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THE
DIET WARS..by
J.R.Tillotson
The vegetarian diet
Most people become vegetarian for reasons of conscience, believing
it is wrong to slaughter animals for food. They oppose
the cruelty and suffering inflicted upon billions of fellow creatures
and deplore the air and water pollution, land erosion and loss
of wildlife habitat that attends factory farming of meat animals. When,
in the early 1990s, the American Dietetic Association endorsed
the vegetarian diet, support for vegetarianism increased throughout
the medical community. The US government finally dropped the
antiquated meat & dairy industry-sponsored Four Food Groups
and replaced it with a Food Pyramid, clearly showing that Americans
should be eating mostly grains, vegetables, beans, and fruits. Now,
many health advisors agree that a well thought-out vegetarian
diet can provide all the nutrients your body needs and there
is much scientific evidence to indicate vegetarians may be healthier
than meat-eaters. The vegetarian diet is good for you because
it is typically low in saturated and total fat, high in dietary
fiber and complex carbohydrate, and high in protective minerals
and vitamins.
Definitions
A vegetarian is someone living on a diet of grains, legumes,
nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits with or without the use of
dairy products and eggs. A vegetarian avoids all meat,
poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustacea, and the by-products
of slaughter, such as gelatin or animal fats.
Types of Vegetarians
---Lacto-ovo-vegetarian--Eats both dairy products and eggs, preferably
free-range. This is the most common type of vegetarian diet.
---Lacto-vegetarian--Eats dairy products, not eggs.
---Demi-vegetarian--a term sometimes used to describe those who
eat little or no meat but may eat fish. Persons consuming fish
but no meat are sometimes called pescetarians.
---Vegan (VEE-gun)--Eats no dairy products, eggs, or any other
animal product. Vegans avoid most wines, as these are filtered
during production using egg whites or gelatin.
---Fruitarian--A type of vegan diet consisting mainly of raw
fruit, grains and nuts. Fruitarians believe only plant foods
that can be harvested without killing the plant should be eaten.
---Macrobiotic--This diet, followed for spiritual / philosophical
reasons, progresses through ten levels, becoming increasingly
restrictive. At its most extreme, fruits and vegetables are eliminated,
leaving only brown rice.
Not on the vegetarian table
All foods containing ingredients derived from the slaughter of
animals are avoided. Gelatin, for instance, is made from animal
ligaments, tendons, bones etc. which have been boiled in water.
It is often found in confectionery, ice cream and other dairy
products. Animal fats may be present in a wide range of foods,
including biscuits, cakes, and margarines. Some food
additives are derived from animal sources. Cheese
is generally made with rennet extracted from the stomach lining
of slaughtered calves. Vegetarian cheese is made with rennet
from a microbial source.
For more information, Google vegetarian. The Internet is loaded
with vegetarian sites.
NEXT TIME: eating with the environment in mind-- food recommendations
by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
J.R. Tillotson, a writer, illustrator and long time river
villager, welcomes comments and food questions from our readers.
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