Vegetarianism: For and Against

Vegetarianism: for and against

Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes all animal flesh, including poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustaceans, and slaughter by-products. A generic term for both Vegetarianism and Veganism as well as for similar diets is "Plant-based diets". There are variations that admit dairy products, eggs and/or products from animal labor such as honey. The following table includes the most common types of Vegetarianism.

Diet Name Meat (including fish and poultry) Eggs Diary Honey

Ovo-lacto Vegetarianism No Yes Yes Yes

Lacto Vegetarianism No No Yes Yes

Ovo vegetarianism No Yes No Yes

Veganism No No No No

The earliest records of vegetarianism as a concept and practice amongst a significant amount of people concern ancient India and the ancient Greek civilization in southern Italy and in Greece. In both instances the diet was closely connected with the idea of nonviolence towards animals and was promoted by religious groups and philosophers. Following the Christianization of the Roman Empire in late antiquity, vegetarianism practically disappeared from Europe. Several orders of monks in medieval Europe restricted or banned the consumption of meat for ascetic reasons, but none of them eschewed fish. So these monks were not vegetarians, but some of them were pescetarians (the person will not eat the flesh of any animal except for seafood). Vegetarianism was to reemerge somewhat in Europe during the Renaissance. It became a more widespread practice in the 19th and 20th centuries.

In 1847 the first Vegetarian Society was founded in England; Germany, the Netherlands and other countries followed. The International Vegetarian Union, a union of the national societies, was founded in 1908. In the Western world, the popularity of vegetarianism grew during the 20th century as a result of nutritional, ethical, and more recently, environmental and economic concerns. Today, Indian vegetarians, primarily lacto vegetarians, are estimated to make up more than 70% of the world's vegetarians.

They make up 20–42% of the population in India, while less than 30% are regular meat-eaters. Surveys in the U.S. have found that roughly 1–2.8% of adults eat no meat, poultry, or fish.

There are several reasons why people might choose a Vegetarian lifestyle. Religion and spiritual reasons are two of those.

In Hinduism vegetarianism is thought to be the norm. Three principles justify this. One: that they do not harm animals. Two: that they only offer a deity pure food. Three: their belief holds that non-vegetarian food is harmful for the mind.

In Buddhism only the monks are advised to be vegetarian, however even they can accept meat if it is offered to them. Non-monks can eat whatever they choose to.

In Jainism, just like in Hinduism, vegetarianism is the ideal diet, they firmly believe in an all-round non-violence towards animals; this includes not eating underground-growing vegetables because they might harm small animals when the root is pulled up.

In Sikhism there is no strict rule about one’s diet. The Gurus only recommend a simple meal, but this could include meat. The Sikhs however are prohibited from eating any ritually slaughtered meat (Kutha, Halal) because they believed slaughtering an animal in the name of God is simple ritualism that should be avoided.

In Judaism there is a strict rule which type of meat can be consumed. Only special types of mammals are permitted to be slaughtered in a manner that minimizes their suffering.

In Islam only “halal” meat is allowed (meat that is slaughtered by Islamic standards). Vegetarianism is not common in Islam because the consumption of meat is connected to the religious sacrificing of animals. However, one is allowed to abstain from meat-eating if so.

In Christianity vegetarianism is not common however there are numerous indications in the Bible that Jesus for example was vegetarian. In the Old Testament before the fall of men both animals and humans were vegetarian.

Other reason why people choose vegetarianism these days is health care.

Evidence suggests that vegetarians are generally healthier and live longer than non-vegetarians. They have lower rates of coronary heart disease, obesity, hypertension, and some forms of cancer. Vegetarian diets tend to be rich in carbohydrates, dietary fiber, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium and magnesium. They are generally low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein.

The study found that the