Alexa Kaye - The Little Book of Vegetarianism

CONCLUSION

Perhaps youre now ready to take the plunge and become vegetarian; perhaps youve picked up a few good tips for your #meatfreeMondays. Whatever you choose, I hope that you walk away from this book feeling confident that vegetarianism is an easy-to-achieve lifestyle full of options, whether its what food to eat or which shoes to buy. Congratulations on making the kinder choice for the environment, for our fellow animals and for yourself. Good luck on your vegetarian journey.

IMAGE CREDITS

Page numbers refer to the print edition.

pp.1, 4, 712, 1415, 1720, 2223, 2528, 3031, 3339, 4145, 4751, 5361, 6370, 7275, 7780, 8290, 92101, 103118, 120125, 128 Olga Zelenska/Shutterstock.com
p.6 Liashenko Iryna /Shutterstock.com
p.7 Olhastock/Shutterstock.com
p.10 azare1/Shutterstock.com
p.13 KannaA/Shutterstock.com
p.16 Christos Georghiou/Shutterstock.com
p.21 jatmika jati/Shutterstock.com
p.22 Y Photo Studio/Shutterstock.com
p.26 Beskova Ekaterina/Shutterstock.com
p.30 alexandrovskyi/Shutterstock.com
p.32 Blablo101/Shutterstock.com
p.37 fotoearl/Shutterstock.com
p.40 Nataliya Dolotko/Shutterstock.com
p.46 Vector/Shutterstock.com
p.49 FARBAI/Shutterstock.com
p.52 Kwok Design/Shutterstock.com
p.58 Igor Dutina/Shutterstock.com
p.62 kiboka/Shutterstock.com
p.66 Shany Muchnik/Shutterstock.com
p.71 andvasilier/Shutterstock.com
p.76 Thomas Pajot/Shutterstock.com
p.79 Dinus/Shutterstock.com
p.81 Miceking/Shutterstock.com
p.91 whanlamoon/Shutterstock.com
p.102 Elena3567/Shutterstock.com
p.106 Fisher Photostudio/Shutterstock.com
p.112 Valery121283/Shutterstock.com
p.119 Mallinka1/Shutterstock.com

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WHAT VEGETARIANISM MEANS: A BRIEF Q&A

If youve got this far its pretty likely that youre thinking of becoming vegetarian, or have already made the transition. Good for you! Now is the perfect time to switch to a meat-free lifestyle. If youre wondering how to get started then youve come to the right place!

We now know more about nutrition, so we know how to maintain a healthy diet. The shops are stocking more meat-free food than ever so there is plenty of choice. There is simply buckets of information out there on why vegetarianism is an ethical, healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle choice and this chapter will help to answer some of your most pressing questions.

WHAT KIND OF VEGETARIAN AM I?

A nice one! But seriously, there are all sorts of different types of diet based on the ethical and healthy exclusion of animal products.

I exclude meat, fish and shellfish from my diet, but still eat eggs and dairy youre a lacto-ovo-vegetarian . This is your commonly spotted vegetarian. Most menu items and food products that market themselves as vegetarian include eggs and/or dairy.

I exclude meat, fish, shellfish and eggs from my diet, but still eat dairy youre a lacto-vegetarian . Eggs are a common source of protein for vegetarians, so be sure to include other protein-rich foods in your diet.

I exclude meat, fish, shellfish and dairy from my diet, but still eat eggs youre an ovo-vegetarian . Dairy products are a good source of calcium so add calcium-fortified alternatives and greens such as kale to your shopping list.

I exclude meat, fish and shellfish from my diet sometimes youre a flexitarian ! You may prefer to not eat those products but make exceptions in certain circumstances. (If you have a meat/fish/shellfish meal at least once a week, youre probably still an omnivore.)

I exclude meat, fish, shellfish, dairy and eggs from my diet you have graduated from the school of vegetarianism and you are now a vegan !

WHATS WRONG WITH EATING MEAT?

People choose to not eat meat for different reasons. Some people simply dont like the taste or texture, others dont agree with the processes used to rear and kill the animals we eat, or with the principle of killing animals for our benefit at all. Some people recognise that agricultural animal farming hogs a lot of the worlds resources, and others are taking advantage of a global food trade that allows them to eat well without needing any animals to die.

WHAT ABOUT FISH?

Eating fish is seen by some as a different kettle of, er, fish to eating meat. After all, fish are caught out at sea and dont have to suffer through some of the cruelties of farming, so its just like the circle of life, right? Not necessarily. Firstly, some fish are farmed, such as carp, salmon or catfish. Secondly, the worlds oceans are overfished and fish stock levels are struggling. At least a third of the commercial fishing spots are overfished and no longer able to naturally replenish their stocks, meaning there are fewer fish and the ecosystem is unbalanced. Thirdly, commercial ocean fishing is an inexact craft with tight budget margins and pressing deadlines, so although fishing ships are meant to promptly return sea life, such as dolphins or sharks, to the sea unharmed many suffer in the nets and are left on the deck to drown before being thrown back into the sea. Even fish farms contribute to overfishing, as carnivorous fish are fed with ground-down fish from the sea.

CRUELTY IS ONE FASHION STATEMENT WE CAN ALL DO WITHOUT.

RUE McCLANAHAN

SO AS LONG AS I DONT EAT MEAT, IM OK?

Oh heck! Sorry but animal products arent only found in food. You might want to avoid materials such as suede, fur and leather, which are made from animal skins. Even some food that you might think is safe needs an extra look chewy or gummy sweets are often made using gelatine, which is boiled down hoof or trotter. (Luckily there are lots of new brands of vegetarian gummy sweets made from ingredients such as pectin or palm gum. Hello fizzy cola bottles!) Some cheeses such as Parmesan, Grana Padano or Gorgonzola use rennet, which is an enzyme from the stomachs of new-born calves so they may be off the menu too. If youre into getting your nails done, you might want to go for acrylics over shellac as thats made using insect secretions (see p.111). A top tip for new vegetarians is to spend a few weeks familiarising yourself with some of the most common sneaky animal products, and scrutinising the ingredients and processes of your favourite food, clothes, bags, shoes etc., because you may be surprised where companies have snuck them in.