20 Questions About Vegetarianism



|20 Questions About Vegetarianism |Vegetarian diets are rapidly gaining in popularity. They can reduce the risk of many common |

|by Renee Cloe, ACE Certified Personal Trainer |diseases, promote weight loss, and help the environment. However, myths and misinformation still |

|[pic] |abound. If you’re thinking about making the switch it’s important to have accurate information. |

| |Let’s take a look at some of the most common questions about vegetarianism. |

| |1. What are the different types of vegetarians? |

| |2. What are the health benefits of a vegetarian diet? |

| |3. Is it possible to get enough protein on a vegetarian diet? |

| |4. How much protein do I need, anyway? |

| |5. What’s the difference between complete and incomplete proteins? |

| |6. Why do people become vegetarians? |

| |7. How does vegetarianism impact the environment? |

| |8. What does vegetarianism have to do with world hunger? |

| |9. What do vegetarians eat? Don’t they miss their favorite foods? |

| |10. Are vegetarian diets always healthy? |

| |11. Is it hard to eat in a restaurant when you’re a vegetarian? |

| |12. Is a vegetarian diet safe for children and teenagers? |

| |13. Aren’t vegetarians frail and weak? |

| |14. How do you make the transition to a vegetarian diet? |

| |15. What if you live with a family of meat-eaters? |

| |16. What do vegetarians do about travel, and social functions? |

| |17. Do vegetarians need special vitamins and supplements? |

| |18. Who are some famous vegetarians? |

| |19. What do the experts say? |

| |20. Where can I get more information? |

| |1. What are the different types of vegetarians? |

| |There are several different variations of the vegetarian diet. Strict vegetarians, called vegans, |

| |eat no animal products at all. The staples of their diets are fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans |

| |and peas), grains, seeds, and nuts. Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy products in addition to plant |

| |foods. Lacto-ovo vegetarians include dairy products and eggs as well as plant foods in their diets.|

| | |

| |People who eat animal flesh (meat, fish, chicken) are not considered to be vegetarians. However, as|

| |the health benefits of a vegetarian diet become more widely known, many people reduce or eliminate |

| |animal products. For example, they may eat fish and chicken but no red meat, or they may eat meat |

| |in small portions only a few times a week. These people can most accurately be described as |

| |following a semi-vegetarian diet. |

| |2. What are the health benefits of a vegetarian diet? |

| |Vegetarian diets are lower in saturated fats, cholesterol, and animal protein. They’re also high in|

| |folate, anti-oxidant vitamins like C and E, carotenoids, and phytochemicals. Overall, vegetarians |

| |have substantially reduced risks for obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes |

| |mellitus, osteoporosis, and some forms of cancer - particularly lung cancer and colon cancer. |

| |Vegetarian diets that are low in saturated fats have been successfully used to reverse severe |

| |coronary artery disease. (1) |

| |3. Is it possible to get enough protein on a vegetarian diet? |

| |Absolutely, it’s actually difficult to become protein deficient unless you quit eating all |

| |together. Just about all unrefined foods contain significant amounts of protein. Potatoes are 11% |

| |protein, oranges 8%, beans 26%, and tofu 34%. In fact, people have been known to grow at astounding|

| |rates (doubling their body size in only six months) on a diet of only 5% protein. These people are |

| |infants and they do it during the first 6 months of life, fueled by breast milk, which contains |

| |just 5% protein. (2) |

| |4. How much protein do I need, anyway? |

| |The Recommended Dietary Allowance (R.D.A.) for protein is 0.8 grams a day per kilogram of |

| |bodyweight. (Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get kilograms.) Athletes may require more |

| |protein, but the amount is small (1.0 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of bodyweight), an amount easily |

| |obtainable from a vegetarian diet. |

| |Excess protein consumption can cause a variety of problems including bone mineral loss, kidney |

| |damage, and dehydration. Your body can only use so much protein, the excess is either broken down |

| |through oxidization, placing an enormous strain on the kidneys, or it is stored as body fat. |

| |Neither option is particularly desirable. (3) |

| |5. What’s the difference between complete and incomplete proteins? |

| |Animal protein contains all nine of the essential amino acids, so it has been referred to as a |

| |"complete" protein. The nine essential amino acids can also be found in plant proteins, however no |

| |single plant source contains all nine of them. Therefore, plant protein has been referred to as |

| |"incomplete." |

| |It was once widely believed that vegetarians had to carefully combine plant protein sources in each|

| |meal in order to obtain all nine essential amino acids. However, scientific studies have shown that|

| |the human body can store essential amino acids and combine them as necessary. So, while combining |

| |beans and rice, or peanut butter and bread produces a complete protein, it’s not necessary to |

| |consciously do this at every meal. If you eat a varied diet and adequate calories, combining |

| |proteins is not an issue. (2) |

| |6. Why do people become vegetarians? |

| |There are a variety of reasons. Many people switch to a vegetarian diet for weight loss and |

| |improved health. Some are concerned about the safety of meat following recent outbreaks of |

| |salmonella and e. coli bacteria. Others feel that it is moral or spiritual issue. Some individuals |

| |deplore the suffering of animals in modern factory farms. Still others are concerned about the |

| |environment and world hunger. A few just don’t like meat. For many vegetarians it is a combination |

| |of issues. |

| |7. How does vegetarianism impact the environment? |

| |Throughout the world, forests are being destroyed to support the meat-eating habits of the |

| |"developed" nations. Between 1960 and 1985, nearly 40 percent of all Central American rain forests |

| |were destroyed to create pasture for beef cattle. More than four million acres of cropland are lost|

| |to erosion in the United States every year. Of this staggering topsoil loss, 85 percent is directly|

| |associated with livestock raising, i.e., over-grazing. Much of the excrement from "food" animals |

| |(which amounts to 20 times as much fecal matter as human waste) flows unfiltered into our lakes and|

| |streams. (4) |

| |8. What does vegetarianism have to do with world hunger? |

| |Raising animals for food is an extremely inefficient way to feed a growing human population. The |

| |U.S. livestock population consumes enough grain and soybeans to feed more than five times the |

| |entire U.S. population. One acre of pasture produces an average of 165 pounds of beef; the same |

| |acre can produce 20,000 pounds of potatoes. If Americans reduced their meat consumption by only 10 |

| |percent, it would free 12 million tons of grain annually for human consumption. That alone would be|

| |enough to adequately feed each of the 60 million people who starve to death each year. (4) |

| |9. What do vegetarians eat? Don’t they miss their favorite foods? |

| |Vegetarians have a variety of great food choices. Many of them are just slight variations on old |

| |favorites. Some popular dishes include: pasta with tomato sauce, bean burritos, tacos, tostadas, |

| |pizza, baked potatoes, vegetable soups, whole grain bread and muffins, sandwiches, macaroni, |

| |stir-fry, all types of salad, veggie burgers with french fries, beans and rice, bagels, breakfast |

| |cereals, pancakes, and waffles just to name a few. The freezer sections of most big grocery stores |

| |carry an assortment of vegetarian convenience foods such as veggie bacon, burgers, and breakfast |

| |sausages. |

| |10. Are vegetarian diets always healthy? |

| |Not always, if a vegetarian replaces the meat with high fat cheeses and oil, they’re not helping |

| |matters much. It’s also important to remember that there’s no meat in ice cream, potato chips, and |

| |fudge brownies. It’s certainly possible to be a vegetarian and still consume large quantities of |

| |high-fat empty calories. Vegetarian or not, a healthy diet is low in cholesterol and saturated fat |

| |and is based around fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. Eliminating the meat |

| |doesn’t automatically make for a healthy diet. |

| |11. Is it hard to eat in a restaurant when you’re a vegetarian? |

| |It’s actually surprisingly easy. You can always get beans, rice, and tortillas at a Mexican |

| |restaurant. Chinese restaurants offer all kinds of vegetable, rice, and tofu dishes. Italian |

| |restaurants are known for spaghetti, ravioli, vegetable lasagna, and minestrone soup. Even a steak |

| |restaurant is guaranteed to have big salads, baked potatoes and bread. |

| |Fast food chains are surprisingly accommodating as well. Sandwich shops offer an assortment of |

| |vegetables and cheeses on a bun with mustard, mayo or whatever you prefer. Burger places are |

| |willing to leave the meat off of your sandwich. Many fast food places now offer salads, baked |

| |potatoes, or meatless pita sandwiches. The big pizza delivery companies have all kinds of delicious|

| |vegetable toppings. They’ll even leave the cheese off if you ask. |

| |12. Is a vegetarian diet safe for children and teenagers? |

| |According to the American Dietetic Association, vegetarian diets satisfy the needs of infants, |

| |children, and adolescents and promote normal growth. Emphasis should be placed on foods rich in |

| |calcium, iron, and zinc. They also stress that growing children need frequent meals and snacks, and|

| |that it’s okay for children to have some refined foods and foods that are higher in fat in order to|

| |meet their energy demands. |

| |13. Aren’t vegetarians frail and weak? |

| |No, that one is a myth. Former champion bodybuilder, Bill Pearl is a vegetarian. So is the |

| |legendary 6'8, 320 pound wrestler, Killer Kowalski; fitness guru, Jack LaLanne; Olympic gold |

| |medalist, Edwin Moses; and 6-time Ironman Triathlon winner, Dave Scott, just to name a few. Burly |

| |vegetarians from the animal kingdom include bulls, elephants, rhinos, and gorillas. Try telling one|

| |of those guys that you can’t get big and strong eating your leaves and twigs! |

| |14. How do you make the transition to a vegetarian diet? |

| |That depends on the individual. Some people just decide to do it and never look back. Others make |

| |gradual changes to their diets. They may start by having one or two meatless meals a day just to |

| |try it out. Some people set aside one or two days a week to go veggie, or even one day a week to |

| |eat meat. Some people start by eliminating red meat and work from there. Others just cut back on |

| |the amount of meat in their diet, using it as a condiment instead of the main course. |

| |15. What if you live with a family of meat-eaters? |

| |This isn’t as tricky as it sounds. It’s possible for vegetarians and meat-eaters to coexist |

| |peacefully at the same dinner table. Many dishes are a combination of vegetables, grains, and meat.|

| |The idea is to serve the various elements separately or to add the meat last. |

| |Some suggestions include: a pizza that’s half meat / half veggie, Mexican food like tacos or |

| |fajitas that everyone assembles themselves, pasta dishes like spaghetti and meatballs with the meat|

| |added after the vegetarian has been served, or cookouts where the meat-eaters grill hot dogs and |

| |hamburgers and the vegetarian grills veggie dogs and veggie burgers. Don’t forget about meatless |

| |favorites like bread, beans, potatoes, pasta, rice, casseroles, and desserts that everyone can |

| |enjoy. |

| |16. What do vegetarians do about travel, and social functions? |

| |Major airlines have vegetarian meals available but you need to request it when you make your |

| |reservation. At catered events like weddings and parties, you may want to mention your dietary |

| |preferences to the host. Caterers can provide a vegetarian meal for you if they know about it ahead|

| |of time. For an important business lunch in an unfamiliar restaurant, a quick phone call to inquire|

| |about the menu options can help to put you at ease. If you’re invited to dinner in someone’s home, |

| |let the host know that you’re a vegetarian. You can also offer to contribute a dish to a dinner |

| |party or family gathering. That way you’re assured of having something good to eat. |

| |In all of these cases, you can choose as much or as little advance preparation as you want. If |

| |you’d just as soon hang yourself with a dinner napkin than try to make special arrangements, it’s |

| |perfectly acceptable to go with the flow and make the best of what’s offered. I haven’t encountered|

| |a dining situation yet that didn’t include some variation of vegetables and bread. |

| |17. Do vegetarians need special vitamins and supplements? |

| |In most cases they don’t. A well-rounded vegetarian diet that includes a variety of foods usually |

| |meets all nutritional requirements. One possible exception would be vitamin B-12 which is found |

| |only in animal products. Vegetarians who limit dairy products may also want to pay special |

| |attention to getting enough calcium. Good calcium sources for vegetarians include: tofu, beans, |

| |dried figs, collard greens, blackstrap molasses, and calcium fortified orange juice or soy milk. |

| |18. Who are some famous vegetarians? |

| |Leonardo Da Vinci, Charles Darwin, Socrates, Plato, Sir Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, Clive Barker, |

| |David Duchovny, Drew Barrymore, Candice Bergen, Kim Basinger, Paul McCartney, Chelsea Clinton, |

| |Woody Harrelson, Steve Vai, Eddie Vedder, Lisa Simpson, Hank Aaron, Alec Baldwin, Bryan Adams, |

| |Peter Gabriel, Mary Tyler Moore, Leonard Nimoy, Alicia Silverstone, Liv Tyler, Jerry Seinfeld, |

| |Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, Henry David Thoreau. (5) |

| |19. What do the experts say? |

| |The American Dietetic Association says that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, |

| |are nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain |

| |diseases. (1) |

| |References: |

| |(1) "Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets" Journal of the American |

| |Dietetic Association, November 1997, Volume 97, Number 11. |

| |(2) McDougall, John, M.D., The McDougall Program, 1990, pp. 44-45. |

| |(3) "Position of The American Dietetic Association and The Canadian Dietetic Association: Nutrition|

| |for physical fitness and athletic performance for adults" |

| |(4) People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Fact Sheet #5: "Vegetarianism: Eating for Life" |

| |(5) The Vegetarian Pages, "Famous Vegetarians/Vegans" |

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