Vegetarians are kind of the laid back bunch about the concept of surviving on vegies. Most of them will incorporate dairy products like milk, and cheese, sour cream, butter, yogurt, and so on. These are called lacto-vegetarians. The reason they won’t eat a cow but have no problem drinking a cow’s milk is all about whether or not that cow had to die to feed said vegetarian.
You will find a lot of vegetarians that also eat eggs. These are called ovo-vegetarians. Similarly, a vegetarian will eat eggs they can guarantee weren’t fertilized. This, too, falls into the concept that no chicken had to die to sustain the vegetarian.
Vegetarians value life and attempt to treat all life with the same level of respect and consideration that they would want for themselves. Many a vegetarian know where their dairy supply and their eggs come from. Most of them are already in the habit of buying organic produce. Most of the organic produce is grown locally in their region. And the same goes for dairy and eggs. Those can be found organically grown, cage free.
There are some vegetarians who will eat fish. But at this point, they’re not actually called vegetarians anymore. The act of not eating poultry or meat, maintaining all other aspects of a vegetarian diet, but incorporating fish into the menu is the act of pescetarianism. This concept began and is commonly based from a religious practice, though some claim to do it for the vital omega 3 oils the body needs that can be found in fish.
That said, the rest of a vegetarian diet consists of a high amount of beans for the vitamin B12, protein, and other nutrients they provide. Tofu is a favorite because it can be morphed into numerous different consistencies as well as absorbing the flavors of absolutely anything it is being cooked with. And from that point on, everything that can be grown, doesn’t walk, talk, growl, slither, hop, crawl, or fly, and is complimentary to the digestive tract, is potential for the rich array found within the vegetarian diet, full of spices and flavor that has been the praise of many a first time explore of such a banquet.
Veganism, on the other hand, is not so laid back. The people, themselves, may be, but the reasons behind the concept of veganism are not. A vegan will not eat meat of any kind. The vegan diet does not make room for dairy, eggs, or fish. Vegans will not purchase clothing or accessories that have been derived from animals. They view this along the same lines as if human body parts were to be put on the market for ingestion, clothing, or furniture.
It is fair to say that there are a handful of vegans that have chosen this dietary path strictly for the health benefits. Many Autistics fare better on a vegan diet. But, for whatever reasons you may choose to go vegan, you will have to supplement your diet with vitamins and amino acids that you cannot sustain otherwise.
With the changes in how we grow our food, to the cruelty of mass produced livestock through corporations, instead of family farms, many people throughout the world are changing the way they view food. The choice is still up to you.
