Vegetarianism is just a type of diet, based on the integral consumption of vegetables and fruits, skipping any products derived from animals. Qualified as a lifestyle, vegetarianism talks about the respect for the lives of other species, with ecologist values and a great consideration for Mother Nature.
From the year 1847, it is known with the word vegetarian and vegetarianism, after the foundation of the “Vegetarian Society” at Manchester. However, there are records from earlier practices of vegetarianism; it was a style that was promoted in ancient Greece, by philosophers and religious practitioners.
Some time later, the next followers of this lifestyle are found in the XIX century, allowing the appearance of the first vegetarian society in the United Kingdom, being spread to other nations such as Germany and Holland in short time, achieving later the creation of the International Vegetarian Union in the year 1906.
Vegetarianism is a practice that’s divided into several types and degrees of application that are identified according to the foods in their nutrition. There are strict vegetarians, ovo-vegetarians, ovo-lacto vegetarians, vegans and those who incline towards being frugivorous.
Strict vegetarians are those that completely refuse to eat any foods that come from animals. A strict vegetarian is not to be confused with a vegan, because the first one only keeps a vegetarian regime about what they eat.
Lacto vegetarians are a second degree of believers in this way of life, they are distinguished from the rest because their diet is based On products derived from milk, besides including cereals, vegetables and fruits. This is practiced by Buddhists, Hinduists and Jainists, lacto vegetarians are based on religious traditions.
Meanwhile, ovo-vegetarians, unlike strict vegetarians, allow the consumption of vegetables and fruits as well as eggs. While there are critics about the conditions that productive animals are kept in, this style of diet allows for having balance in protein abstinence. As the ovo-lacto vegetarianism, this is a combination of the last styles.
Vegans, like strict vegetarians, refrain from consuming any animal product, whether it’s meat, milk or eggs, however, there’s a clear difference between these two groups, while strict vegetarians apply these rules to what they eat, vegans widen this belief towards using materials and products that derive from animal exploitation.
Finally, the style of being frugivorous is limited to the conditional use of fruits as a strict base of food. Fruitarians believe that the germ of life is in fruits, and unlike the rest of vegetarians, there are no plants killed so that man can eat with their lifestyle.
ALFA