What is vegetarianism?

Vegetarianism is generally defined as a diet that excludes meat of any kind, including beef, pork, chicken and fish. Some vegetarians eat animal products such as dairy, eggs and honey. Many vegetarians also avoid using leather.

The word ‘vegetarian’ comes from the Latin term ‘vegetus’. It means ‘whole, sound, fresh and lively’.

Types of vegetarianism:

• Lacto-ovo vegetarianism: A diet that excludes meat, poultry and fish, but includes eggs, dairy products and honey. This is a common form of vegetarianism.
• Lacto vegetarianism: A diet that excludes meat, poultry, fish and eggs. It includes dairy products and honey.
• Ovo vegetarianism: A diet that excludes meat, poultry, fish and dairy products, but includes eggs and honey.
• Semi vegetarianism: A diet that excludes certain meats (most often red meat) but may contain other types of meat on occasion, such as fish and poultry. It also includes diary products, eggs and honey.
• Pollotarianism: A diet that excludes all meat except poultry. Also includes eggs, dairy products and honey.
• Pescetarianism: A diet that excludes all meats except fish and shellfish. It includes eggs, dairy products and honey.
• Su vegetarianism: A diet that excludes all meat and fetid vegetables (onions, garlic, shallots, scallions, leeks, etc). It has its origins in Buddhism.
• Flexitarianism: A mostly vegetarian diet that allows occasional exceptions.

Why Vegetarian?

Most people become vegetarian for health, ethical, environmental or spiritual reasons. Most of the time it’s a combination of these factors that prompt someone to become vegetarian. Click below to read more:

• For your health
• For the animals
• For our planet

Spiritual or religious reasons for becoming vegetarian include the Hindu concept of Ahimsa. Ahimsa is a Sanskrit word that can be translated as ‘dynamic harmlessness’. It’s a philosophy that encourages people to avoid harming others by avoiding certain foods, being considerate of others and actively doing good.

There are also other religious groups who promote vegetarianism, like Seventh-day Adventists, Hindus and Jains.

The history of vegetarianism:

Modern vegetarianism has a relatively short history and only really began to take root in the 1800s. The first meeting of the UK Vegetarian Society was held in 1847 and attracted 140 members. By the 1880s there were numerous vegetarian restaurants in London.

However, during the early 20th century many vegetarians were persuaded to eat meat and dairy. This was because the increased focus on nutrition in western medical science led doctors to believe that we needed the vitamins and minerals found in meat and dairy.

Thankfully this research continued on and it is now widely accepted that a varied plant-based diet has all we need in terms of nutrition and can also help to prevent disease. It has also been proven that meat and dairy aren’t the nutritional powerhouses they were once thought to be. 

Even though our concept of vegetarianism is a recent one, the idea of living mostly on a plant-based diet dates back to the times of Plato (c. 423 - 347 BC). He is quoted to have said:

“The gods created certain kinds of beings to replenish our bodies… they are the trees and the plants and the seeds”.

Notable vegetarians:

Many well-known thinkers and artists have been vegetarian. Here are a few you might know of:

• Plato
• Gandhi
• Alanis Morrissette
• John Lennon
• Pythagoras
• Ringo Starr
• Elle Macpherson
• Leonardo Da Vinci
• Jim Carrey
• Orlando Bloom
• Russell Brand
• Christina Applegate
• Kim Basinger
• Tom Cruise
• Michael Jackson
• Steve Martin
• Brooke Shields
• Jerry Seinfield
• George Bernard Shaw
• Franz Kafka
• Frederich Nietzsche
• Albert Einstein
• Peter Singer
• Plutarch

Hungry for more?

If you want to know more about vegetarianism or have a question, email me at sarahATtheveganmentorDOTcom or leave a comment on the blog.