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Vegetarian

Definition of a vegetarian

A vegetarian is a person who does not eat anything with meat in it at all. People who become a

vegetarian are a vegetarian for a reason. This is usually to do with the religion that they are in, forexample, Jainism is an ancient Indian religion. The people of this religion are pretty much made to be

vegetarian from the day they are born. Other religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism

have small groups within them that are vegetarians. In these religions, it is optional to eat meat or

not though.

There is also a diet called pescatarianism, which is basically just a vegetarian diet but also with

seafood, whereas a normal vegetarian does not eat any seafood what so ever, they just stick to

vegetables, nuts, beans, eggs, and dairy products. Pollo-vegetarianism is also another diet which is

similar to the pescatarianism diet in a way, but instead of eating the same foods as a vegetarian with

the added seafood, you are eating the same as a vegetarian with the added chicken. So, chicken isallowed.

What being a vegetarian means

A vegetarian condemns eating meat due to the way the animals are killed. Also the fact that we

dont actually need meat to survive plays on their minds. They eat grains, vegetables, fruit and dairy

products. Vegetarians believe that animals have as much right to earth as we do. A vegan is

someone who doesnt eat anything that derives from animals e.g., Dairy or eggs.

An outline of the various reasons that people can be vegetarian

People are vegetarian because they dont believe in the way in which animals are slaughtered. Cows

are hung by their hooves, and then stunned and after this process they then get their throats slit.

Even in some farms today farmers use sledge hammers to put down animals. Chickens are put in

unnatural breeding areas that are cramp and force the chickens to over produce eggs. As soon as the

chicken cant produce eggs they are then slaughtered. A lot of people dont agree with any of this so

they turn to vegetarianism for the answer.

A lot of people become vegetarian because of health reasons. Excessive meat eating is said to be

linked to cancer and other circulatory diseases. Meat eaten in large quantities can heighten

cholesterol; this is seen profoundly throughout the US. It can be linked food poisoning because ofthe unsanitary ways that the animals are raised and slaughtered. Meat takes a while to digest and

becoming a vegetarian is proven to reverse heart disease.

A lot of people do it in an attempt to save the planet. Producing as much meat as we do is bad for

the environment. It produces a large amount of methane and it causes water pollution via the

amount of sewage being circulated. Raising animals in the way we do creates more greenhouse

gases than all the cars in the world. In the US half of all the water used is used raising livestock.

There is also the political aspect of things. If all the resources that were going to meat production

changed courses there would be enough food to feed everyone on earth. An extremely large

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amount of food that is grown on earth goes to livestock we could redirect that route and feed more

people.

Some people dislike meat because of psychological reasons either they dont like the texture or the

thought of consuming another animal. They want to spare the lives of animals. Some people could

get peer pressured into being a vegetarian but this would generally tend to make the person go the

other way.

Companies that specialise in vegetarian food

Quorn is a company that specifically creates food for vegetarians. Its key ingredient is something

called mycoprotein. Its said that its a fungus but that is incorrect. Its a mould that is produced by a

fungus by putting the fungus in vats and pumping oxygen into it. Its a simple way to make all the

meals that you would normally make. This is because itsobviously not meat so it doesnt have to be

kept in the same parameters. It is also a lot quicker to cook than meat. A lot of people eat Quorn if

they are trying to lose weight because it doesnt mean you have to live on soup. You can havesubstance to meals whilst losing weight which is always good. Its cholesterol free and a good source

of protein.

Relevant Demographic Information

The amount of vegetarians is increasing by 10% every year, and over half of the worlds population is

vegetarian. This is due to the economic situation that these people live in. 30% of Indians are lacto

vegetarian because of their religious beliefs, and then in the west of the world, there are 3% of

people who just choose to be vegetarians. In the USA alone, there are 22.8 million people who are

vegetarians in some way or another. 59% are female and 41% are male across the whole world.

Research also suggested that people with an above average IQ as a child have a higher chance of

becoming a vegetarian when they get older. The highest percentages of people who are vegetarian

are between the ages of 18 and 34, at 42%.

The Foodstuff That Vegetarians Cannot Eat

The obvious thing that vegetarians cannot eat is meat. Absolutely anything with meat in it cannot be

eaten by them. This can be anything from meat, fish and fowl, to eggs and dairy products. A lot of

vegetarians will not eat anything that is a product of the act of slaughter. So, this means, gelatine

and lard products such as Haribos are out of the picture. Some also dont even eat anything that is

produced by animals, such as honey.

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