Vegetarianism also known as Vegetarian Diet is the practice of avoiding food from animal sources and instead consuming plant sources of foods like fruits, grains, vegetables, legumes , nuts. However, there are various types of vegetarian diets based on the type of food present in the diet . They are :
- Lacto-ovo-vegetarian : In this type of diet, eggs and dairy products are included , but meat , poultry and fish are not included. According to the American Dietetic Association, most of the Americans fall under this category.
- Lacto-vegetarian : In this type of diet, dairy products are included in the diet but, fish, meat , poultry, eggs are excluded.
- Strich Vegetarian / Vegan : Animal products of any kind are excluded from this diet such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs and all dairy products.
- Semi-vegetarian : In this type of diet, people follow the general vegetarian diet but, occasionally consume poultry or fish but, strictly excludes red meat.
There is an old saying “You Are What You Eat ” – and I think this is the fact that it is the foods that maketh man.
In Earlier days, it was a myth amongst people that consuming meat will make them strong and also has a more nutritional value. So, believing this theory more and more people started consuming non-vegetarian diet. According to the new development in medical sciences, vegetarian diet is more closer to and is more useful for human nature. It is more scientific to human body. Because of this, now the trend is again changing. It is significant to note that nearly 10 million of Americans have adopted vegetarianism and still more and more people from various other countries are turning to vegetarians not only on the humanitarian grounds but, also on the medical grounds . Lots of research is being done on vegetarianism in last two decades .Adopting a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian diet pattern depends on various factors such as cultural or dietary habits of the family, personal preference , taste and avoidance of certain foods for health reasons.
Let us see the advantages for both , the vegetarian and non-vegetarian diet :
Advantages of vegetarian food :
- Non-vegetarian diet contains cholesterol and saturated fatty acids . These may cause problems such like coronary heart disease, strokes, eye disease ans high blood pressure. In vegetarians, this level is low due to a diet low in saturated and total fat and also due to large consumption of soy products. Soy products contain phsytochemicals thought to lower the cholesterol levels.
- In a non-vegetarian diet, only 60% of it’s content are useful and rest 40% have harmful and toxic products. Plant-foods are rich in nutrients and phytonutrients essential to good health.
- Non-vegetarian diet is very heavy for stomach and may produce acidity which may result in gastrointestinal diseases. On the other hand, vegetarian food is very easy to digest.
- Vegetarian food contains more fibers than the non-vegetarian ones. So, people consuming vegetarian diet rich in fiber have low incidence of diseases like coronary heart diseases, cancer of intestinal track, piles, constipation, diabetes, hernia, irritable bowel syndrome, dental caries gallstones and obesity.
- By consuming non-vegetarian diet there is a possibility that many disease producing organisms may travel into the human body. For example, bacteria known as salmonella typhimurium can travel into the human body by eating eggs, lead to diseases like , pneumonia , bronchitis . There is another bacteria called Bovine Spongi which may cause Mad Cow and Encephalopathy disease by consuming non-vegetarian foods. These bacteria belong to the class of typhoid producing organisms.
- Vegetarians should take care to include soybeans, groundnuts, lentils, mushrooms and so on to get a sufficient supply of proteins.
- Vegetarian foods are easily chewable especially for elderly who have lost their teeth.
Advantages of Non-vegetarian food :
- Non-vegetarian foods are rich in proteins of high biological values and especially in B12 which is not available in plant foods.
- Iron is more easily absorbed from animals (heme iron) sources. Non heme iron is found in certain plant foods such as beans and lentils but, tends to require a larger amount in order to meet the recommended iron levels.
- Fish that contain Omega -3 fatty acids provide wide variety of health functions such as Heart and Circulatory health, support healthy joints, optimize brain function, fights the effects of premature aging, help with menopausal symptoms and many more.
- Eating plant-based foods prepared in the unhealthy ways such as deep fried vegetables or healthy foods topped with lots of cheese , sour cream or butter can be just as unhealthy as eating fatty animal-based foods.
- Egg-white is a good source of protein and easily digested.
It should be emphasized that a well-balanced non-vegetarian diet also can provide similar health benefits as the vegetarian. So, no expert can conclusively state that a vegetarian diet is better for a person’s health than a non-vegetarian diet. Surveys show that vegetarians are more likely than non-vegetarians to make lifestyle choices that promote health, including not smoking, exercising regularly and avoiding excessive consumption of alcohol. These lifestyle choices may have as great or greater an influence on a vegetarian’s good health as dietary choices themselves. So, whichever food you have , the basic line remains the same and that is :
Good nutrition is getting the right balance of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins plus the required minerals and proteins and also a lot of phytochemicals and antioxidants.
