Vegetarianism

Vegetarianism is a diet including fruits, vegetables, cereal grains, nuts, and seeds, with or without dairy products and eggs. A vegetarian doesn't eat meat, including: red meat, poultry, fish, crustacea, shellfish, etc…

History
The idea of vegetarianism comes from ancient India and ancient Greece in the 6th century. In both instances the diet was connected with the idea of nonviolence of animals and was promoted by religious groups and philosophers. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the vegetarianism was expanded. In 1847, the first Vegetarian Society was founded in England, Germany, Netherlands, and other countries. The International Vegetarian Union was founded in 1908.

There are different vegetarian diets.

 Lacto-ovo vegetarianism includes animal products and eggs, milk, honey.

 Lacto vegetarianism includes milk but not eggs.

 Ovo vegetarianism includes eggs but not milk.

 Veganism excludes all animal flesh and animal products.

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 Raw veganism includes only fresh and uncooked fruit, nuts, seeds, and vegetables.

 Fruitarianism permits only fruit, nuts, seeds, and other plant matter that can be gathered without harming the plant.
 Macrobiotic diets consist mostly of whole grains and beans.
- Etc…

Nutrition

Evidence suggests that vegetarians are generally healthier and live longer than non-vegetarians. They have lower rates of disease, obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, dementia and some forms of cancer.

Vegetarian diets tend to be rich in carbohydrates,omega-6 fatty acids, dietary fibre, carotenoids, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium and magnesium. They are generally low in fat, cholesterol, and animal protein. However, vegetarian diets can sometimes be relatively low in protein, iron, zinc, vitamin B12, calcium and other nutrients.

Additional reasons for a vegetarian diet.

Ethics

Ethical objections refer in general to the act of killing animals, including animal rights, environmental ethics or religious reasons.

Religion
Vegetarianism and religion are strongly linked in a number of religions that originated in ancient India (Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism).

Comparatively, in the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) vegetarianism is not promoted by religious authorities

Rastafari
Within the Afro-Caribbean community, a minority are Rastafari and follow the dietary regulations with varying degrees of strictness. The most orthodox eat only natural foods. Most Rastafari are vegetarian.

Labor Conditions
Some groups promote vegetarianism as a way to fight for poor treatment and working conditions of workers in the contemporary meat industry. 

Cultural
People may choose vegetarianism because they were raised in a vegetarian household or because of a vegetarian partner, family member, or friend.

The vegetarians can eat…
- Soy bean hamburger
- Vegetarian ham
- Vegetarian steak
- Vegetarian sausage
- Vegetarian pies
- Tofu
- Whole grains and beans
- Cereals
- Dairy products (Milk and derivates)
- Eggs
- Honey
- Different kinds of nuts

Conclusion
Vegetarianism is a type of diet excluding all meat and fish, and sometimes, in the case of vegans, all animal products. People that choose this type of diet have a lot of reasons to do it.

Questions:
- Are you vegetarian? Why?
- Why did you choose to be vegetarian?
- What do you think of people who eat meat?
- With what do you replace the proteins of the meat? Are they sufficient?
- To be vegetarian, does it have a consequence?
- Why don't eat meat, if God made us like that?
- At the beginning, did it cost you?