Vegetarianism: the essence and menu of vegetarian food. Review of types of vegetarianism and pseudo-vegetarianism: the essence of each movement. What are the mistakes of novice vegetarians?

(more precisely, in development of some comments).

There are 8 known types of vegetarians, although a true vegan will never agree that people who eat meat, even only on major holidays, have anything to do with vegetarianism.

Vegan vegetarians- these are those who call themselves the word "vegans", - people who do not eat animal products in any form: neither in the form of meat or fish, nor in the form of milk or eggs, or processed foods containing animal ingredients (gelatin, for example).

Many vegans also abstain from eating non-animal products such as sugar and alcohol. There is also a debate regarding the use of honey.

However, there are many transitional or part-vegetarian dietary options beyond committed vegans.

Some people follow them for a healthier lifestyle, while others follow them because they cannot maintain a strict vegan diet.

The most common type of vegetarian in the world is lacto-ovo vegetarians: They do not eat beef, pork, poultry, game, fish, shellfish, but do not give up eggs and dairy products. "Lacto" comes from the Latin "milk", and "ovo" - "egg".

Definition lacto-vegetarian used to describe a vegetarian who does not eat eggs but does eat dairy products. Many vegetarian Hindus are, by the way, lacto-vegetarians, avoiding eggs for religious reasons, but continuing to eat dairy products.

Ovo-vegetarians- these are those who do not eat meat or dairy products, but allow themselves eggs. Some people become ovo-vegetarians because they are lactose intolerant.

Semi-vegetarians- this, of course, is not a very specific term, but it means “inconsistent” vegetarians: those who eat meat or fish occasionally - for example, on holidays.

Pesco-vegetarians- this term refers to people who eat fish and seafood, but do not eat meat.

Raw foodists are strict vegetarians (vegans), committed to eating unprocessed foods that are not heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius). Followers of a raw food diet believe that food cooked above this temperature loses a significant part of its nutritional value and is harmful to the body.

Followers macrobiotic diet prefer grains and cereals. Their diet also includes fruits and vegetables, and rare, occasional consumption of fish is acceptable. It is recommended to avoid sugar and refined foods, including oils. Perhaps the most unique highlight of the macrobiotic diet is the vegetable daikon, as well as seaweed.

Fruitarians- raw food vegans who eat mainly plant fruits (at least 75%): fruits, berries, vegetables with the addition of small amounts of grains, nuts and seeds. Fruitarians eat only foods that don't require the plant to be destroyed, so they eat cucumbers and tomatoes, but avoid potatoes, beets, or lettuce.

The modern vegetarian movement began in the 18th century in England by John Wesley. The word “vegetarianism” comes from the Latin vegetus, which means “strong, healthy, fresh, vigorous” (and not at all from the Latin word vegetalis - vegetable, as many people now think). The phrase homo vegetus (literally “a strong, vigorous person”) can be translated as “a spiritually and physically developed person.” Initially, the name of this movement was supposed to reflect the philosophically and morally harmonious lifestyle of its followers, and not at all the features of their diet. What is vegetarianism now?

Who becomes a vegetarian?

“In a nutshell,” vegetarianism is a complete or partial refusal to consume animal products. Although considering this life principle so superficially is hardly respectful of its centuries-old and multinational history.

Some followers of vegetarian practice hope to obtain exclusively health-improving effects. Many of them argue that man, in his anatomical structure, is closer to the herbivorous representatives of the animal world than to predators, that the meat-eating path of human development is erroneous and vicious, and that only plant foods are beneficial for maintaining health and ensuring longevity. Some convinced vegetarians are confident that meat products are harmful due to the accumulation of various harmful substances in them: from agricultural antibiotics, pesticides, growth stimulants to hypothetical “hormones of fear, death and aggression”, etc.

For others, vegetarianism is the only possible religious principle of life. There are vegetarians who are prevented from eating animal products by a sense of compassion for animals or a moral prohibition on “taking someone else’s life for the sake of one’s own taste pleasures.” There are also propagandists of this movement who initially see purely economic benefits in vegetarian practices from the point of view of agricultural development, because much more resources are spent on the production of a unit of meat product than on the production of a unit of vegetable product. Thus, it is no exaggeration to say that every vegetarian has his or her own reason why he or she gives up meat.

What do vegetarians eat and how are they different?

Since vegetarianism is a heterogeneous movement and, by the outward sign of refusing food of animal origin, combines several different religious and secular “trends”, then, of course, there are several types of vegetarianism.

Vegan vegetarians- they are vegans - they do not consume any food of animal origin at all. They drink mainly plant and herbal infusions, less often juices, and do not drink industrially produced drinks, including alcoholic ones. Vegans do not consume sugar and limit table salt.

Fruitarians- a subgroup of strict vegetarians - they focus on fruits. There are also strict vegetarians who prefer vegetables and nuts or grains (Zen macrobiotics).

Absolute vegetarians Not only do they not eat any food of animal origin, but they generally do not use animal products for any purpose, including wool, silk and leather.

Lacto-vegetarians allow the consumption of milk, fermented milk products and cheese (i.e. adhere to a plant-dairy diet).

Lacto-ovo vegetarians Eggs are added to the lacto-vegetarian diet.

Ovo-vegetarians refuse dairy products, but eat eggs.

Pesco-vegetarians They refuse the meat of mammals and poultry, but at the same time eat fish and seafood.

Polo-vegetarians promote the rejection of mammalian meat, fish and seafood, but consume poultry meat.

Pesco-polo vegetarians They only refuse “red” meat and products made from it.

Semi-vegetarians(their movement is called flexitarianism) they extremely rarely eat the meat of mammals, poultry, fish and seafood, and do not exclude them completely, like strict vegetarians.

Raw food diet, or naturism, is eating exclusively raw or very briefly cooked vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains. One of the most famous popularizers of this practice is the American doctor Herbert M. Shelton, the head of the clinic for the treatment of diseases using natural methods, and the author of many books on raw food nutrition.

Let us consider in more detail from the point of view of benefits and harm to health the most stringent of all the presented trends of vegetarianism - veganism, or strict vegetarianism.

A little history
The great minds of the ancient world: Pythagoras, Plato, Socrates, Plutarch, Horace, Virgil, Ovid - actively promoted moderation, even asceticism in food, refusal of large meat meals for the sake of improving the body and maintaining clarity of mind. It is known that the priests of Ancient Egypt, the ancient Incas, and the Taoist hermits of Ancient China followed a vegetarian diet. Killing and eating animals was strictly prohibited by Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
Supporters of the vegetarian movement were Leonardo da Vinci, John Milton, Isaac Newton, Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Benjamin Franklin, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, George Bernard Shaw, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi. Today there are approximately 800 million vegetarians in the world.

Pros of vegetarianism

A plant-based diet allows a person to receive a significant amount of plant fibers, which contribute to the timely appearance of a feeling of satiety, normalization of intestinal function and the removal of harmful substances from the gastrointestinal tract, and the prevention of atherosclerosis and cancer. Plant foods prevent the development of cancer due to the carotene, ascorbic acid, tocopherols, flavonoids, selenium (in grain crops), dithiolthiones (in various varieties of cabbage) contained in it. In addition, phytoncides contained in plants (organic substances that can kill or stop the proliferation of pathogenic microbes) prevent the development of putrefactive bacteria in the large intestine.

There is no cholesterol in plant foods; moreover, a number of plant products can reduce cholesterol in the blood, which reduces the risk of developing diseases such as atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and hypertension. The favorable ratio of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in plants works in the same direction. General immunity is supported by a significant intake of a number of vitamins and minerals into the body from plant foods.

Disadvantages of vegetarianism

The first "stumbling block" of strict vegetarianism is increasing deficiency of a number of vitamins, micro- and macroelements. Exclusively plant foods deplete the body of vitamin D (this is especially important for residents of northern regions with sun deficiency). There is also a lack of vitamin B12 (necessary for hematopoiesis and nervous system function), vitamin B2 (necessary for the normal condition of the eyes, skin, nervous system function, hematopoiesis, liver function, etc.), iron (necessary for hematopoiesis). Strict vegetarians may also lack calcium.

The second "stumbling block" - protein deficiency. During pregnancy, this condition gradually manifests itself as a decrease in immunity and body weight of the expectant mother, and slower growth of the fetus. In the fetus, the functioning of the liver, pancreas, and hematopoietic organs is also disrupted, the formation of the skeleton is inhibited, and in the mother, accordingly, bone fragility increases, and colds often occur. Most clearly for the pregnant vegetarian woman, protein starvation will manifest itself as general weakness, pale and dry skin, “frozen” weight, as well as weight loss and various disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. There are known cases of moderate and mild protein deficiency in strict vegetarians.

Proteins differ in their origin, and also differ in the degree of their digestibility by the human body. Our body receives up to 96-98% of the proteins they contain from eggs and milk, 93-95% from meat and fish, no more than 80% from vegetables and cereals, and up to 70% from legumes. Proteins from dairy products, as well as fish, chicken, beef, and pork are digested easier and faster, and among plant proteins, in this indicator, the palm is held by wheat grain proteins in the form of bread made from fine flour and semolina.

In order for protein synthesis to occur (namely, this biochemical process predominates during the period of growth), all the necessary amino acids must be present in the body. The human body is capable of synthesizing some of them itself. They are called replaceable because they do not necessarily have to be present in the diet - it is only important that the overall supply of protein as a source of nitrogen is sufficient. But there are also essential amino acids: our body cannot synthesize them, and they must come from food, mainly of animal origin. The easiest way for the human body to obtain a complete and sufficient set of essential amino acids is from the meat of herbivores; milk, fermented milk products (cottage cheese, cheese, kefir, etc.), eggs, caviar, and fish are also suitable. Plant proteins also contain some essential amino acids, but plant foods are not uniform in their nutritional value from this point of view. For example, cereals are poor in lysine and threonine, and potatoes and legumes are deprived of methionine and cysteine.

Long-term and increasing deficiency of essential amino acids has the most adverse effect on the child’s health. With their obvious deficiency, various congenital defects may occur, for example, ventricular septal defects, renal development disorders, etc.

Is vegetarianism dangerous during pregnancy?

It is possible to adhere to vegetarianism during pregnancy if we are not talking about strict vegetarianism, but about softer, more flexible options that allow the consumption of poultry, eggs, fish (lacto-ovo vegetarianism, pesco-polo vegetarianism and semi-vegetarianism). These dietary systems help a woman get essential amino acids and vitamins, so the risk for a developing baby is no greater than for mothers who indulge in meat products. The only danger in these cases is insufficient iron intake, which can be prevented by taking special iron-containing medications prescribed by a doctor.

When eating cottage cheese, milk, fermented milk products, cheese, eggs, fish, etc., it is easy to get the amount of protein a pregnant woman needs in the first months - 1.5 g per kilogram of body weight, and in the second half - up to 2 g per kilogram, which should be approximately 110-130 g of protein per day. For example, if we assume on average that protein consumption per day is 100 g, then a woman can get this amount of protein from:

boiled lean beef - 500 g (840 kcal),
boiled lean fish (halibut) - 526 g (542 kcal),
low-fat cottage cheese - 556 g (488 kcal),
whole milk - 3.6 l (2071 kcal),
boiled beans - 476 g (1562 kcal),
buckwheat - 793 g (2659 kcal),
boiled white cabbage - 5.6 kg (1500 kcal),
boiled potatoes - 5 kg (4000 kcal).

Comparing the volumes of products needed to meet the daily protein requirement, and taking into account their calorie content, we are faced with another and not unimportant “stumbling block” - the threat of excessive weight gain in a pregnant woman. This increase can, due to the accumulation of fat deposits, hide the onset of protein starvation.

If we are talking about strict vegetarianism, then during pregnancy you should absolutely not take this path for the first time! A woman who has been eating according to the vegan system for some time, after pregnancy will need (if possible) at least temporarily to reconsider her principles in order to preserve the health of her unborn child, especially since her body has probably already formed hidden deficiencies of essential vitamins amino acids, macro- and microelements. Even if not completely, but only partially (that’s good), she needs to give up a strict vegetarian diet and switch to softer ones that allow the consumption of milk, eggs, and fish. In addition, one should not discount the fact that vegetarianism will require special nutritional training, as well as significant time and money costs, because Requirements for food quality increase sharply during this period.

So, to summarize:

Lacto-ovo vegetarianism, pesco-polo vegetarianism and semi-vegetarianism for pregnant women, if certain rules are followed, are quite safe, which cannot be said about strict vegetarianism.
Your doctor should definitely be aware of your dietary practices.
A pregnant vegetarian should always be under the close attention of a doctor and undergo regular tests to timely determine vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Taking multivitamin-mineral complexes for vegetarian mothers is necessary for the normal course of pregnancy and child development.

If for one reason or another you decide to stick to a vegetarian diet, soberly assess your strengths and capabilities, the pros and cons of vegetarianism for your health and the health of your growing baby. Don't forget - the child is growing. And above all, you yourself are responsible for his future health!

Comment on the article "Sharp corners of the vegetable table." Vegetarianism and pregnancy

Hello! I think animal products can cause harm to the body. Besides, not a single normal person can handle half a kilo of meat a day: he will simply destroy his intestines. In general, a person needs 0.7 g of protein per kg of body weight per day, but here the standards are very high, as in ancient Soviet textbooks. I've been vegan for over a year and I feel great. I'm seventeen now and I'll never give up this lifestyle. The sight and smell of unethical products makes me sick.

08/28/2008 14:34:20, Lena

I haven’t eaten meat, fish or poultry for 8 months. I practically don’t eat eggs. The refusal occurred spontaneously and painlessly. As a result, I felt much better. Now I’m preparing for pregnancy: does a pregnant and lactating woman really need to eat something that only makes it worse for a non-pregnant and non-breastfeeding woman? Are there any scientific studies on the effect of maternal vegetarianism on the health of the unborn child?

06/16/2008 07:39:00, Lana

The article is not bad, but the author uses cliches instead of scientific data. For example, “110-130 g of protein per day” is good, but an active athlete, not an expectant mother, can absorb such a horse dose of protein. But the liver won’t thank you for such pressure. Also, such statements as “Proteins...pork are digested easier and faster” can be made by, excuse me, an amateur in the field of nutrition. The digestibility of pork is close to that of car tires. So Joe Weider, a trainer of many famous bodybuilders, advised his athletes to COMPLETELY eliminate pork due to its harm and uselessness, namely in terms of absorption by the body. Further, the protein content tables are simply surprising: where are the cows whose meat is similar in protein content to sports nutrition? The protein content of beans is too high, and so on. And lastly, if this article is not written by an Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, famous for his scientific research in the field of nutrition for pregnant women, then it would be nice to provide a list of used literature or simply subscribe instead: this is all my opinion, but I agree with it. :-)

03/28/2008 14:50:12, Yakov

Total 6 messages

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Vegetarianism is a lifestyle!

Of the seven billion people living on the planet, one in seven does not eat meat. Just imagine, a whole billion people gave up meat, as well as other animal products! And the more active the fashion for vegetarianism and veganism gains momentum, the more of them there are. Now we’ll tell you who is who, how they differ, what they eat and how they survive in general!

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What types of vegetarians are there?

Vegetarians are divided into two types: moderate and strict. And these two types combine several more.

Vegetarians– do not eat meat, poultry, fish and seafood.
Ovo-vegetarians- eat eggs.
Lacto-vegetarians– consume dairy products.
Lacto-ovo vegetarians– consume both eggs and dairy products.
Pesco-vegetarians– only meat is not eaten from animal products.
Pollo-vegetarians– do not eat red meat, but do eat chicken.

Vegans– consume exclusively fruits, vegetables, berries, grains and seeds.
Raw foodists– eat only raw, unheated, plant foods, mainly vegetables and fruits.
Fruit eaters– They mainly eat only raw fruits and vegetables, sometimes they can add nuts and legumes.

Veganism does not just mean abstaining from food of animal origin; strict prohibitions also apply to cosmetics with animal ingredients and clothing made from natural leather and fur.

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Why do people become vegetarians

Everyone has their own reasons, but often there are two motivations - to take this path for yourself or for the sake of others. Some people become vegetarians because they believe that such a diet will help them cope with health problems. This is a rather controversial issue, because this style of eating can be both beneficial and harmful. Although many scientists agree that eliminating or significantly reducing the consumption of red meat and packaged milk is beneficial.

The second way to become vegetarians is through ethical considerations. Many motivate their refusal of animal food by pity for animals who are tortured and killed for the pleasure of people. Also, environmental problems become a motivation for some, or rather, this is not a motivation, but rather a benefit for society and the planet - in order to grow 450 grams of wheat, 95 liters of water are required, and to produce the same amount of meat, 9500 liters of water are needed.

By the way, one vegetarian during his life preserves the lives of approximately 760 chickens, 5 cows, 20 pigs, 29 sheep, and we haven’t even talked about fish yet.

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What should I do if my friend became a vegetarian?

Do nothing, live your life and look at your plate. In general, we could stop here, but it can be extremely difficult to convince some people not to meddle in someone else’s life, so we continue.

Try to understand her motivation Watch movies about how animals are tortured, or read online magazines about vegetarianism as a lifestyle.

Learn to calmly discuss this topic with her. Even if you don’t understand her refusal to eat meat, this is not a reason to attack her with criticism and try to return her to the right path, simply because you cannot live without meat and, in general, this is your opinion. In addition, evidence such as “meat is delicious” and “we are naturally predators” are no longer valued in our century. It’s better not to try to “reason” with her; everyone has their own path.

Often, vegetarians themselves begin to actively discuss the topic of giving up meat, appealing to various pseudoscientific facts. There are two ways: either, in the name of friendship, give up at the very beginning, admit she is right and not continue the argument– over time she will calm down – or gain knowledge and fight back, proving that hemoglobin in the blood comes only from meat. Yes, you will have to read a lot of scientific articles, is that what you need?

Don't worry about your friend's health– it’s not your concern. Don’t feel sorry for her, and generally don’t focus your attention once again on the fact that you can eat something, but she can’t. She'll figure it out herself.

Try new dishes. If you often hang out together and you're worried that now you can't go to McDonald's, then this is a great chance for you to try a completely new cuisine. Falafel, chickpea patties, quinoa salad, raw hummus, whole grain sandwich with guacamole and bulgur with tofu. What if you like it?

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And some more information...

Very useful information! Top phrases that it is better not to say to a vegetarian if you do not want to start an argument or listen to a multi-hour lecture on the topic of proper nutrition and non-violence against all living things:

“These are not wild animals, they were raised specifically to be eaten.”
“If you don’t eat, someone else will eat. Because you don’t eat this cutlet, the cow won’t be resurrected!”
“Come on, it’s just marmalade, you can eat it!” (what does marmalade have to do with it?)
“Don’t you feel sorry for the carrots? But you washed your hands, killed a bunch of bacteria, don’t you feel sorry for them? They are also alive."
“Where do you get the protein? Do you know that without animal protein you will die?
“And if they tell you: “Eat meat, otherwise I will kill your dog!”, will you then eat meat?”
“Are you a Buddhist? Do you do yoga? Does religion forbid you?
“You’re still little! You have to give birth! You must eat meat!
“We live in Russia! We need fat because it’s very cold in winter!”
“Well, just once, for the New Year!”

Top phrases that, upon hearing from a vegetarian, you should immediately turn around and run far away from such a person. This is not a vegetarian, but a poser or a hipster, attracting attention to himself, so special, so you will only talk about him and his veganism.

“Oh, I stink of my corpse/meat/fish here! Murderer!"
“Are you going to eat this egg?!” Look at this photo of such a cute chicken! Look who you are going to devour so inhumanely now!”
“Being a vegetarian is so expensive! You have to constantly buy soybeans, almond milk, macadamia nuts, pineapple smoothies... And how expensive coconut oil is, it can only be brought from India!”
“I haven’t eaten meat for a month! True, sometimes I break down, I can eat a little sausage there, but I don’t eat it at all!”
"Hi my name is Nastya. By the way, I don’t eat meat, fish, hard cheeses or honey! And what is your name?"

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What to do if you still want to become a vegetarian

Study your body. Do a full examination of the gastrointestinal tract system, take blood tests and find out whether you can limit the consumption of certain foods. This, of course, is the ideal option, but we understand perfectly well that no one does this. But in vain! Because if you begin to limit yourself uncontrollably, without knowing what your body really needs, then it can end in anorexia.

It is important to remember that we are all very different, and if your friend can easily do without fish, then it is not at all a fact that you can also give it up painlessly.

Give up meat gradually. It is foolish to assume that after being an avid meat eater for fifteen years, you will easily give up everything from next Monday: meat, fish, cheese, milk, butter and bread. Such drastic restrictions are a great stress for the body, which leads to problems with the nervous system and digestion, and therefore to breakdowns. Do you really want to be a vegetarian who eats doctor's sausage at night in the light of an open refrigerator? Abandonment of animal products should be gradual.

Don't indulge in sweets. Usually, when you initially give up eating meat, the body requires more milk protein, so you will compensate for the lack of meat in your diet with milk and cottage cheese, then you can gradually give up milk, fermented milk products, cheeses, and then fish and seafood. It should take an average of a month to a month and a half to adapt after giving up a product, but if you need much more time, there’s nothing wrong with that, it means that your body now needs this particular product.

Give up one product. There is another option - you give up one thing, for example, cow's milk, for two weeks and observe your body's reaction. If you notice noticeable improvements - your skin has become clearer, it’s easier for you to exercise, you have more energy - it means that giving up this product has a positive effect on you, so you can safely remove it from your diet. If you don’t feel well—you often feel dizzy, weak, and excessively drowsy—then you return the product to your diet for two weeks, use it regularly and observe the changes. The most important thing is to listen to your body!

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Study the market. The 21st century is the century of healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition and vegetarianism. If you don’t like or don’t know how to cook, if you don’t understand what you can eat and what you can’t, then Google vegetarian restaurants and cafes in your city. They definitely exist. Start exploring the vegetarian menu with them. You will try new dishes, and also understand that a vegan burger is no less tasty than its meat counterpart. Pay attention to specialized vegetarian stores that, in addition to food and various vegan culinary delights, also sell organic cosmetics. Plus, there are a sea of sites on the Internet selling and delivering entire meal kits for a day, week or month, ready to eat from the moment of delivery. Here are some tips for neophytes: the chain vegetarian cafe and online supermarket Jagannath, the VkusVill chain of healthy food stores, plant-based food delivery and Rock’n’Raw nutrition programs.

Watch your sugar. A common mistake many vegetarians make is giving up meat, but not giving up sugar. Even if you think that this is a carrot cake without milk and butter and that it will do nothing for your thighs, you are mistaken. Sugar is in everything, even in seemingly healthy foods.

Many vegetarians become terrible sweet tooths, because this is the only way their bodies are able to compensate for the lack of energy necessary for painless functioning.

Sugar enters the bloodstream, there is a sharp surge of energy, you feel cheerfulness and a surge of strength, but not for long. Then you become weaker, suddenly tired, and even hungry. Therefore, try to eat more fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts. It is better to eat sugar in this form than in cakes and sweets.

Understand why you need this. Once you get to know your body and vegetarian cuisine better, you can decide for yourself what you want from such nutrition. Why do we advise doing this now, and not before the start of restrictions? Because vegetarianism is a way of life and thoughts, not a diet. When losing weight, you need a goal, clear motivation and willpower. Here you choose how you will live for a long time. Many people will change their minds already at the stage of going to specialized stores, but if you have reached this point, it means that you are ready to analyze your accumulated experience and understand what vegetarianism means to you.

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Become a polite vegetarian, not an annoying propagandist. By this point, you will probably have gone through all the stages of denial and acceptance of your new lifestyle. And your relatives, your friends and waiters in your favorite cafes will also go through them with you. Now you will already know what questions vegetarians are most often asked, all your loved ones will be aware of your “special” diet and will calm down a little, you will study the state of affairs yourself, you will understand everything better and you will understand why you need vegetarianism. We hope there is no need to explain that you shouldn’t shout from the doorway that you’re a vegetarian, wrinkle your nose in hostility when you’re offered a piece of meat, pester your interlocutors for hours about the benefits of quinoa, and post endlessly many photos about how you don’t eat meat. , also not necessary. This is downright infuriating. And if you do this, don’t be surprised why no one wants to communicate with you. When you form your attitude towards food and gain knowledge, you will be able to have interesting conversations with adequate meat eaters, talking about your experience of switching to plant-based foods. And, believe me, this is much more pleasant than heated and meaningless debates about meat.

Hello, healthy food lovers. Do you know what vegetarianism is? Perhaps you have been a vegetarian for a long time, or maybe you are just thinking about how to give up meat, or maybe you are a categorical opponent of this lifestyle. In any case, read this article and find out what vegetarian nutrition is like.

The essence of vegetarianism

To switch to vegetarianism, you must follow the basic rules, the first of which is balance.

For a normal, active life, a person needs carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and microelements. If you remove even one of them from the menu, serious damage will be caused to your health.

Experts often conduct studies comparing the health of vegetarians and those who eat . It turned out that removing meat from the diet does not save you from getting various kinds of diseases.

If you decide to take this path, you must realize that this is a different nutritional system, which should not exclude those elements that are necessary for a person. Non-meat dishes contain enough carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins C and E, iron, and magnesium. But they are low in retinol, omega-3, and vitamin B12.

You can avoid shortages of missing elements if you include the following products in the menu:

Protein contains beans, nuts, and milk.
Omega-3 fatty acids are found in beans, nuts,...
Calcium is found in dairy products, vegetables with dark green foliage, dried fruits, tofu, and nuts.
Parsley and wheat germ are rich in vitamin D.
Vitamin B12 is found in products of animal origin, but from plant products, the human body does not absorb it. Vegans need to take dietary supplements to get this vitamin.
Iron is contained in foods such as buckwheat, lentils, corn, apples, and pomegranates. To better absorb iron, you need to eat something that contains vitamin C, for example, parsley, lemon, rose hips.

Types of vegetarianism

Now let's talk about the types of vegetarianism.

Ovo-lacto vegetarianism

The most popular type is lacto-ovo vegetarianism when the menu includes eggs, milk, honey. Even doctors agree that this species has only one benefit, since it can protect a person from serious illnesses. Check out the recipe examples.

Lacto-vegetarianism

Next view - lacto-vegetarianism. Supporters of this type exclude honey, milk, and eggs from the diet.

See recipe examples.

Pseudo-vegetarians

Pesco-vegetarians eat fish, dairy products, eggs. Pollo-vegetarians They only eat chicken.

Ovo vegetarianism

Another view - ovo-vegetarianism. This diet includes honey and eggs in the menu, but excludes milk.

Veganism and raw food diet

The toughest type is veganism. At the same time, there is no honey, eggs, or milk in the diet. Doctors sharply criticize such asceticism.

But adherents of a raw food diet do not listen to anyone, demonstrating excellent health, youth and a flourishing appearance. When following veganism, foods cannot be stewed, boiled, baked, or use any seasonings or spices.

Their menu includes sprouted cereals, fruits, vegetables, and juices. There is an even more strict subtype of raw food diet, called raw mono diet, when you can eat one product at one lunch.

For example, a person eats only apples for breakfast, sprouted wheat for lunch, and only tomatoes for dinner. Raw foodists believe that after heating the product loses all its beneficial properties.

Do you want to join?

About 15-17 years ago, vegetarians, of whom there were only a few, were looked at as people not of this world. But having made sure that this system improves the general condition of the body and reduces the risk of various diseases, the number of their followers is growing.

How to switch to this system? First you need to remove meat from your diet, then exclude fish, then dairy products, eggs and that’s it, you are a new person!

If you immediately give up animal food, the body will “decide” that this is just a diet, but the putrefactive microflora will remain. A gradual transition will cleanse the microflora, which will better supply the body with the necessary substances.

This power system has its advantages. Proteins contained in plants are better absorbed by the body, put less strain on the kidneys and liver, and do not wash calcium out of the bones.

And by including meat in the diet, a person earns atherosclerosis and all the troubles associated with it. Vegetable protein cleanses the body of excess cholesterol.

Experts also confirm that people who give up the meat menu live longer and feel great even in old age.

Where can I get the missing elements?

A vegetarian diet saturates the body with all nutrients, but many we can only get from meat or fish.

Therefore, the disadvantages are that vegetarians have impaired intestinal function. And yet, the body needs fat, as well as a certain amount of cholesterol for the normal development of the nervous system and the functioning of the entire body. Therefore, before adopting a new lifestyle, you need to weigh the pros and cons.

Fears and doubts

There are often discussions about the dangers of eating without meat, especially for women when she is expecting a child. There are many women who were vegetarians from birth and were able to give birth to healthy children. It is important to control your menu so that all the necessary substances are present in it.

If it's difficult to become a vegetarian

Try switching to separate meals, the basis of which is a combination of products with each other.

You should not eat fruits immediately after meals, they can cause fermentation and therefore slow down the work of the stomach.
you cannot eat porridge with meat; it is difficult for the stomach to digest such food, since it does not have the necessary enzymes to digest just such a set of products.
if you eat a lot of fatty foods, the stomach will not be able to digest it, and the liver and pancreas will receive extra stress.
You can’t wash down your food with water; You can drink fruit juices and other liquids only before meals or 30 minutes after any meal.

Dear readers, you can choose one of the types of vegetarian food and write on my blog about your feelings.

Pesco-vegetarianism or pescatarianism is a food system that excludes the flesh of mammals and poultry from the diet, but allows the consumption of fish and seafood. This type of diet causes a lot of controversy and disagreement among vegetarians. Often people who are just beginning to be interested in the issue of vegetarianism have the question: " Can vegetarians eat fish?"To look at this issue more closely, it is necessary to understand.

The most negative attitude towards pesco-vegetarians are ethical vegetarians - those who have given up eating meat so as not to support violence against animals. The difference between them is almost the same as between . From an ethical point of view, people who allow the consumption of fish and seafood cannot be called vegetarians - after all, fish also belongs to the animal kingdom, has a structure similar to mammals - they have a nervous system, digestive, respiratory, excretory organs, etc. If a fish cannot express its emotions by screaming, this does not mean that it does not experience fear and agony when its mouth is pierced by a sharp hook, and instead of its usual habitat, an uninhabitable environment suddenly appears, where the fish slowly suffocates, without any way to help itself. .

Some marine life, which the modern industry calls the appetizing word "seafood", is treated even more cruelly. For example, crayfish and lobster are boiled alive. It is unlikely that this procedure brings pleasure to any living beings, be it a person, a bird or a small shrimp.

However, as scientific research shows, it is better to obtain fatty acids and microelements from seeds and nuts. For example, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, sunflowers and flax contain much more phosphorus than fish. And a sufficient amount of magnesium and calcium in these seeds promotes the absorption of phosphorus, while nutrients from seafood are practically not absorbed by humans. Also, do not forget that the fish’s body absorbs all the toxic substances in the water. As a result, the risk of poisoning from fish dishes is quite high. It is no coincidence that seafood is one of the strongest allergens.

It is worth noting that some people find it difficult to immediately give up all animal products. For the body, a sudden change in diet can be a serious stress if there is not enough information about proper nutrition. Therefore, pesco-vegetarianism can be considered as a temporary, transitional form of nutrition from meat-eating to vegetarianism, and now you will not have a question " Can a vegetarian eat fish?".