vegetarianism

Definition- what is vegetarianism?

Nowadays, the term vegetarianism in a narrower sense encompasses various types of diet that have in common that they do not consume meat and fish products. The term is derived from the Latin “vegetus”, which means as much as lively, fresh or sprightly. In a broader sense, the term vegetarianism describes a way of life that, to varying degrees, not only refrains from eating meat and fish, but also from using other animal products, such as Leather.
Originally, vegetarianism even stood for a complete renunciation of products from live and dead animals (including dairy products or eggs). Today, however, the term veganism is mostly used for this lifestyle. However, the boundaries between vegetarianism and veganism are fluid.

What are the reasons for becoming a vegetarian?

There are many reasons why people choose one of the various vegetarian diets and lifestyles. Accordingly, vegetarians form a very heterogeneous group in terms of reasons, forms and goals of their vegetarianism.

Many vegetarians simply consider it unethical to keep animals to produce food with their help or even from their bodies. Among other things, the undoubtedly respectable intelligence and ability of many animals to suffer as well as their complex social behavior are pointed out. In addition to keeping the animals in stables or even fattening farms, which is usually considered unworthy, the targeted killing and the resulting human-made shortening of the animals' lives is criticized.

A large part of the vegetarians justify their diet with the high environmental pollution that results from the meat and livestock industry. This ranges from high water consumption to the clearing of rainforests to climate pollution through the emission of greenhouse gases. According to the Worldwatch Institute, the production of meat, eggs and dairy products generates 32.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually worldwide. Experts largely agree that a comprehensive switch to a vegetarian diet could not only reduce man-made carbon dioxide emissions, but also inequality and hunger in poorer countries around the world. The situation is similar with regard to fish consumption: the North Sea, for example, is now considered to be significantly overfished, but the opportunities for a recovery of fish stocks are severely limited due to the fishing industry.

Many vegetarians hope that not eating meat and fish or even all animal products will also have a positive effect on their health. Too much meat has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity. The risk of colon cancer is also increased by a third through extensive meat consumption. In addition, meat can trigger gout over a longer period of time or at least contribute to exacerbating an existing gout.
Studies have shown that the dietary fiber intake of vegans (and probably also vegetarians) is significantly higher than in the average population, in which the intake is below the target level.
Since cholesterol is only found in animal food, a strictly vegetarian diet has an extremely positive effect on cholesterol levels - the body produces the cholesterol it needs itself anyway. With regard to fatty acids, magnesium, vitamin E and antioxidants, studies also found an increased intake in a vegetarian diet that can be assessed as positive. In addition, vegetarians point out that the intensive use of antibiotics in livestock breeding causes the development of antibiotic resistance.

This article might also interest you: Healthy eating

What types of vegetarianism are there?

With regard to a vegetarian diet, a distinction is essentially made between four types, which are distinguished from one another by the consumption of milk and dairy products as well as eggs. The lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet is limited to avoiding meat and fish, while dairy products and eggs are still consumed. In contrast, followers of the ovo-vegetarian diet forego meat and fish as well as dairy products, while with the lacto-vegetarian diet dairy products are consumed and eggs are avoided.

Finally, the strict vegetarian diet is now usually referred to as vegan and excludes all animal foods, i.e. in addition to fish, meat, milk and eggs, for example, honey. If the renouncement of animal products goes beyond the diet, i.e. leather or wool are not consumed, one speaks of veganism instead of vegan or strictly vegetarian food.

In addition, there are diets whose assignment to vegetarianism is considered controversial. Pescetarians, for example, do not eat meat but eat fish. The made-up word “flexitarianism” describes the diet of people who want to eat as little meat and fish as possible, but who do not want to or cannot completely do without their consumption. Flexitarians are therefore also referred to, sometimes disrespectfully, as “part-time vegetarians”.

Also read the article on the topic: Nutritional advice

What effects does vegetarianism have on my body?

Choosing a vegetarian diet has both positive and negative effects on the body.

The positive effects include a reduction in the risk of high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes mellitus, or a heart attack. The fact that vegetarians are less likely to have heart attacks is due not only to lower blood pressure but also to lower blood cholesterol levels. In addition, switching to a vegetarian diet usually has a positive (i.e. lowering) effect on body weight.

On the contrary, vegetarianism can also have some undesirable effects. In particular, if the vegetarian diet is too one-sided, or if the diet is strictly vegetarian (vegans), there is a risk of a lack of iron, proteins, vitamin B12 and other minerals and trace elements. Such deficiencies can in turn provoke a variety of deficiency symptoms, such as an increased susceptibility to infection, anemia or water retention (edema).

In summary, from a medical point of view it cannot be said that one of the two diets is superior to the other - but the possible negative effects of vegetarianism can be minimized by a conscious and balanced composition of the diet.

You can read more detailed information on this topic here: Vegetarian diet

What are the medical downsides?

In addition to the positive health aspects mentioned above, which for many people are the reason to become vegetarian in the first place, the vegetarian diet also has some medical disadvantages. It should be mentioned, however, that these disadvantages occur much less frequently and to a lesser extent with a vegetarian diet (which only renounces meat and fish) than with vegans. In addition, the decision for a vegetarian diet is often accompanied by a more pronounced awareness of the composition of the food, so that the medical disadvantages listed below can only be observed in a relatively small proportion of vegetarians.

Vegetarian food contains a larger proportion of natural foods than the diet of non-vegetarians. This increases the risk of food intolerance.

The proportion of proteins in the diet of vegetarians is significantly lower on average. A shortage of care in this regard can have a wide range of sequelae. These include hair loss, brittle nails, an increased susceptibility to infections or impaired wound healing. Since proteins make a significant contribution to keeping fluid within the vascular system, a protein deficiency can lead to increased transfer of fluid into the tissue and thus to edema or ascites (ascites). In order to prevent a protein deficiency as a vegetarian, the consumption of soybeans and nuts is a good idea, as these have a particularly high protein content.

With regard to minerals and trace elements, a vegetarian diet also carries the risk of insufficient supply. The most relevant in this context are iron (see below), calcium, vitamin B12 and iodine. A calcium deficiency can lead to brittle bones, while a deficiency in vitamin B12 hinders the production of blood cells. Too little iodine, on the other hand, can lead to an underactive thyroid.

Further information on the subject can be found at: Mineral deficiency

Iron deficiency

Iron deficiency is probably the physical consequence most commonly associated with a vegetarian diet. According to various studies, the iron intake of vegetarians is higher than that of non-vegetarians. However, due to the poorer bioavailability of vegetable iron compared to animal iron, the average iron intake of vegetarians is still below the desired minimum value. In plain language: vegetarians do consume more iron, but the vegetable iron is more difficult to utilize, so that an iron deficiency can develop despite the increased iron intake.Since only the strictly vegetarian (vegan) diet excludes all animal foods, iron deficiency occurs much more frequently in vegans than in vegetarians.

Read more at: Iron deficiency in vegetarians

To prevent iron deficiency in a vegetarian diet, you should make sure that you eat enough foods that are high in iron. These include beans, whole grain products, nuts, spinach and peaches. Other plant-based foods do not contain a great deal of iron, but they do promote the bioavailability of iron from other foods and can thus also prevent iron deficiency. Oranges (vitamin C) or soy products belong in this category.

You might also be interested in this article: Diet for iron deficiency

Can I have a purely vegetarian diet for children?

In principle, a vegetarian diet is also possible for children. Due to their growth, however, children are considerably more prone to develop deficiency states, which is why a vegetarian diet for children requires particularly great vigilance and discipline. For this reason, the Research Institute for Child Nutrition (FKE) recommends a varied mixed diet for children, which also contains meat.

However, the institute also emphasizes that it does not consider a vegetarian diet for children to be questionable as long as it is balanced. So if you decide to feed your child a vegetarian diet, you should consider the following aspects. First and foremost, it is important to ensure that your child has an adequate supply of iron. Only a very small amount of iron is passed on in breast milk when breastfeeding. In the first few months of life, the baby therefore uses up the iron stores it had built up during pregnancy. From 5th to 7th These memories are emptied by the month, which is why feeding with solid foods containing meat is recommended from this period.

For parents who want to feed their child vegetarian, there are now complementary foods that contain iron-rich cereals instead of meat - when buying baby food, pay attention to the information on the glasses. If your child has outgrown infancy, you should continue to make sure that they are consuming enough iron. Muesli, bread and grain products are considered good sources of iron. Fruit, vegetables and salad do not contain a lot of iron, but they promote iron utilization in the body and thus also have a positive effect on the child's iron balance. The risk of protein deficiency in a vegetarian diet can be counteracted by consuming eggs and dairy products.

While it is easy to avoid meat and fish in this way, the German Nutrition Society (DGE) generally advises against a strictly vegetarian (vegan) diet for children. This not only carries the risk of a deficiency in iron, but also in vitamin B12 and zinc. If you still have the urgent desire to eat a vegan diet for your child, be sure to discuss this with a pediatrician - if you want to eat vegan food during pregnancy, it is best to do so before you become pregnant! The doctor can, if necessary with the involvement of a nutritionist, create a nutrition plan with you and,

Also read the article on the topic: Vegan diet in children