Virtually vegetarian!

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Being a vegetarian is still something of a talk killer, even in today’s health-conscious society. – What are you eating then? He mumbles softly while images of exquisite meat patties are tossed aside on green salads at the next dinner.

Vegetarianism has shown a slight decline over the past decade, although statistics show that many people have been vegetarians at some point in their lives. But overall, the vegetarian lifestyle is still as popular as ever, as shown by the growing range of vegetarian products and meat substitutes entering the market.

While vegetarian terms may seem confusing at first, the concept of these terms is actually easy to follow.

Lacto-Lacto – Most people will think of lacto when they hear the term vegetarian. The term refers to people who do not eat fish or meat, but eat dairy products and eggs.

Ovo – This term refers to vegetarians who eat eggs but will not consume any dairy products in their diet.

Lacto – Refers to a person who will not eat meat or eggs in their diet, but will eat dairy products.

Vegans – Vegans are the strictest form of vegetarians because they don’t eat any animal products or by-products.

Semi – The term semi-vegetarian has become more and more popular with the advent of the so-called “trendy diet”. This category is for people who want to try a vegetarian lifestyle but still like the occasional burger.

Many vegetarians choose this lifestyle not only for its health benefits, but also because of their belief against animal cruelty, and associations such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) now defend animal rights.

Before the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle were well documented, we assumed vegetarians were bland, skinny, pale creatures, but with many famous celebrities such as Pamela Anderson, Paul McCartney, and Alicia Silverstone touting the benefits, this attitude has gained a more positive outlook. metamorphosis.

Vegetarians can suffer from a deficiency of iron, protein, vitamin B, and calcium if they do not balance their diet. But a little education and knowledge of vegetarian sources should ensure that this doesn’t happen. Protein is easy to find by eating nuts, seeds, tofu, vegetable burgers, and grains. Vitamin B2 can be found by eating green leafy vegetables, almonds, and mushrooms, and many vegetarian products are now fortified with Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D to help prevent any deficiencies that may occur. Calcium can be found in tofu, green leafy vegetables, dried fruit, watercress, and many soy milk in the market are fortified with calcium.

Eating out can also be a problem as many restaurants still have few vegetarian options and some vegetarian items may be more expensive than their meat counterparts.

The upside to being a vegetarian is that you don’t have to worry about raising your cholesterol by eating too much red meat. Studies have also found that many vegetarians suffer less from obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type II diabetes, diet-related cancers, constipation, and gallstones.

Even if you don’t accept the vegetarian lifestyle wholeheartedly, trying a vegetarian meal from time to time certainly won’t hurt.

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Source by Michelle Tupy