Recently, many people have seen it as their duty to showcase their food preferences in public by exhibiting vegetarianism. Of course, the rejection of meat can bring a lot of benefits to the body. But most often it is a kind of self-expression. It is also more common for different subcultures or people who have changed their religion. In such cases, it is more a matter of bigotry than of wanting to give up harmful meat foods. Thus, vegetarianism can even be harmful to health. That is why it is necessary to understand what is vegetarianism. And how not to become a victim of food fashion.
First you need to understand the difference between vegetarians, vegans and raw foodists. Even the very concept of “vegetarians” has several sub classes, which have cardinal differences. There are such sub classes:
- Ordinary vegetarians (those who do not eat meat in any form, but their diet contains fish, eggs and dairy products).
- Lacto-vegetarian (allowing the use of dairy products)
- Ovo-vegetarians (only allow themselves to eat eggs)
- Vegans (so-called strict vegetarians who only eat food of plant origin)
- Raw foodists (the category with the “hardest” restrictions, eating only food of natural origin without any processing)
About the harms of vegetarianism
If we talk about benefits, it’s best to stick to the first category. It is no secret that meat contains harmful compounds. They are considered hard to digest and refusal of such products can be dictated by concern for your own health. It is worth noting that statistics show that women are more likely to become vegetarians. As for vegans, in addition to the overall benefit to the body a quite significant harm will also be noted. It consists primarily in a lack of vitamins and useful components.
Meat, eggs and dairy products contain animal protein, which in terms of amino acid profile is the best. Vegetable protein is an alternative, but it has a smaller set of amino acids. The long absence of such amino acids may cause quite unpleasant phenomena. The same applies to phosphorus, calcium, zinc and group B vitamins, especially B12. Vegetarians who do not neglect fish and dairy products get enough vitamins from food. While vegans and raw foodists are required to take periodic injections of group B vitamins.
A lack of nutrients in the body, which can only be replaced by meat and dairy products, can lead to anemia. Typically, many vegetarians who exclude meat to their diet begin to experience this after a couple of years. As for vegans or raw foodists, they may acquire anemia much faster. Another unpleasant consequence is that the intestinal function is impaired. Also, the complete absence of useful fats leads to deterioration of the nervous system. It results in chronic insomnia, irritability and depression.
About the benefits of vegetarianism
However, if you approach vegetarianism wisely, it can be a great step towards a healthy lifestyle. What vegetarians eat is very similar to the sprints of a healthy diet. But it is worth noting that we are talking only about people who allow the consumption of dairy products, eggs and fish. The vegetarian diet is rich in antioxidants and fiber, as well as natural micronutrients and vitamins, which contributes to the proper functioning of the entire body system.
Popular trends
In modern society vegetarianism is more of a common trend and an attempt to stand out from the crowd than a desire to lead a healthy lifestyle. New subtypes of vegetarians are appearing, which are characterized by growing radicalism. The refusal to eat meat is primarily related to animal protection and is combined with the fight against leather and fur products. Of course, such noble motives are quite clear, but the complete rejection of animal products is extremely harmful for humans.
Taste preferences have been shaping up in mankind for thousands of years. Only over time did a man become omnivorous, eating not only meat and fish, but also plant foods. That is why it is crucial to share the desire to lead a healthy life and demonstrative rejection of certain products, which most often has nothing to do with the benefits to the body. It is worth understanding that many convinced vegetarians have problems with skin, hair, as well as possible some hormonal deviations from the norm. So if you decide to lead a similar lifestyle, you should not forget about regular courses of vitamins and supplements.