Learning a Healthy Lifestyle

If you’ve ever requested a vegetarian meal on an airplane, then you know that the airline gives you an entirely different meal than everyone else--this is not necessary. While I’m eating bean paste and sprouts without a cookie, I’m salivating over the sandwich, grapes, and chips everyone else is eating. During my 15 years of vegetarianism, there is no question I get asked more frequently than, “What should I feed a vegetarian guest?” To answer the question, prepare whatever dish you normally would, with meat on the side.

Vegetarians are like everyone else, but we just don’t eat meat. I’ve been to many dinner parties where I was forced to choke down bland, poorly-cooked tofu while everyone else ate gourmet. Follow these simple guidelines to please any vegetarian guest. You’ll be surprised how easy it is.

Even the Utah Beef Council admits, “Several epidemiological studies indicate that vegetarians have lower morbidity and mortality from chronic degenerative diseases.” Today, vegetarians only make up about two percent of the population, but everyday more and more people give up eating red meat or try their first bite of tofu. Aside from ethics, what are the main reasons people are turning away from meat? Health and the ecology.

So what's the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan?

A vegetarian doesn’t eat any animal flesh. Traditionally, you might say a vegetarian doesn’t eat meat, but in some countries “meat” refers to just beef. A vegetarian does not eat cow, chicken, fish, pig, or any other animal. Some vegetarians do not eat chicken broth, lard, and even marshmallows because these items are made with animal by-products.

A vegan, or lacto-ova vegetarian, does not eat any animal products. Like the name suggests, a vegan does not consume milk (lacto), eggs (ova), or meat (vegetarian). Obviously, a vegan diet avoids the “gray area” items mentioned above, like chicken broth. A vegan diet is far more restrictive than a vegetarian diet and includes mostly fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes.

This may seem a bit shocking, but many new vegetarians actually gain weight when they stop eating meat. As a vegetarian, you must adjust to an entirely new vegetarian food pyramid. Years of eating patterns must be re-programmed.

The golden rule of vegetarianism is that you need protein to feel full. If you’re still hungry after a meal, then you probably didn’t eat enough protein. Many new vegetarians gain weight because they find themselves not getting full after a meal. In turn, they eat more and start snacking.

There are over a dozen reasons why people chose for a vegetarian lifestyle. Motives can be ethical, health related or just based on taste preference.

Whenever you chose to convert to vegetarianism, you will need to make some serious lifestyle changes. Starting a vegetarian diet impacts several aspects in life.