Vegetarianism, its History

"Vegetarianism" has been viewed as a fad, a trend, a 'sometime' diet but it has, in fact, been around as an accepted diet amongst many peoples for centuries. Perhaps the earliest records of vegetarianism as a concept and a way of eating were found in ancient India and the ancient Greek civilizations and Southern Italy sometime in the 6th century BCE. In all cases, this vegetarian diet consisted of only foods that were plant-derived. It was closely connected to the concept of nonviolence to animals and was an integral part of religious philosophies, particularly Hindu.

Several orders of monks in medieval Europe also restricted or banned the consumption of meat but more for ascetic reasons than for reasons of nonviolence to animals. They did not include fish in the restriction.

Vegetarianism came and went as cultures and societies changed and evolved. For some, eating meat was the only option for survival while others had more abundant edible plant life from which to choose. Vegetarianism came to the fore front again in Europe during the Renaissance and became a more widespread practice in the 19th and 20th centuries.

In 1847, the first Vegetarian Society was founded in England. Germany, the Netherlands, and other countries followed suit and The International Vegetarian Union, a union of the national societies, was founded in 1908. In the Western world, the popularity of vegetarianism grew during the 20th century resulting from nutritional, ethical, and more recently, environmental and economic concerns.

India is one of the country's that follow a vegetarian diet on a national scale. One statistic shows that vegetarians in India are estimated to make up more than 70% of the world's vegetarians, and they make up to 42% of the population in India. Surveys in the U.S. have found that almost 3% of American adults eat no meat, poultry, or fish.

Types of Vegetarians

Vegetarians fall into several categories based on the amount or type of animal foods they eat or don't eat. The reasons for this are much the same as the reasons for eating a vegetarian diet in the first place: religious, economic, cultural, ethical... All vegetarians will not consume meat. But the following will clarify some of the misunderstanding about vegetarians.

• Vegans will eat nothing produced from the labor of animals. This includes meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and honey. Furthermore, they try to avoid using or wearing products produced from the labor of animals such as wool, silk, or leather.
• Lacto-Ovo Vegetarians will not eat meat, but they will consume eggs, dairy products, and honey.
• Lacto Vegetarians will not eat meat, fish, or eggs, but they will eat dairy products and honey.
• Ovo Vegetarians will not eat meat, fish, or dairy products but will consume eggs and honey.