What exactly does being a vegetarian mean? Vegetarianism is the personal practice of eating a diet comprising generally or entirely of foodstuffs that originate from plant sources (such as grains, nuts, fruit and vegetables). A vegetarian can therefore generally be described as someone who does not consume meat, fish, poultry or any slaughterhouse by-product such as gelatin - principally for moral, religious, political or health reasons. Environmentalism and vegetarianism are also often practised together. That being said, vegetarians are sometimes sub-classified by the variety of foods they are or aren't willing to eat. Obviously, vegetarian diets vary widely and there are a wide range of different kinds of vegetarians. Semi-vegetarians The health challenge! © Specialist Supplements Ltd 2011  Ovo-vegetarians In this case, the eating regimen includes eggs, but excludes dairy products. Ethical motives for excluding dairy products include concerns with the industrial practices. As an example, the practice of trying to keep a cow continuously pregnant to enable her to lactate and the slaughter of unwanted male calves. Additional fears include the customary practice of isolating the mother from her calf and denying the calf its natural source of milk. This contrasts with the industrial practices surrounding egg-laying hens, which create eggs for human intake without being fertilized. However, ovo-vegetarians frequently choose free-range eggs, particularly those generated by uncaged hens. Those who practice ovo vegetarianism are called ovo-vegetarians or "eggetarians”. Lacto-vegetarian A lacto vegetarian (oftentimes referred to as a lactarian) dietary regimen comprises dairy products (such as milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter, cream etc), but excludes eggs. Lacto-vegetarians also avoid cheeses that have animal rennet and yoghurts that have gelatin. The principal reasoning behind lacto-vegetarianism comes from ancient India and was traditionally founded on faith. Even today, lacto-vegetarian eating habits tend to be popular with followers of Eastern religious customs such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism. The key belief guiding a lacto-vegetarian diet is the law of ahimsa, or non-violence. Ovo-lacto vegetarian An ovo-lacto vegetarian (or lacto-ovo vegetarian) is a vegetarian who does not eat animal flesh of any sort, but is willing to eat dairy and egg products. This form of vegetarianism, as with the rest, is often encouraged by moral issues. Nevertheless, the inclusion of dairy and egg products is accepted on the basis that they do not involve the slaughter of the animals. In the Western world, ovo-lacto vegetarians are the most common type of vegetarian. Normally, when the phrase “vegetarian” is used, an ovo-lacto vegetarian is assumed. Vegan Veganism is the personal choice not to use or eat animal products. A vegan diet accordingly excludes all animal products, including eggs, dairy and even honey. Additionally, veganism is apt also to exclude animal products even where these don't require the loss of life of the animal (e . g . wool). In contrast, the majority of vegetarians simply do not wear clothes made of leather, fur or any type of animal product which necessitated the harming of the animal. Ethical vegans decline the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians remove them from their diet only. The word “vegan” was coined in England in 1944 by Donald Watson, co-founder of the British Vegan Society, to mean "non-dairy vegetarian"; the society likewise rejected the use of eggs as food. It extended its definition in 1951 to mean "the doctrine that man should live without exploiting animals," and in 1960 H. Jay Dinshah started the American Vegan Society, linking veganism to the Jainist concept of ahimsa, the avoidance of violence against living things. The Vegetarian Society The Vegetarian Society is an educational charity, said to be “working to support, represent and increase the number of vegetarians in the UK”. Established in 1847, it is the earliest vegetarian organisation in the world. Diet and supplementation If you are a vegetarian or vegan, you will no doubt appreciate how hard it can be to be sure that you are getting all of the vitamins, minerals and nutrients that you need every day. Plant-based eating regimes present specific health challenges that ought to be borne in mind by those adopting these lifestyles. For example, they often times have a notably low intake of protein (unsurprisingly), vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, iron, zinc and Omega 3 fatty acids. Additionally, there are specific nutrients (most notably B12), which are observed generally in animal-based products or don't seem to be assimilated by the body as effectively in their plant form. Step one The first thing to do is to make an effort to plan a healthy and well-balanced eating plan, which recognises both the positive aspects and the possible issues of a vegetarian or vegan way of life. Vitamin and other health supplements can offer additional support to anyone finding it too difficult to maintain the required amount of calories and/or protein. For example, meal replacement powders and protein powders are good ways to increase the nutritional content of a vegetarian or vegan diet. Step two The second step is to monitor your weight. A common problem is that, often, vegetarians and vegans do not take in adequate calories or protein to keep up their weight. Again, if your are finding it an effort to satisfy these requirements through food, dietary supplementation (through meal replacements, protein powders or vitamin supplements) may be able to assist. Step three The third step is to keep fit and exercise regularly. Vegetarian and vegan diets can be wonderfully healthy, but care should be taken to ensure optimum nutritional content. Plant-based eating regimes can pose specific health challenges. For example, they often have a very low protein content and tend to lack vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, iron, zinc and Omega 3  fatty acids. There are also specific nutrients (most notably B12), which are normally found in animal-based products or don't seem to be absorbed by the body as effectively in their plant form. Semi-vegetarian diet plans consist mainly of vegetarian foods, but can also include fish, poultry or other meats on an infrequent basis. These vegetarians will usually define "meat" only as mammalian flesh. A pescetarian diet, for instance, is said to feature fish, but not meat and so they clearly believe there to be a distinction between the two. The common confusion between such diets and true vegetarianism has led vegetarian organizations (for instance the Vegetarian Society - see below) to confirm that diets made up of these foods are not, strictly speaking, vegetarian given that fish and birds are animals. This is an information site only [Own Label Products] [Specialist Supplements] [Web Design Service] [Organic Products] [Vitamins and Minerals] [Health Supplements UK] [Protein Shakes] [Meal Replacement Powders] [Vegetarian and Vegan Health Supplements] [Home] [Healthy Living] [Balanced Diet] [Juicing] [Living and Raw Foods] [Detoxification] [Organic Living] [Food Additives and Preservatives] [Food Form Supplements] [Other Products] [Superfoods] [Vegetarians] [Sitemap]