Vegetarian diet

The vegetarian diet is defined as one avoiding all animal flesh, including fish and poultry. Vegetarian diets go back many millennia. Until 50 years ago, in Western countries the common vegetarian eating patterns involved avoidance of animal flesh at a minimum, and most adherents’ motivations were religious or moral.

Vegetarians who avoid flesh but do eat animal products, such as cheese, milk, and eggs, are ovo-lacto-vegetarians (ovo = egg; lacto = milk and cheese). Those who eschew all animal products are referred to as pure vegetarians or vegans.

Semi-vegetarian is a person who eats eggs, dairy and occasionally meat or seafood. While pollo-vegetarian is a person who avoids eating red meat and fish, but who eats eggs, airy and poultry.

Vegetarian diet has been shown to be associated with a lower risk of virtually every chronic disease. For example vegetarians are nearly 50 percent less likely to die from heart disease than non-vegetarians.

The vegetarian diet has also been shown to reduce one’s chances of developing diabetes, osteoporosis or high blood pressure or forming kidney stones or gallstones.

Vegetarian also has been shown are less at risk for various cancers than the average American. They are also less often afflicted with digestive-system disorders such as constipation.
Vegetarian diet