Vegetarian

There are many motivations that drive people to adopt a vegetarian diet, but the chief ones are health issues, religious preferences, concern for the well-being of animals, and concern for the environment. Many people also cite cultural, ethical, aesthetic, economic, and taste preference reasons for choosing to be a vegetarian.

The levels of vegetarianism

There are varying levels of vegetarianism:

• a vegan excludes all animal derived products, including honey and gelatin.
• a strict vegetarian eats no animal products, including dairy
• a lacto-ovo vegetarian adds milk and egg products to the diet
• a semi-vegetarian adds occasional animal sources of food
• a pesci-vegetarian (or pescetarian) is a kind of semi-vegetarian who restricts the non vegetarian foods to fish (and not poultry)

The history of vegetarianism is long but not uninterrupted. In the 6th century BCE, the ancient Greek civilization in Greece and in southern Italy chose nonviolence toward animals on religious and philosophical grounds, and adopted a vegetarian diet. But the practice disappeared, and vegetarianism did not reemerge as a common dietary choice until the 19th century. Vegetarianism is on the rise in contemporary America, largely because of nutritional, ethical, and environmental concerns. Still, recent surveys put the number of true vegetarians at less than three percent of the U.S. population.

Although some may fear the nutritional hazards of a vegetarian diet, the fact is that vegetarians enjoy greater longevity, better health, and lower risks of cancer and certain chronic diseases. According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), "Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals.".