[T372]The Changing Of Times

Vegetarian awareness is a much heard term but not many people have a proper idea as to what vegetarianism is all about? Care should be taken while dealing with a crucial term as this. Some tend to be a vegetarian because it is much in fashion whereas to the rest, it is something that they have been following since childhood.

What does it mean to be a vegetarian?

Being a vegetarian puts you strictly on a diet where you consume all other things other than flesh. Be it chicken, mutton, beef or the flesh of any other living creature, all gets curtailed the moment you turn to be a vegetarian. Vegetarianism may be a word that we use a lot nowadays but it existence can be dated back to the year 1847 and it was coined by the founders of the British Vegetarian Society. October is the month that is dedicated to all vegetarians around the world and 1st of October is celebrated as World Vegetarian Day.

Is egg a part of the vegetarian diet?

A vegetarian eats nothing that is related to a living creature but there are some people who live in a misconception that egg is a part of the vegetarian diet. Eggs can never be included in the list of food items consumed by a vegetarian. In fact, research shows that it is one of the most harmful things and too much of it's consumption could be very fatal. Egg is what that comes out from a hen or any other bird and it is either not fertile or is dead. The hen discards it from its body and this act of discarding can be well compared to a female menstrual cycle. In that case, we are consuming something by killing another living being or its waste, and this stands strictly against a vegetarian diet. Moreover too much egg could be a problem to the human body. Research shows that a majority of eggs contain DDT and it is high on cholesterol. In many cases they are also a reason for many heart and skin diseases and high blood pressure too.
In this context some may question the consumption of milk, which is yet again a part of a living creature. There is definitely a difference between the egg from a hen and milk from a cow. Milk provides nutritional value to the consumers and the doctors advice to consume it for a healthy body. Some people may definitely be allergic to dairy products but in comparison to eggs and milk the latter is a better option.

Why have most people become vegetarians over the years?

The society holds a fare share of vegetarians as well as people who consume flesh. But it has been seen over the years that, much of the population have started embracing vegetarianism, in fact it is here much in fashion.

Majority of the people are embracing vegetarianism due to health reasons. Vegetables in comparison to flesh are no doubt healthy, it also lowers the risk of having too much fat and cholesterol in the body. Moreover most of the vegetables have an equal effect on the body as done by non-vegetarian food.
A rise in the obesity rates and increasing deaths due to cardiovascular diseases is also been seen as a reason for a lot of people becoming vegetarians. This is a very intelligent move towards a healthier lifestyle.
Protein is very essential for your body and there are a variety of vegetarian products that provides this. Whole grains, legumes, nuts are a few to name and soy protein is the best for a good protein diet.
Our body also needs iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin D and many such essential things and nothing could provide this better than a perfect vegetarian diet.
Apart from health reason, it is money that draws more and more people towards a vegetarian diet. Not all are economically that stable to afford meat and fish all the time. This automatically drives a person towards a vegetarian diet as it comes cheaper and affordable.
People are becoming more conscious of animal rights and they feel that every living being has the right to live life. Human beings need not depend on another creature for their survival.
To some of them it is the love for animals that has brought about a change. They try to compare the brutal killing of animals and themselves. This makes them conclude that what they are doing is not right.
Meat contains a lot of chemical and harmful products.
Man has always kept religion very close to himself and this is one reason for which he has turned a vegetarian. If it is god who has given us life, it is him alone who has the right to take it back. This has been mentioned in almost all of the religious books and people follow their religion very strictly.
Non vegetarian food is also avoided due to environmental reasons. People do not prefer much of inorganic food. Chicken are sometimes injected with hormones which develops a lot of fat in them and this is also done to the cows for good and sufficient milk.

Majority of the population are turning vegetarians and they have every reason to do that. Very recently there was a report on the out break of bird flu and this has made us all the more conscious of what we eat. No matter what we compromise, health has never been on that list.