F O O D
hen it comes to vegetarianism, the number one question asked is
W
“what do you eat?” The second question to follow is “how can you not eat
meat?”
These concerns are hardly unfounded as we live in a world
vastly submerged in an ‘eat meat’ fad with chefs and foodies constantly
churning out meat-based recipes.
Just think of how many adjectives there are to describe meat: sizzling, juicy,
tender, moist, smoky and succulent. Vegetables, on the other hand, rarely
ever cause a mouth-watering effect with little to no adjectives dedicated to
painting a pretty picture.
Indeed, the years have not been kind to vegetarians or their respectful
choice of abstaining from meat.
So, with World Vegetarian Day rolling in on 1 October, GLOSS raises the
curtain on vegetarianism and provides a window into the what and why of
this rising diet followed by roughly 375 million people around the world.
What is it?
Simply put, vegetarianism is largely the practice of abstaining from eating
meat, and may also include abstention from its by-products from animal
slaughter. However, there are different levels of the degree of vegetarianism
one can practice, with the main four being:
Ovo-lacto vegetarianism – the most common type wherein practitioners
eat both dairy products and eggs
Ovo vegetarianism – eat eggs but no dairy products
Lacto vegetarianism – eat dairy products but no eggs
Veganism vegetarianism – do not eat dairy, eggs or any by-product
derived from animals or meat
Pollotarian and pescatarian also fall within the lifestyle with the former
abstaining from red meat, fish and seafood, while the latter avoiding red
meat, poultry and fowl.
Why do it?
There are a number of reasons behind adopting a vegetarian diet with
many revolving around health and ethics. For instance, people often object
to eating meat out of respect for sentient life, making it a matter of animal
rights advocacy.