Vegetarians have always had the image of being on the fringe. In the Fifties, they were the Beatniks and in the following decades, they were the Hippies. Vegetarians have always been shown as individuals with long hair, wearing sandals and dressed in clothes made from natural products. Weirdos, some would say.
However, things have eventually been altering during the last ten or twenty years. There are so many vegetarians these days that they can no longer be known as on the fringe. Everyone knows a vegetarian nowadays and plenty of people opt not to eat meat at every meal time.
The fact is that vegetarians come in numerous different degrees of vegetarian. There are individuals who will quite happily sit at the same table as meat-eaters and there are those who will not. I once shared a house with two vegetarians.
When they went away on holiday for a fortnight, I decided to roast a chicken (something I was not allowed to do whilst they were there). When they came back ten days later, they knew that I had cooked a chicken and I had to promise never to do it again or move out.
Then there are vegetarians who will eat fish and there are those that will not and those who will eat dairy products and eggs, and those that will not. There are numerous levels of vegetarianism, the strictest being veganism, which means no animal protein whatsoever.
This can mean that vegetarians and vegans suffer from various nutrient deficiencies that are concentrated in meat, fish, milk and cheese. However, it is usually just beginners who undergo these issues. Long term vegetarians know the pitfalls and either eat a very wide-ranging vegetarian diet or take supplements.
One effective way of replacing animal proteins is by eating beans, pulses, lentils and nuts. This is not an arduous challenge, but it does take more thought than slinging a hamburger on the griddle or barbecue. This is one of the problems for busy vegetarians - preparing food takes a lot longer.
Tofu and other products derived from soya beans are a boon for vegetarians, because it has all the protein one requires and is very versatile. It does not actually have any taste of its own, but it takes on flavours from whatever it is cooked with.
In general, it can be said that vegetarians have to eat more bulk than carnivores, because meat is concentrated vegetables. So, vegetarians normally have to eat more and also eat more varied food yet also make sure that they get all the vitamins that a body needs.
The result of being a vegetarian though is that no animal suffers for you and you get plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, which do not contain a lot of calories. Vegetarians are not usually overweight and they seldom suffer from constipation and the diseases that are linked with eating too much meat, including cholesterol and high blood pressure problems.
However, things have eventually been altering during the last ten or twenty years. There are so many vegetarians these days that they can no longer be known as on the fringe. Everyone knows a vegetarian nowadays and plenty of people opt not to eat meat at every meal time.
The fact is that vegetarians come in numerous different degrees of vegetarian. There are individuals who will quite happily sit at the same table as meat-eaters and there are those who will not. I once shared a house with two vegetarians.
When they went away on holiday for a fortnight, I decided to roast a chicken (something I was not allowed to do whilst they were there). When they came back ten days later, they knew that I had cooked a chicken and I had to promise never to do it again or move out.
Then there are vegetarians who will eat fish and there are those that will not and those who will eat dairy products and eggs, and those that will not. There are numerous levels of vegetarianism, the strictest being veganism, which means no animal protein whatsoever.
This can mean that vegetarians and vegans suffer from various nutrient deficiencies that are concentrated in meat, fish, milk and cheese. However, it is usually just beginners who undergo these issues. Long term vegetarians know the pitfalls and either eat a very wide-ranging vegetarian diet or take supplements.
One effective way of replacing animal proteins is by eating beans, pulses, lentils and nuts. This is not an arduous challenge, but it does take more thought than slinging a hamburger on the griddle or barbecue. This is one of the problems for busy vegetarians - preparing food takes a lot longer.
Tofu and other products derived from soya beans are a boon for vegetarians, because it has all the protein one requires and is very versatile. It does not actually have any taste of its own, but it takes on flavours from whatever it is cooked with.
In general, it can be said that vegetarians have to eat more bulk than carnivores, because meat is concentrated vegetables. So, vegetarians normally have to eat more and also eat more varied food yet also make sure that they get all the vitamins that a body needs.
The result of being a vegetarian though is that no animal suffers for you and you get plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, which do not contain a lot of calories. Vegetarians are not usually overweight and they seldom suffer from constipation and the diseases that are linked with eating too much meat, including cholesterol and high blood pressure problems.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on several subjects, but is at present concerned with French dip sandwich recipes. If you want to know more or check out some special offers, please go to our site at Vegetarian Sandwich Recipes.