Time and time again, studies have proven their worth, their ability to stave off disease, yet the vast majority of Americans do not have the minimum suggested allotment. Vegetarians are more likely to have the required amount of these essential nutrients. In addition, many types of meat, such as red meat and fatty pork, are decidedly unhealthy, and carry negative health consequences in themselves. Also, many cases of food poisoning occur from meat products.
Another misconception about vegetarianism is that the food is necessarily boring and tasteless. Many people have the impression that my diet consists primarily of lettuce, an assumption that could not be further from the truth. From the simple to the sophisticated, vegetarian dishes can be both flavorful and delicious, healthy and succulent. If you crave the taste of meat, you can choose from a variety of alternative vegetarian "meat" meals, some of which could fool even a meat eater. From fake salmon to fake burgers to fake chicken to everything in between, the options are endless. In almost every restaurant, there exists at least one vegetarian dish. In no way are vegetarians deprived of good food.
Vegetarianism has many great benefits. In addition to the health benefits mentioned above, it is far better for the Earth. Numerous studies have shown it is more effective and efficient to feed vegetarians than meat-eaters. Think of it this way: Animals that are slaughtered are usually mature, and have been fed and kept alive for years. Many acres of land are dedicated to providing the feed for these animals. If that land were instead utilized to grow crops for humans, many more people could be fed in the same amount of land. Vegetarianism is beneficial for the Earth, for animals, and for people, too. It’s an individual decision, but it can be a great one. As I began: I love being a vegetarian!
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