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Vegetarianism is a dietary practice excluding all body parts of any animal and products derived from animals (e.g. lard, tallow, gelatin, cochineal) from one's diet. Many contemporary vegetarian diets include some honey as well as milk and other dairy products, and some include eggs.
Different practices of vegetarianism include:
Religious dietary restrictions come in many forms and are sometimes compatible with the secular terminology; see below.
The following are not generally considered vegetarianism:
Use of the term vegetarian to include the eating of some types of animals is misleading. Some consider these errors inconsequential and feel, perhaps for lack of a better word, that they can best define themselves as "vegetarian" despite eating some meat. The resulting erosion of the traditional terminology can be pernicious, however, as any traditional vegetarian who has been expected to eat a dish because it "only contains a little meat" (or "is just fish") can readily attest.
Before 1847, when the word "vegetarian" was officially set to refer to someone who refuses to consume flesh of any kind, vegetarians were often referred to as "Pythagoreans". The use of the word "vegetarian" was decided at the 1847 meeting of the first Vegetarian Society meeting in Ramsgate, England.
A majority of the world's vegetarians follow the practice for religious reasons. Many religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and especially Jainism, teach that ideally life should always be valued and not willfully destroyed for unnecessary human gratification.
Jews, Christians and Moslems are all left with the biblical ideal of the "Garden of Eden" diet, which from all appearances is strictly vegan (cf. Gen. 1:29, 9:2-4; Is. 11:6-9). However, only minorities within these populations actually practice and advocate such strict diets, since the same book of the Bible, Genesis, later gives permission to Noah's descendants to consume animal flesh, but not without great suffering simultaneously administered to all creatures: "The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea" (Gen. 9:2). Suffice to say, the Judeo-Christian God's permission for humankind to eat meat was not an unmixed or otherwise "unqualified" blessing. It was a concession, with penalties--not the least of which was, most probably, a dramatically decreased life expectancy (see Gen. 6:3). (Noah's great-grandfather, Methuselah, is famously reported as having lived an amazing 969 years, prior to the dawn of God-authorized human meat-eating.)
In the Bible, the Book of Genesis teaches that human beings were originally vegetarian, but that later, following the Deluge, God permitted people to eat meat as well. Many Judeo-Christian vegetarians interpret this to mean that God originally intended human beings to be vegetarians, and that people would do well to be vegetarians, even though meat-eating is permitted. Additionally, some Biblical prophecy suggests that in the Messianic age, there will be universal vegetarianism, even among normally carnivorous animals. (For example, Isaiah 11:7 says, "The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.")
Rabbinical Judaism discourages ascetic practices in general. With respect to food, this teaching may be summarized by the Talmudic statement, "Man will have to account for everything he saw but did not eat." To Jewish vegetarians wishing to remain consistent with this teaching, vegetarianism is not a form of self-deprivation, because the vegetarian does not desire to eat meat and believes it is healthier not to eat meat. On the other hand, the Talmud discourages indulgence and states that it is preferable that one's diet consist mostly of non-meat products. There are several arguments from Judaism used by Jewish vegetarians. One is that, since Adam and Eve were not allowed to eat meat and that, according to some opinions, in the Messianic era, the whole world will be vegetarian, not eating meat is something that brings the world closer to that ideal. A second one is that the laws of shechita are meant to prevent the suffering of animals and today, with factory farming, even kosher slaughterhouses are considered by some authorities not to fulfil enough of the requirements to render the meat kosher. A third one is that the Sages only mandated eating an olive's bulk of meat during festivals, but even then, this was because in Talmudic times, meat was considered essential for one's diet (whereas a vegetarian will probably be of the opinion that current science has shown otherwise).
In Christianity, Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Romans that although he himself ate meat, the choice to eat meat or abstain from meat should be a matter of personal conviction: "The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him." (Romans 14:3) Several Christian monastic groups have encouraged vegetarianism, including the Desert Fathers, Trappists, Benedictines, and Carthusians. Some Protestant groups, such as Seventh-day Adventists, take a literal interpretation of the Biblical prophecies of universal vegetarianism and encourage vegetarians as a preferred though not required lifestyle. In the nineteenth century, members of the Bible Christian sect established the first vegetarian groups in England and the United States.
Islam explicitly permits the eating of some kinds of meat. The hadith collection of al-Nasa'i recounts an episode wherein several of Mohammed's companions wish to practice various ascetic practices including sexual abstinence, vegetarianism, and extreme fasting, and Mohammed rebukes them all. Since in Islam, it is forbidden to forbid that which is permitted, a Muslim may choose to be a vegetarian, but only as an aesthetic or ethical consideration and not as a religious duty.
Rastafarians generally follow a diet called "I-tal", which eschews the eating of food that has been artificially preserved, flavoured, or chemically altered in any way. Many Rastafarians consider it to also forbid the eating of meat.
Hindus of certain castes are forbidden from consuming anything gained at the expense of an animal's suffering: e.g. meat, eggs, animal byproducts such as rennet and gelatin (including gelatin capsules) and honey. The milk of cows, buffalo and goats as well as dairy products (other than cheese containing rennet) are acceptable, as milk is given willingly. Leather from cows who have died of natural causes is acceptable. (Note: The diet of the orthodox Hindu also excludes alcohol, as well as "overly-stimulating" foods such as onions and garlic.)
In Chinese societies, "simple eating" (素食 su4shi2) refers to a particular restricted diet associated with Taoist monks, and sometimes practiced by members of the general population during Taoist festivals. It is referred to by the English word "vegetarian"; however, though it rejects meat, eggs and milk, this diet does include oysters and oyster products.
Many Westerners think that Buddhist precept against killing implies that Buddhist should avoid eating the meat of animals. However, this is to miss the distinction between killing of animal and eating of already dead meat. And during the Buddha's time, there was no general rule requiring monks to refrain from eating meat. In Pali scriptures there are several recorded instance of Buddha eating meat, though whether Buddha died from eating tainted pork is disputed. In fact, at one point the Buddha specifically refused to make such a rule, declaring that one can eat meat as long as one do not hear, see or suspect that meat is specifically killed for oneselves. And these rules were invoked in relation to commercial purchase of meat in an episode involving General Shia. Buddha also stated that it is one's immoral conducts that make one impure, not the eating of meat, and declared meat eating as karmically neutral.
However the situation is very different in the case of Mahayana Buddhism. Though Mahayana Buddhism accepts Theravadan sutras as valid, in their own Mahayana sutras, the account of Buddha eating meat is absent. Secondly, at the time when Mahayana Buddhists were formulating their monastical rules, monks and nuns no longer received their food by begging. Instead, they lived in a monastery, where food were sent to them from outside by the lay community. So if meat was offered, it was specifically killed and prepared for monks, which violates Buddha's rule. Thirdly, Mahayana Buddhism places great emphasis on the Boddhisattva way, where the cultivation of compassion is the central focus of the practice. In Mahaparinirvana, it is stated that "the eating of meat extinguishes the seed of great compassion". In addition, a passage in the Lankavatara Sutra shows the Buddha inveighing strongly in favor of vegetarianism, though the historical accuracy of this passage is strongly disputed. Therefore, meat eating came to be greatly discouraged in early Mahayana schools. This is still the case in Chinese Buddhism, while many Japanese and Korean schools has adopted different interpretations of this issue. In Vajrayana Buddhism, tantric practice is said to purify one regardless of one's diet.
A belief that continues in Theravada Buddhism from its Vedic roots is that the killing of larger animals results in more bad karma than that of smaller ones, e.g. that it would be less bad to kill a chicken than a cow. This is due to the greater intention and effort required to kill the larger animal. Furthermore, fish are considered of lesser importance than mammals.
Therefore, in the modern Buddhist world, attitudes toward vegetarianism vary by location. In China and Vietnam, monks typically eat no meat. In Japan or Korea some schools do not eat meat, while most do. Theravadan Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia do not practice vegetarianism. But more importantly, all Buddhists including monks are allowed to adopt vegetarianism if they wish to do so.
In the Bahá'í Faith a vegetarian diet, although not required, is often considered preferable. Furthermore, Bahá'ís believe "Fruits and grains" will be the foods of the future and the time will come when meat will no longer be eaten.
Except for a small minority in the world today for whom meat is a staple food (principally, members of nomadic hunting or herding societies such as Inuit and Sami), everyone is free to choose whether to eat meat or not. Since a person can live perfectly healthily on a vegetarian diet, for most people the only motivations for eating meat are the pleasure of eating it, convenience, and tradition. "Ethical vegetarians" consider these reasons to be insufficient justification for the suffering they perceive to be entailed in the production of meat. Vegetarianism of this sort is often associated with the animal rights movement, although not all ethical vegetarians subscribe to the notion of animal rights.
The increase in world population combined with increased per-capita meat consumption is having a dramatic impact on the environment, and many say the current pace exceeds the ability of ecosystems to adapt.
The environmental impact of producing animal protein averages between 50% and 100% greater than the impact of growing the same amount of vegetable protein of similar quality. The excess impact per animal calorie produced is even greater.
It results from the large amounts of grain used to feed livestock, pervasive overgrazing of lands by cattle and clearing of tropical forests for short-lived grazing lands while displacing indigenous people, large concentrations of manure coming from factory farms, methane from belching cattle, destructive fishing practices and fish farming.
Impacts include greater energy and water use, depletion of aquifers, pollution of streams and shorelines, land use impacts on wildlife and loss of tropical forests and the species that depend on them, global climate change from the methane, and the decline of fisheries worldwide.
Statistics indicate that people on vegetarian diets have lower incidence of heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis. The Dean Ornish have had successful results treating heart disease patients with strictly vegetarian diet, exercise and stress reduction programs. There are also nutritional considerations which encourage diets emphasizing fruit, vegetables and cereals and minimising meat and fat intake.
Dr Spock's seminal book, Baby and Child Care now recommends a vegetarian diet for young children for reasons of health. He also claims that most children also have an aesthetic dislike of meat and must learn to like it.
Some people intuitively find meat unappetizing, particularly when raw, and simply prefer to abstain from the consumption of animal flesh for aesthetic or emotional reasons.
Modern-day, industrially produced meat is laced with chemicals, such as growth hormones, antibiotics, preservatives, food-coloring, and pesticides. Moreover, the meat of pen-raised animals, such as feedlot-fattened cows and pigs and farmed salmon, has much higher levels of fat and less nutritional value than the meat of their corresponding free-range or wild bretheren. Hence, many people are vegetarians not for ethical or aesthetic reasons but simply because meat nowadays has less nutritional value than it once had while plants have just somewhat less.
Some people become vegetarian for social reasons. For instance, they may have a vegetarian family or partner and find that sharing vegetarianism makes cooking simpler or reduces diet-related friction in their relationships. Others live in a predominantly vegetarian region (such as Gujarat) where meat-eaters are a minority. Such persons may relapse into eating meat when the social reasons are absent, or they may become permanently accustomed to a meatless diet.
With planning, a vegetarian diet can be as nutritious as a well-planned diet that includes meat and animal products. Unplanned vegetarian diets may encounter deficiencies in iron, omega-3 fatty acids, complete proteins, and Vitamins A, B12, and D.
Meat is the only source of heme iron; plants contain non-heme iron. The human body absorbs non-heme iron less efficiently. Non-heme iron is also more sensitive to both inhibitors and enhancers of iron absorption. Vitamin C is an iron absorption enhancer. Iron absorption inhibitors include tannins (tea, wine), phytates (legumes, grains), calcium and polyphenols. Iron is an integral part of many proteins and enzymes that maintain good health. In humans, iron is an essential component of proteins involved in red blood cells' oxygen transportation. Iron also helps regulate cell growth and differentiation. Excess amounts of iron can be toxic and even result in death.
Seafood and eggs are the primary sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Vegetarian sources of omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, walnuts and canola (rapeseed) oil. Vegetarian sources of omega-3 fatty acids are likely to have lower concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), two long-chain essential fatty acids. The body can synthesize small quantities of EPA and DHA from other omega-3 fatty acids, such as alpha-linolenic acids, which are present in vegetarian sources of omega-3 fatty acids. The body can also convert EPA into DHA. DHA supplements derived from DHA-rich microalgae are available. While there is no scientific consensus on the role of omega-3 fatty acids, it is generally believed that they may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, stabilize mood and prevent depression, and reduce the risk of dementia in older age.
Meat is a good source of high-quality protein. People who remove meat from their diet must make up the appropriate quantity and quality of the protein lost with other protein sources to remain in good health. Protein is essential to both the structure and function of all living cells. Protein derived from animals is complete, i.e., protein that contains all the essential amino acids that the human body cannot synthesize on its own. The only plant that can produce complete protein is the soybean plant. A number of plants produce incomplete proteins, i.e., protein that contains one or more, but not all, of the essential amino acids. If soy is not a key part of a vegetarian's diet, eating a wide variety of vegetarian foods that contain protein will ensure adequate amounts of each essential amino acid.
Vegetarian sources of complete protein:
Vegetarian sources of incomplete protein:
Meat is the only reliable unfortified source of preformed [Vitamin A]]. The human body can synthesize Vitamin A from provitamin A carotenoids, which are present in some plants. The carotenoid the human body most efficiently converts to Vitamin A is beta-carotene. Vegetarian sources of preformed Vitamin A include foods fortified with Vitamin A and supplements that contain Vitamin A.
Vegetarian sources of beta-carotene:
Vitamin A plays an important role in vision, bone growth, reproduction, and cell division and differentiation. Vitamin A helps maintain the surface linings of the eyes and the respiratory, urinary, and intestinal tracts, which protect again bacterial infection. Vitamin A also helps maintain the integrity of skin and mucous membranes that function as a barrier to bacteria and viruses. Vitamin A may help lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that fights infections, function more effectively. Some carotenoids, in addition to serving as a source of vitamin A, have been shown to function as antioxidants in laboratory tests. However, this role has not been consistently demonstrated in humans.
Meat, eggs, and dairy products are the only reliable unfortified sources of Vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is produced only by bacteria found in animals. While humans, as animals, also contain these bacteria, they are located so far down the intestine that the body is unable to absorb the Vitamin B12 they produce. Vegetarian sources of Vitamin B12 include eggs, dairy products, foods fortified with Vitamin B12 and supplements that contain Vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is necessary for DNA replication, so deficiencies can prevent rapid cell division, particularly of blood cells, which causes anemia. The human body also uses Vitamin B12 in the natural protein sheaths around nerves, so deficiencies can lead to potentially irreversible nerve degeneration.
Meat and fortified dairy products, especially fortified milk, are common sources of Vitamin D. The human body can also synthesize Vitamin D when skin is exposed to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Vegans with little exposure to the sun's ultraviolet radiation, e.g., those living at latitudes close to the poles, are vulnerable to Vitamin D deficiencies. Vegan sources of Vitamin D include the sun's ultraviolet radiation, foods fortified with Vitamin D, e.g., cereal, and supplements that contain Vitamin D. Vitamin D acts as a hormone, sending a message to the intestines to increase the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, which produces strong bones. Vitamin D also works in concert with a number of other vitamins, minerals, and hormones to promote bone mineralization. Research also suggests that vitamin D may help maintain a healthy immune system and help regulate cell growth and differentiation.
While vegetarianism is commonly defined strictly on the basis of dietary intake, many religiously, ethically or environmentally motivated vegetarians, in common with the animal rights and Green movements, try to minimise the harm done to animals in all aspects of their lives.
Many religiously motivated vegetarians consider the avoidance of skin contact with products made from body parts (e.g., leather, tallow soap) an integral part of their definition of vegetarianism. Others consider leather made from the skin of animals who died of natural causes acceptable. While for many Hindus it is impractical, there are those who shy away completely from the use of leather articles made from cowhide. Some state and cities in India have even banned cow-slaughter in places of pilgrimage or whole regions based on the sentiments of some Hindus.
Many health-motivated vegetarians are also associated with the organic food movement and/or are concerned about the use of genetically modified organisms in food production.
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