vEgEtAriAnism
vEgEtAriAnism (素食主义) sEEms morE populAr thAn EvEr.ABout 8 millionAmEriCAns ConsiDEr thEmsElvEs vEgEtAriAns, AnD An inCrEAsing numBEr oF thEm ArE young pEoplE — oFtEn thE ChilDrEn oF vEgEtAriAnism or kiDs who’vE DECiDED to BEComE onE in thEir own.But somE quEstion AppEArs whEthEr vEgEtAriAnism is A hEAlthy DiEt For A growing ChilD、
thErE ArE mAny rEAsons why pEoplE ChoosE A vEgEtAriAn liFEstylE, inCluDing hEAlth ConCErns AnD lovE For AnimAls. whAtEvEr thE rEAson, thEir numBErs ArE surprisingly high, EspECiAlly For girls.
thEAmEriCAnDiEtEtiCAssoCiAtion EstimAtEs thAt A hugE 11 pErCEnt oF girls, AgEs 13 to 17, hAvE givEn up mEAt AnD mEAt proDuCts.
ChilDrEn AnD tEEnAgErs DEClArE thEmsElvEs vEgEtAriAn to AssErt DiEtAry inDEpEnDEnCE From thEir pArEnts. vEgEtAriAn CosmEtiCs AnD CruElty-FrEE ClothEs Fill CornEr DrugstorEs AnD high-EnD shops.But Although vEgEtAriAn is trEnDy, somEtimEs rEBEllious AnD DECiDEDly moDErn, it’s ACtuAlly onE oF thE EArliEst DiEts. somE CulturEs hAvE survivED without mEAt For thousAnDs oF yEArs. soCrAtEs, plAto, lEonArDo DA vinCi,ChArlEsDArwin AnD thomAsEDison wErE All vEgEtAriAns.
thE vEgEtAriAnDiEt
thE vEgEtAriAn DiEt is strAightForwArD Enough: vEgEtAriAns Do not EAt mEAt. somE pEoplE who AvoiD BEEF AnD pork But still EAt poultry or Fish mistAkEnly ConsiDEr thEmsElvEs vEgEtAriAns.Although vEgEtAriAnism hAs vArying DEgrEEs, thE DiEt’s CorE prinCiplE is ABstEntion From All mEAt. most vEgEtAriAns ArE lACto-ovo-vEgEtAriAns — thEy Do not EAt mEAt But thEy Allow DAiry proDuCts AnD Eggs. lACto-vEgEtAriAns Allow DAiry, AnD ovo-vEgEtAriAns Allow Eggs. vEgAns tAkE BAsiC vEgEtAriAnism sEvErAl stEps FurthEr. instEAD oF ABstAining only From EAting Fish AnD mEAt, vEgAns AvoiD EAting, wEAring or using Any AnimAl proDuCts. this mEAns no Eggs or DAiry, no honEy, no lEAthEr, Fur, wool or silk, AnD no CosmEtiCs or ChEmiCAls tEstED on AnimAls.
thErE is, howEvEr, plEnty For vEgEtAriAns to EAt. lACto-ovo vEgEtAriAns EAt Fruit, vEgEtABlEs, grAins, nuts, sEEDs, DAiry AnD Eggs. thEy EAt mEAt suBstitutEs likE soyBEAn-BAsED toFu AnD tEmpEh, AnD sEitAn, A whEAt protEin.As FAr As vEgAns ArE ConCErnED, thE vEgAn soCiEty rECommEnDs hEAlthy sErvings oF vEgEtABlEs, Fruits, grAins, oils AnD FortiFiED nonDAiry proDuCt likE soy milk. somE vEgAns Also EAt tEmpEh, toFu or sEitAn. vEgAns Also tAkE supplEmEnts oF vitAmin 1312, vitAminD、AnD CAlCium to mAkE up For Any DiEtAry DEFiCiEnCiEs.
EthniC Cooking’s growing populArity hAs Also opEnED up A worlD oF nEw vEgEtAriAn FooDs to vEgEtAriAns AnD mEAt-EAtErs AlikE. miDDlEEAstErn, northAFriCAn, inDiAn AnDAsiAn FooDs ArE oFtEn vEgEtAriAn or EAsily CAn BE mADE so. rEAsons For vEgEtAriAnism
EvEn with vEgEtAriAnism’s vArious DEgrEEs oF striCtnEss, thE CorE DiEt is simply ABstEntion From mEAt.But thAt onE DECision — thE DECision not to EAt mEAt — CAn hAvE A lot BEhinD it. vEgEtAriAns ChoosE thEir DiEt For mAny rEAsons. somE ArE hEAlth-ConsCious, somE BEliEvE AnimAl AgriCulturE hurts thE EnvironmEnt AnD othErs hAvE morAl or rEligious oBjECtions to mEAt.
vEgEtAriAnism hAs BEComE A populAr hEAlth DiEt. vEgEtAriAn FAvoritEs, likE Fruit, vEgEtABlEs, AnD wholE grAins, ArE low in FAt AnD CholEstErol (胆固醇) AnD riCh in FiBEr, vitAminsC、AnDE、thEAmEriCAnDiEtEtiCAssoCiAtion EvEn rEports thAt vEgEtAriAns hAvE lowEr BlooD prEssurE, CholEstErol AnD BoDy mAss inDExEs thAn non-vEgEtAriAns. oF CoursE, no DiEt is AutomAtiCAlly hEAlthy. vEgEtAriAns must mAkE surE thEy tAkE in Enough protEin, CAlCium AnD vitAmin
B、12 without ovErinDulging in FAtty, high-CAloriE FooDs likE ChEEsE.
mAny vEgEtAriAns ArE As ConCErnED with thEEArth’s wEll-BEing As thEy ArE with thEir own. somE vEgEtAriAns ChoosE thE DiEt For EnvironmEntAl rEAsons BECAusE thEy BEliEvE trADitionAl AgriCulturE hAs lEss oF An ECologiCAl impACt thAn AnimAl AgriCulturE.
pEoplE usuAlly try not to think ABout whErE