So you're thinking about becoming a vegan or a vegetarian. The difference between a vegan and a vegetarian is that true vegans do not eat animal products of any kind – including eggs, dairy products or meat. A true vegan also does not use animal products such as leather, feathers or other animal parts. There are many types of vegetarians, but a true vegetarian does not eat animal products but will wear products that made from animals. Some vegetarians will eat dairy products. Others will eat fish. There are many reasons why people decide to give up eating meat, fish and dairy products. In this article, we'll explore those reasons and give you information to assist you in making this important decision.
REASONS WHY PEOPLE BECOME VEGETARIANS
Animal Rights
Many people become vegans or vegetarians because they do not support the way the food industry kills animals or pumps the animals up with hormones, antibiotics and other drugs. There are organizations dedicated to informing people about animal rights. One of the most famous organizations is PETA. This group of people will send a video to anyone who requests one. The video is hard to watch, but for some people watching it will make up their minds to stop eating meat, because it depicts the conditions animals are held and killed in food processing plants. To find out more about PETA, just type the name into your favorite search engine.
Religion
People practicing certain religions have restrictions on eating meat. Buddhists who are faithful to the rules of Buddhism are vegetarians. Hindus do not generally eat meat and never eat beef. Islamic people are not vegetarians, since they may eat all meat except pork.
Health Reasons Why People Become Vegans Or Vegetarians
Many people become vegetarians because of health concerns. Becoming a vegan or vegetarian for health reasons can be helpful in treating certain diseases and conditions.
High Cholesterol
A person with high cholesterol who becomes a true vegetarian stops adding cholesterol to his/her diet because vegetables and fruits do not have cholesterol in them. When combined with exercise, a vegetarian diet can help lower the cholesterol in someone's blood. Eating meat adds saturated fat to the diet. It also puts stress on the kidneys. Even semi-vegetarians who eat eggs (in moderate amounts) and dairy products (again in moderate amounts and not those with high fat content) are more likely to improve their cholesterol and overall health. So, people who eat vegetarian diets will not suffer heart attacks and strokes caused by excess fat and cholesterol. In short, they live longer. Vegetarian diets may help other conditions as well.
Allergies to Milk and Dairy Products
There are many great substitutes for milk on the market shelves today. Soy and rice milks are quite tasty and perfect for those people with milk allergies. Milk contains protein and to replace that protein, a wide variety of soy products are great choices. Tofu is made from soybeans and replaces meat in stir-fried dishes, for example. Soy products in grocery and health food stores include garden burgers and many other delicious items.
Diabetes and Gall Bladder Problems, including Gallstones
Vegans and vegetarians are less likely to get diabetes or have gall bladder problems and gallstones. Some people become vegetarians if they have a history of diabetes in their families or if their sugar levels are high, so they can ward off a full-blown case of diabetes.
In general, it has been found that people who are vegans or vegetarians enjoy better health than those who eat meat.
The Environment
Many people who are vegetarians or who wish to become vegans or vegetarians are also concerned about the environment. Raising cattle takes a great deal more water than raising vegetables. In addition, if you are concerned about deforestation, you may choose to become a vegetarian because you know that trees are cut down to make room for houses and for pastures. Many fish are close to extinction because so many have been caught that they have not been able to reproduce at a rate fast enough to keep their populations at the same level as before.
Other concerns about the environment influence a decision to become vegetarian. Raising cattle uses fuel in extremely large amounts compared to raising crops of wheat, corn and other grains, for instance. Erosion of topsoil influences the whole balance of nature. Ranchers who provide cattle for beef destroy the topsoil, which is no longer as thick as it once was. Chemical pesticides used to grow the food for cows do not stay in the ground. They run off into the groundwater. The same is true for other chemicals such as fertilizers and herbicides. None of these chemicals helps the environment.
Hunger Around The World
People who become vegetarians sometimes make the decision to change their lifestyles because they know that raising meat costs more than raising grains and the grains that are raised to feed animals destined for being killed for meat could be used to help alleviate hunger around the world.
Becoming a vegan or vegetarian is a life-changing choice. Some people make the choice and then find it difficult to stay a vegetarian because there are so many changes in diet that are involved. Rather than drinking regular milk, for instance, true vegetarians drink soy or rice milk. Some people do not like the taste of the substitute for milk from animals. These types of reasons may be why some people who want to be primarily vegetarian go ahead and allow for certain things in their diets like fish, dairy products and so forth. They may not eat red meat or meat at all, but having some of their favorites makes it easier for them to eat a mostly vegetarian diet.
No matter why people choose to become vegetarian, most people are happy that they made that decision. It is a decision that needs to be made carefully, however. Nobody should rush into making such a major life change without thinking it through carefully.
