The ability to connect with people from different corners of the world encouraged the globalization of several food trends. The general context made some traditions easier to borrow and apply in our daily life and “Vegetarianism” with “veganism” are two of them. What are they about and where do they come from?
Vegetarian vs. Vegan
Both vegetarianism and veganism are two lifestyles and are described by the Vegan Society as being philosophies of life. The reason these diets are considered philosophies of life is that both vegans and vegetarians do not eat meat of any kind, but most importantly, their decision is related to a set of principles and ideas referring to other living things. They seriously engage in respecting and caring for animals, they exclude animals from their diet and treat them as creatures with equal rights to live, not suffer, enjoy life, etc. Based on this logic, many people tend to believe that veganism and vegetarianism are the same. And of course, at the theoretical level, the difference between vegan and vegetarian is not very big. On a practical level, however, being on a vegan diet is much more complicated than being on a vegetarian diet.
Vegetarians are the ones who exclude animal products from their diet, including fish and seafood.
Vegans, on the other hand, do not eat meat of any kind and any animal products such as milk, cheese, eggs, or any products obtained from processing animal products such as casein, some forms of vitamin D3, or albumin, pepsin, honey, gelatin, and others.
Veganism and vegetarianism- new or old?
History shows us that these diets have deep roots in human history. Since the year 700 BC, people embraced these eating habits for various reasons: health, religion, and environment. Meaning that before the current major religions existed there were other forms of religion in which people set limits on consumption. But also, a diet that excluded animal products could be due to the absence of animals in the region following climate changes. Thus, depending on the environmental conditions and natural factors, there were times when meat was a luxury.
Nowadays, however, the development of medicine, environmental sciences, and technology allowed the mass dissemination of information on the benefits of such diets, their contribution to body detoxification, metabolic improvement, and so on. And mostly for these reasons, they transformed into lifestyles.
The benefits of a vegetarian or vegan diet
Branches of medicine such as cardiology claim that a vegan or vegetarian diet can have significant benefits, including:
• Weight loss and improving health, especially in people with diabetes;
• Reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering cholesterol levels;
• Decreasing the risk of developing certain types of cancer, such as colon cancer;
Disadvantages of a vegetarian or vegan diet
People who choose to follow a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle should make sure that they get all the necessary vitamins and nutrients from plant-based products. This means that in the case of a smaller budget, many people can be vulnerable to poor quality products, genetically modified products (such as soy), and especially plant products treated with chemicals for growth and preservation.
Of course, this does not mean that meat-eaters are protected from the risk of consuming poor quality products, especially those who eat chicken raised and treated with antibiotics (which leads to increased human resistance to antibiotics and increased difficulty in further treatment of diseases caused by bacteria). Also in the case of meat-eaters, we have various processed and prepackaged products that contain dangerous substances with carcinogenic potential such as sodium monoglutamate (E 621), aspartame (E951), erythrosine (E127), sodium nitrite (E250), carrageenan (E407), sodium benzoate (E211), potassium sorbate (E202), diphosphate (E450).
Another disadvantage of vegan or vegetarian diets is the difficulty of following such a diet in a healthy way. In order for these diets to be effective, meals must be well planned and special attention must be paid to the necessary nutrients and vitamins. For example, we all know that meat foods are rich in iron and vitamin B complex, animal dairy products are rich in calcium and protein, fish and seafood are rich in vitamin D. To make up for the lack of these products in the daily diet vegetarians and vegans need to plan their diet very well and find foods that will ensure a healthy, varied and rich diet.
Conclusions:
Vegetarian and vegan diets are beneficial, especially if we look at the consumerist trend of society and the increase in the number of cases of cancer, diabetes, etc. These diets are good for both health and the environment, taking into account the excessive consumption of meat that has led to the development of various health problems.
On the other hand, a vegetarian or vegan diet that does not include enough omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, vitamin D, and B12 can cause serious neurological problems.
So, if you are thinking of following the new food trends, make sure you are well informed, and build a list of staple foods and a list of foods that can be eaten regularly to ensure that your body receives all the necessary nutrients and vitamins.
Sources:
Petre Alina, 2021. Vegan vs. vegetarian: what is the difference? in Healthline, Nutrition. by Rose- Francis Kim, (ed.), Accessible at: healthline.com/nutrition/vegan-vs-vegetarian
The Vegan Society, 2022. Definition of veganism. in The Vegan Society. Accessible at: vegansociety.com/go-vegan/definition-veganism
Oceanu Elena, 2022. Lista celor mai folosite E-uri. Aditivi cu risc de alergii, ADHD, diabet sau chiar cancer, in Smart Living, Accessible at: smartliving.ro/lista-e-urilor-cele-mai-folosite-care-sunt-periculoase/
Sandalova Maria, 2020. „E-numbers” or additives in food- are they really dangerous? in Gym Beam. Accessible at: gymbeam.com/blog/e-numbers-or-additives-in-food-are-they-really-dangerous/