Vegetarianism

To most people vegetarianism means the refraining of meat, primarily red meat, from personal consumption. Although the traditional vegetarian abstinence of red meat has grown into a group of varied lifestyles, little is known about them. To some people vegetarians are considered to be a drop out of the hippy era, or are labelled as "weird" or "feral". Because of the misinterpretations surrounding vegetarianism in society I am going to outline the various diets which are recognized as vegetarianism. I hope by writing this I can change some attitudes and misunderstandings, of the motivations behind the vegetarian lifestyles.

Plain vegetarianism; the first and most recognized is the general abstinence of red meat, some vegetarians see the consumption of white meats as acceptable, white meat includes fish, poultry and maybe even pork. They also consume dairy produce, eggs and any other form of animal produce used in their everyday lives. Vegetarians replace the red meat in their diets with vegetables, fruit and other vegetarian alternatives, these are usually processed foods made from either soya or gluten, there are also vegetarian burgers, which are made from formed vegetables.

One of the variations of the red meat vegetarian, which closely follows the above description, is the ovo-lacto vegetarianism diet, which finds diary produce and eggs acceptable but no meat at all. Not even white meat, some ovo-lacto vegetarians consider fish to be acceptable, this is because categorically speaking fish is not considered meat, it is still flesh, and in my opinion constitutes as meat. Another recognized version of vegetarianism is the lacto vegetarian kind. These vegetarians consider meat; red and white, to be unacceptable, they also abstain from eggs. Dairy products are also a part of the lacto vegetarian lifestyle, the lack of animal eggs in the diet of these vegetarians is made up in the form of egg replaces and even meat alternatives like tofu can be used to simulate some egg dishes.

Another path taken by vegetarians is the, pure vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Which includes the abstinence of meat of all kinds, dairy produce, eggs, and all edible animal produce. To some vegans the diet exceeds the boundaries of food and takes on a full-scale animal product boycott. This comes in the abstinence of leather, fur, wool, silk and any other animal product. Your probably thinking that doesn't leave a whole lot of choices as far as food is concerned. Well there is actually a growing market for vegan foods in super markets, as the benefits of soya and gluten become more recognized. From soy milk to vegan sausage rolls to vegan pizza made with vegan cheese, its all there; and it all tastes, smells and looks just like the original, yet these alternatives are free of cholesterol and any animal products.

The most disciplined vegetarian choice is the whole food vegetarian, which is based on the vegan diet, but which takes it to the extreme of abstaining from all highly processed foods: i.e. white bread, white sugar, white rice etc. They rely almost solely on nutrients from whole foods; fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, wholemeal and wholegrain foods, soy produce and sometimes gluten based foods, such as vegan burgers. Some vegans tend to lean towards this diet, but usually still use some foods which include processed flours or sugars. Although for health reasons it is always good to make use of wholemeal or wholegrain alternatives rather then more processed types of food. Most people don't actually base their entire diet around it due to the high discipline required.

Of course these are just a handful of recognized vegetarian diets, there are no strict guidelines for being a vegetarian. The discipline involved in the diet is really up to the person, there are many motivations for vegetarianism, everyone finds their own, and depending on your personal reasons the extent of your diet will be reflected. Some people may take price into consideration, a vegan diet can tend to be expensive at times, and it mainly depends on the availability of products in your area. But here are some of the easiest to come by in any area, more so because of lactose intolerance then vegetarianism, but they serve the same purpose, in most cases.

Ð'* Whole foods - Fresh vegetables and fruits, are essential to any diet, especially a vegetarian diet, unless you want to take loads of vitamin supplements for the rest of your vegetarian life (not recommended)

Ð'* Vitamins - Depending on how far you decide to take your vegetarianism, you will need vitamins.

Ð'* Tofu - A preferred and cheap food for vegetarians, which is a soy bean curd, available in an unflavoured block it also comes seasoned, smoked, stuffed with vegetable chunks, deep fried, in both soft and firm textures, tofu also comes in flavoured deserts. Usually Tofu comes in a white almost colourless texture and is kept wet for preservation in an airtight plastic bag. It is cheap and easy to cook and use, tofu is on its own almost tasteless and takes on a taste of whatever its cooked with well.

Ð'* Soy Milk - An alternative made from the soya bean, it almost tastes just as dairy milk does, the only difference is a nutty, creamier taste. It is also slightly higher in fat then dairy milk, but it contains no cholesterol, but if you are concerned about your weight, consider low fat soy milk. Another factor to keep in mind is the fortification of the milk, be sure to get milk which is fortified with at least calcium, you can usually find soy milk which is fortified in calcium and at least vitamins A and B1

Ð'* TVP; Textured Vegetable Protein - This is a vegan safe alternative to mince meat, and it can be used in many different ways, in vegetarian pasta sauce it makes a big difference. It comes in a de-hydrated form and is mixed with hot water to create the desired effect of mince, although it doesn't carry the taste of blood that you find in normal mince. TVP can sometimes be found in refined styles which are especially used for sausage rolls, chicken nuggets etc.

Ð'* Gluten Meat Alternatives - These come in various mock products and foods, some of the best known are the hot dog alternatives, there are also burgers, sausages, various stir fry "meats" and a large amount of meat slices, which are seasoned etc. A lot of gluten meat alternatives are only suitable for ovo-vegetarians, or vegetarians that eat eggs.

One of the biggest motivations for a vegetarian change to a meat eater's diet is the health implication. Vegetarian diets are amongst the healthiest that you can ever choose to undertake, by avoiding meat you are reducing your risk of several health problems which may occur in both