What’s the difference between vegan and vegetarian eating? And what’s a pescatarian? And why, if you wanted to eat vegetables and no meat products, would you want a veggie burger? Or whatever the latest plant-based burger from your local takeout place is made of? Let’s see if we can figure this out.Pretty much, there are herbivores, like cows, and there are carnivores, like wolves. One eats plants and the other eats animals. Plus there are animals, like humans, who eat both. Those are omnivores. There are also plants that eat meats, like that venus flytrap you had in grade school that ate flies, but we’ll ignore them for this discussion.
When it comes to humans, modern humans like you and me and the nice lady who delivers the mail and tosses biscuits out for the dog, our biology has been adapted and evolved to eat a lot of things. Even kale, oysters and ramen noodles if you live in a dorm. By the way, once you’ve graduated, the ramen noodles get a lot better. So, unless you live where plants don’t grow or there are no animals, what you eat is mostly what you choose to eat.
So what is a vegetarian? Or a vegan?
There’s an adage that the word vegetarian is based on an old American Indian word meaning bad hunter. Okay, maybe funny, but it isn’t true. A vegetarian is simply someone who chooses to eat plants instead of animals. Only that’s not exactly true. There are variants of vegetarianism, just as there are variants of Christianity or other religions. And, to some, vegetarianism is a religion of sorts.
There are straight vegetarians. These folks eat plants and plant products, but no animals or animal products. They are vegans, although some vegans also carry the belief over to using no animal products at all, such as leather, down from birds, or even a horse for riding or a dog for home protection. These people, known as ethical vegetarians, eschew all use of animals as commodities of any kind. Sometimes they are referred to as environmental vegetarians since they believe that commercial farming is one of the contributors to greenhouse emissions and global warming. But that’s a different topic.
There are vegetarians who eat plants and plant products, as well as the products of animals as long as there are no animals injured or slaughtered in the process. That means they can eat eggs, but not chicken. Dairy, but not beef. Honey, but not bees. Okay, that may be a stretch, but honey is, after all, an animal byproduct. These people are simply vegetarians.
Vegetarianism is an old practice, believed to originate somewhere in the Indus Valley region of India about three thousand years before Christ. We do know that Greek and Roman philosophers and poets wrote about the practice and practiced versions of vegetarianism. And many modern people from India are vegetarians today, the practice stemming from the Buddhist belief in non-violence toward all animals.
There were groups of monks in Europe who banned the eating of land animals, allowing only fish in the otherwise vegetarian diet. These would be referred to as pescatarians, not strictly a vegetarian but kind of an offshoot thereof. In modern terms, they might be called a flexitarian, someone who occasionally eats meats or fish. Of course, anything that swam, from salmon to shrimp to beavers, was defined as a fish by the monks back then. No cheeseburgers, but beaver stew was fine. Okay, no cheeseburgers anyway, since they are an American food invention, supposedly originating in California.
Modern Vegetarianism and Health
Vegetarianism, as we know it today, took off in the mid 19th century, with the first Vegetarian Society forming in 1847 in England, with similar groups forming in other European countries as well as The United States and Australia. The various vegetarian diets have been studied and several documented benefits have emerged, at least in certain studies. For example, a vegetarian diet can lower the risks of heart disease and help moderate diabetes. There are also studies that suggest vegetarian diets can help in longevity, although there are indications that other factors may be contributory and it’s not just a vegetarian diet that allows you to live forever.
There are also risks to a vegetarian diet. Low protein consumption is common but may not be a health issue. While vegetarians generally consume less protein that the rest of the population. it’s quite possible to stay within dietary guidelines eating vegetables, along with eggs and dairy. It gets a bit tougher as a vegan, but careful diet planning can substitute plant proteins for the more common animal proteins.
Vegans face a substantial risk of a vitamin B12 deficiency, which can cause anemia and even nerve damage. There are foods fortified with vitamin B12, as well as supplements, but no proven sources of B12 in a vegan diet. An article in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that as many as 86% of vegetarians suffer some level of B12 deficiency. The solution is, as usual, to discuss your diet with your doctor and follow their suggestions for supplements.
Vegetarians can also be affected by the lack of fatty acids. While they benefit from the lower saturated fats intake over a traditional meat and vegetables diet, they can lose out on the good fatty acids like Omega 3 fatty acids prevalent in fish and eggs. Fortunately there are non-meat sources of Omega 3, such as chia seeds (yes, those annoying ceramic statue seeds of the 1990’s…) and flaxseed oil. Kiwi fruit is also a good source of these acids. Dietary plans that include these options can make up for the lack of fish in the diet.
Which brings us to the bottom line on a vegan/vegetarian diet – It will only benefit you if planned correctly. The same as planning any diet, from a traditional meat and vegetable diet to a weight loss diet to a special needs diet such as for lactose intolerant people. Just as eating drive-through cheeseburgers, double bacon please, every night will likely kill you early, eating just kale as your diet will as well. Though the Half Crackers would rather die from bacon than kale. A balanced mix of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy, if you’re not vegan, along with oils and proteins that fit in your diet, supplemented as needed with vitamins, is always the best option. Even if you include meats in your diet, a balanced diet is still best. And watch out for processed foods and additives. You’d be surprised what’s in some of those Impossible Foods or Beyond Meat products, which are usually based on soy or pea proteins but can have extraordinary amounts of sodium. One of those fast-food meatless burgers will usually have 40% or more of the daily recommended saturated fats, and 18% or more of sodium. Your normal hamburger will be closer to 30% saturated fats and usually under 5% of sodium. You need to add fats and salt to bump the flavors on the meatless burger.
And the question here at HalfCracker Ranch is why? If you really want a hamburger, you should be eating a hamburger. They taste better and, at least in some ways, are better for you. Instead of getting the double burger, get a dingle patty and all the vegetables to make it moderately healthier. Besides, those meatless burgers cost 20-30% more than real meat.
There are plenty of vegetable dishes that don’t taste like meat but are still both delicious and healthy. We don’t understand the appeal of a vegetarian diet that mimics a traditional meat diet. Eggplant parmesan doesn’t taste like chicken parmesan (okay, it kind of does at the base level), but it’s still good. And spanakopita tastes great even though it doesn’t have meat. If you’re going to be a vegetarian, you really should develop a taste for all the wonderful vegetable dishes available in the world’s cuisine.
Disclaimer
As always, the information presented here is informational, not a medical diagnosis or recommendation. Before you start on a vegetarian diet, or any diet, you should talk with your doctor and heed your doctor’s advice. Vegetarian diets, when balanced properly, aren’t fad diets or gimmicks (though meatless burgers sure are…). Many people for many centuries have practiced the lifestyle and it does have proven benefits. Provided you pay attention to your diet and what your body needs, and doesn’t need, to help you live a long and healthy life, a vegetarian life style can be a valid choice.
Here on HalfCracker Ranch though, we simply aren’t going to give up bacon. 🙂