What do I have in common with Albert Einstein, Alec Baldwin, Brad Pitt, Aristotle, and Ghandi? Here’s a clue: you’re more likely to find us all munching on carrots than on a steak cooked medium well.
That’s right, those guys were/are vego, like me.
For just over 2 years now I have lived a life of vegetables. I am not actually a full vegetarian – I am what’s called a ‘pescetarian’ because I eat fish. Some would say this makes me a ‘Fish and Chip-ocrite’.
When I decided to stop eating meat, my friends and family were shocked and appalled. Overnight I became a social pariah. I was an inconvenience at dinner parties. I had to cater for myself at BBQs, and I had to justify this decision to everyone at every meal.
Most people were just curious as to why I had become a vego. In fact some were interested in making the switch themselves. However there were more than a few who felt the need to tell me that humans are carnivores who have evolved to eat meat, and therefore a vegetarian diet was unnatural, unhealthy and unsustainable.
Look, the smell of lamb chops on a BBQ still makes my mouth water. And I’m sure sometime in the past two years I may have accidentally eaten meat (apparently marshmallows are not purely vegetarian...). But by and large, I am sticking to my guns. It has been an interesting life change and I have enjoyed it immensely.
Now don’t think I am going to convince you to do as I do, but it would be remiss of anyone writing about vegetarianism not to mention the benefits. Being vego reduces your risk of many chronic diseases including obesity, diabetes and some types of cancer. So while eating brussels sprouts may not give you hair on your chest, it will help you grow up big and strong.
Of course there are downsides to being vego. Bic Macs are out of the question and bacon is not an option however hung-over you may be. Then there’s the initial social ostracism that I described – which is especially profound in my native land where my fellow countrymen pride themselves on slapping various meats on barbeques. Another con is the limited choice of food at restaurants. But thankfully grilled do have several excellent vege burgers.
So let’s learn something. As well as pescetarians like me there are other types of vegetarianism. These are:
- Lacto-ovo vegetarians – people who avoid meat and seafood, but include dairy foods (such as milk and eggs) and plant foods.
- Vegans – people who consume only plant foods.
- Fruitarians - similar to vegans but more extreme. If you’ve ever seen Notting Hill, you will remember the scene where Hugh Grant’s character goes on a blind date with a Frutarian. She comments that the boiled carrots they are eating have been murdered.
There are also a diverse range of reasons why people become vego.
There are ethical reasons, and this is the big one for me. The increase of factory farming in developed countries has made this more popular. The theory goes that if alternative means of survival exist, one ought to choose the option that does not cause unnecessary harm to animals.
Many religions advocate a mostly vegetarian diet; these include Jainism sects of Hinduism, certain types of Buddhism (1). Also the Seventh-day Adventists, the Rastafari movement, the Ananda Marga movement and the Hare Krishnas.
I know a few people who are vegos for Environmental reasons. This is based on the concern that the production of meat and animal products for mass consumption is not environmentally sustainable. Interestingly, the livestock industry is the largest contributor to environmental degradation world wide and is responsible for 18% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2. (2)
Thank you for reading this far. I hope you’ve learned something. Why don’t you reward yourself with a healthy treat? Go on, grab yourself a carrot. It might help you to see in the dark.
(2) Betterhealth.vic.gov.au
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