Hey Beautifuls!
This post is going to be giving you the 411 and some tips on becoming a vegetarian. First off, a vegetarian lifestyle is very healthy for you and has been shown in studies to be very beneficial to our health and well being. Second, despite what you might have heard, there are more then one specific type of vegetarian. Third, again this is a lifestyle, not a diet. With that being said let's get to it.
What exactly is vegetarianism/vegetarian you may ask?
A: Vegetarianism is the practice of following a plant-based diet including fruits, vegetables, cereal grains, nuts, and seeds, with or without dairy products and eggs. A vegetarian does not eat meat, including: red meat, game, poultry, fish, crustacea, shellfish, and products of animal slaughter such as animal-derived gelatin and rennet.
Worried you can't do without some of the foods mentioned?
A: Worry not! Like I said before, there are several different styles of vegetarianism such as the following:
Semi-vegetarian- diets primarily consist of vegetarian foods, though occasional exceptions are made for some non-vegetarian foods, including fish, poultry and red meat.
Flexitarianism: A diet that consists primarily of vegetarian food, but includes occasional exceptions such as red meat.
Pescetarianism: A diet that is mainly vegetarian but also includes fish and sometimes other seafood.
Pollotarianism: A diet that is mainly vegetarian but also includes poultry.
Lacto-ovo vegetarianism is a vegetarian diet that permits consumption of animal products such eggs, milk, and honey.
Lacto vegetarianism permits milk but abstains from eggs.
Ovo vegetarianism permits eggs but abstains from milk.
Veganism abstains from all animal flesh and animal products, including milk, honey, and eggs.
So don't sweat it! Leading this very beautiful lifestyle can be quite easy and simple if you put your mind and heart to it. Odds are if you are interested in becoming a vegetarian and are reading this post then you are already taking the necessary steps on your path. What I found very resourceful to help build my knowledge was books, books,books, and of course the Internet. The very first book that I picked up and literally through me over the edge into this lifestyle was
"Skinny Bitch". This book is a must! Not necessarily for becoming a vegetarian but for your overall knowledge of what you are putting into your body. The writers of this book really did not hold back what so over when unveiling the truth about what is really behind the food industry i.e. factory farmed animals, pesticides, cancerous sugars, puss bacteria filled milk, and the list goes on. I warn you this book is not for the overly sensitive. I myself cried through a couple of pages in the book and there are even pages that I couldn't even attempt to bring myself to read. (the chapter was on how animals people eat are brutally slaughtered) :(
Aside from this book, I recommend beginners guide to becoming a vegetarian and vegetarian cookbooks. These books not only give you tips on what meals to put together but go into detail on what to look for when needing the right source of protein, minerals, vitamins, carbs, and fats, to keep yourself healthy.
I hope you are able to find this post at least a bit informative on your venture. I wish you all the best and please feel free to ask me any questions you may have.
Peace&Vegetarians!,
Amber Nicole
The definitions/list of different categories of vegetarians was really helpful!
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