On the first of October is the World Vegetarian Day

World Vegetarian Day: What do vegans, vegetarians or flexitarians eat??

03/10/2011

On the first of October is the World Vegetarian Day. If it was said a few years ago that the vegetarian diet is unhealthy compared to mixed nutrition, the scientific picture has changed completely. It has been proven that a vegetarian and balanced diet can dramatically reduce the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. According to a long-term study by the German Cancer Research Center in Heilberg, the death rate for a vegetarian diet is reduced by 30 percent in women and by 50 percent in men.

Although vegetarians rarely see currywurst stalls, there are now many balancing products made from soya tofu or quorn mushroom. More and more people who prefer a mixed diet, but still worry about the origin of their food and often abstain from meat. Nutritionists have identified a new trend: meat consumption has been steadily declining in western industrialized countries for years. Instead of the grilled steak, more and more people are also trying out vegetarian recipes, noting that the meat is no longer missing.

Vegetarian is not the same vegetarian. There are many different diets among the meat-lovers. Some also eat fish, others do not eat any animal products such as eggs, cheese or yogurt. There are vegetarians, vegans, frutarians or pesetarians. Whoever eats something will be declared the World Vegetarian Day on the 1st of October.

Meat eaters / mixed diet: According to some nutritional studies, men eat more meat than women. The Federal Ministry of nutrition found in an evaluation that men eat twice as much meat as women. On average, every German eats about 88.2 kilograms of meat per year. Consumption has increased rapidly since the 1950s and has been declining only for a few years. Numerous scientists call for a massive rethinking of nutrition. Due to the world's high meat consumption, especially in the industrialized nations, it is already impossible due to the increasing world population to feed all people adequately. Numerous studies indicate that high intake of meat significantly increases the risk of heart disease or stroke.

Vegetarian: Vegetarians had to justify themselves a few decades ago because they do not eat meat, and today it is the social standard to dispense with sausages and roast beef. Many stars such as rock singer Nina Hagen or ex-Beatle Paul McCartney are committed to their fleshless life. Experts estimate that around one billion people are purely vegetarian. The Federation of Vegetarians e.V. says that the number of German meat scavengers currently stands at around six million people, and the number is rising. In former times, many still called for a renunciation of flesh for political, religious or ethical reasons, but nowadays more and more people refuse for health's sake. In addition, aspects such as animal suffering and mass animal husbandry play a significant role in the renunciation of meat. By the way, environmental protection and animal welfare are the most common reasons why someone does not eat meat. Many also say so, „Meat just does not taste good to me“. According to studies, vegetarians are today mostly female, young and educated above average. In Asia, many people have not been eating meat for centuries for religious reasons, which is why vegetarian food is highly praised by many vegetarians.

Vegan: In the vegan diet, people refrain from any consumption of animal products. Vegans eat no meat, cheese, eggs, gelatin from animal meal or honey. Many vegans want to live very consistently and pay attention to content and origin when choosing their clothes. Therefore, most refrain from wearing leather shoes, sheep wool, down feathers or commercial cosmetics. Vegans usually live very strictly according to their rules and criticize vegetarians for not acting as consistently. Critics claim that the vegan diet can lead to a lack of nutrients and therefore cause illness. According to some studies, this is only partially true, because it depends on whether a vegan is diverse and therefore well-nourished. All proteins, proteins, minerals and vitamins can also be found plant-based. Vegans therefore have to eat a very varied diet. Some, however, also swallow additional supplements in order to avoid deficiency symptoms.

Flexitarians: More and more people want to consciously feed themselves. The flexitarians reject the mass animal husbandry, campaign for environmental protection and pay attention to their own healthy diet. They do not want to forego the very moderate consumption of meat. They pay more attention to the origin and demand organic food. Vegetarians and vegans throw the „Leisure-vegetarians“ inconsistent action and consolation. A well-known proponent of this lifestyle is, for example, the US writer Jonathan Safran Foer. A Forsa study had determined that there are around 42 million so-called flexitarians in Germany. Again, there is a rising trend.

Pescetarier: Although many people do not eat meat, they are more likely to eat fish, crabs and other seafood. The name comes from Italy, like the word „pesce“ already implies. Almost vegetarians usually eat eggs, milk and honey. Health factors are also crucial for them. Many also say they do not like meat.

Frutarian: These people eat no animals, no cheese, do not drink milk, but only plants that did not die during the harvest. According to Frutarier also eat no carrots, fennel, leeks or onions. Frutarians only eat fruit, i. The fruit must have fallen down from the tree and not picked. In Germany, there are only a few thousand people who feed themselves. Their main concern is the consistent protection and conservation of nature.

freegan are a relatively new group in the western world. They have a socio-political critical attitude towards the consumer world. The representatives eat what other people have already thrown away. After closing time, they superficially go to supermarkets and restaurants to steal already expired fruit, vegetables or yoghurts. Many supermarkets have already gone to complete the discarded food. Even some criminal charges had to be accepted by some activists, even though the goods were supposed to end up in the garbage. Most of the Freegans eat either vegan or vegetarian. Through their attitude and actions, they want to draw attention to the disposable society, the abundance and the bitter poverty in the Third World. Most therefore also reject capitalism as an economic form. The criticism is well justified: According to the FAO, every year 1.3 billion tons of food are disposed of in the trash. In the US and Europe every inhabitant throws away around 115 kilograms of food a year. By contrast, every day thousands of children in Africa die of hunger. (Sb)

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Picture: Luise