Vegetarian diets
There are over 3 million vegetarians in the United Kingdom, with thousands
more changing their diet every week, and many millions more worldwide.
It is widely recognised that a vegetarian diet is nutritionally adequate,
and such a diet typically follows current healthy eating advice of including
more fruit and vegetables together with starchy and high fibre foods
in the diet, and reducing the amount of fat, especially saturated fat,
consumed.
A vegetarian is someone living on a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds,
vegetables and fruits with or without the use of dairy products and eggs
(preferably free range).
People become vegetarian for many reasons, perhaps because they object
to the slaughter of animals for food, because of environmental concerns,
for religious reasons or for health reasons.
Vegetarians do not eat meat, poultry or fish, and avoid all slaughterhouse
byproducts such as gelatine. They generally eat dairy produce and eggs
and as such are termed lacto-ovo vegetarians. Some vegetarians, known
as lacto vegetarians, also avoid eggs, and others, known as vegans, consume
no animal products at all.
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| Benefits
A vegetarian diet can confer a wide range of health benefits. Research
has shown vegetarians suffer less from obesity, coronary heart disease,
high blood pressure, type II diabetes, certain diet related cancers,
diverticular disease, appendicitis, constipation and gallstones.
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