Vegetarianism

why am i devoting an entire section of my web site to vegetarianism?  because the web page is glimpses into my life.  and part of my life is the fact that i am a semi-vegetarian.

definitions from Merriam-Webster's Deluxe Dictionary

veg·e·tar·i·an (ve-j&-'ter-E-&n)

Etymology: ²vegetable + -arian

noun (1839) —1:  one who believes in or practices vegetarianism; 2:  herbivore

adjective (1849)—1:  of or relating to vegetarians; 2: consisting wholly of vegetables, fruits,   and sometimes eggs or dairy products <a vegetarian diet>

veg·e·tar·i·an·ism (ve-j&-'ter-E-&-ni-z&m)

noun (circa 1851): the theory or practice of living on a diet made up of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and sometimes eggs or dairy products

apparently, the belief is that the word is based on the word "vegetable."  i read (in Vegetables Rock! to be precise) that it's actually from the Latin word vegetare, meaning "to enliven.  i like that better, so that's what i'm sticking to.

types of vegetarianism

commonly known as the vegetarian hierarchy

contrary to popular belief, there are a few different types/levels of vegetarians in the food chain.

      meat restrictor:  this is a person who may or may not be considered a vegetarian depending upon who you ask.  although when you think about it, all non-vegan (see below) vegetarians are technically meat restrictors.  a meat restrictor is often someone making the transition to vegetarianism that has begun by reducing the amount of meat they eat.  most frequently, red meat is the first thing to go.

      pesco-pollo vegetarian (sometimes called semi-vegetarians):  this is another that is not often considered to be a vegetarian.  pesco-pollo vegetarians have given up all but poultry and seafood.

      semi-vegetarian (also referred to as pescovegetarians/pescetarians, lacto-icthyo vegetarians):  this group is not usually viewed as vegetarians because they still consume fish, shellfish, and other types of seafood.

·        vegetarian (also referred to as lacto-ovo/ovo-lacto vegetarians):  the people in this group are considered by many to be “true” vegetarians.  the lacto-ovo diet contains no meat, but still includes eggs and dairy products.  this is the most common form of vegetarianism in the western world.

¨      lacto-vegetarian:  the lacto-vegetarian includes dairy products.

¨      ovo-vegetarian:  the ovo-vegetarian includes eggs.

Ø      vegan:  the vegan is often seen as the top of the vegetarian food chain.  no animal products are included in the vegan diet; usually, vegans do not use any product with animal-derived ingredients (such as wool, leather, honey, certain soaps, some candies, and many commercial cosmetics to name a few examples).

reasons people make the switch

i performed a sort of informal poll:  i asked people (most of whom i didn’t know from the holes in my nose, mind you) whether or not they were vegetarians, and if they were, what made them switch to a vegetarian diet.  i’m listing the answers i got by order of popularity.

health—this is the reason i hear most often.  this got separated into a bunch of subcategories/specific rationales (listed in no particular order because i sometimes forgot to ask people).

      weight loss—granted, i don’t really advocate using vegetarianism as a diet aid.  but i’ve noticed that i’ve lost a little weight since i stopped eating meat.  but i’ve also recently stopped smoking and started actively exercising.

      cancer—a vegetarian diet has been proven to drastically reduce one’s susceptibility to some types of cancer

      heart disease—because of the fact that vegetarian diets are low in (if not completely void of) cholesterol and high in fiber, heart disease becomes a rarity.

      diet-related (type II) diabetes—vegetarian diets tend to be high in carbohydrates and fiber which lowers blood sugar levels

      high blood pressure—i don’t know why it works, but it does.

      cholesterol—there isn’t cholesterol in plants.  it’s only found in animal-based foods (meat, dairy, eggs, fish, etc.)

      food poisoning (including food-borne illnesses like e. coli and goddess knows what else)

      dislike taste/aesthetically displeasing—this is where i fit in.  i pretty much stopped eating meat because i don’t really like it (granted, kicking my chicken habit has been pretty rough).  i find that a lot of people don’t want to see, smell, or touch the stuff.

      animal rights—anyone who’s seen slaughterhouse photos completely understands.  it’s pretty gruesome.  in my experiences, i find that animal rights activists are usually vegans.

      religious and/or cultural beliefs—lots of religions advocate a vegetarian lifestyle.  i’m including a partial list here (full list with specific articles can be found here on the International Vegetarian Union website):

      Buddhism

      Christian - Christianity

      Hindu / Hare Krishna / Sikh / Jain

      Jewish – Judaism

      Muslim - Islam

      personal beliefs—this is where the straightedge kids fit.

      concern for the environment—world hunger sucks.  the amount of resources needed to make a single steak would feed twelve people—do the math.  that, and we’re rapidly depleting the planet’s natural resources.  more so just to make a burger.

      coolness—i got this answer most often when i asked kids at the mall.  apparently, it’s cool not to eat meat.  i did a little digging and i’m finding that a lot of bands are vegetarian or have vegetarian members (more on that in the future).

site navigation

           the perils of internet dating (coming soon)

          am i pretty on the inside?

       part one:  getting through the day

       part two:  surviving at a show

       part three:  minding the monsters