Make a difference this October by telling others about the benefits of vegetarianism
World Vegetarian Day was established for the first time 46 years ago, in 1977, by the North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS). October 1 is the official World Vegetarian Day, and it acts as the introduction and kick-off to the annual Vegetarian Awareness Month., with its slogan, “Make a difference this October” by informing others about the benefits of vegetarianism.
Vegetarian history
Vegetarianism is now new. In India it’s a Vedic axiom and has been so for thousands of years. Even here in the UK it was already a popular movement in Victorian and Edwardian times, with celebrities such as novelist Leo Tolstoy and playwright George Bernard Shaw , who was also an anti-vivisectionist and opponent of cruel sports, swearing by the benefits of a meat-free diet. “Animals are my friends…and I don’t eat my friends,” he said.
Before that, the ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras had integrated his ideas of the soul and spiritual health with the ideology of refraining from meat. Some even refer to him as the founder of vegetarianism
Leonardo da Vinci appears to have concurred, with surviving letters written by him mentioning his distaste at the notion of eating “animal flesh”.
The founding fathers of the USA included vegetarians – Benjamin Franklin famously refrained from meat – and Mahatma Gandhi was of course a vegetarian, and at the beginning of the twentieth century, when he was living in Britain studying law, reported that he often had to walk many miles to find somewhere that served vegetarian food – happily not a problem these days!
Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, is often seen as a foundationary vegetarian fable, according to the Encyclopaedia Brittanica, the term didn’t exist at the start of the Romantic era, but some of the poets and artists were already thinking about what it meant and followed meatless diets: “One of the characteristic ideas of the Romantic movement was a deep appreciation for the beauty of nature; for many Romantic intellectuals this was simply incompatible with eating meat.”
The monster’s body was composed of “dead meat”, some of it from the slaughterhouse (meaning non-human). However, far from being evil himself, it was society’s (self) disgust at the sight of him – representing their own secret horrors – that turned him into a misunderstood outcast and led to violence.
Shelley herself wrote, “I do not destroy the lamb and the kid to glut my appetite; acorns and berries afford me sufficient nourishment.”
You don’t become a vegetarian by force, you become one by choice … So always make a better choice for a healthier and happier life ahead …Happy World Vegetarian Day!
Make a Difference
Make a difference this October by informing others about the benefits of vegetarianism. You will be helping to create a better world because vegetarian diet have proven health benefits, save animals' lives and help to preserve the Earth.
- Reduce the risk of major killers such as heart disease, stroke and cancer while cutting exposure to foodborne pathogens
- Provide a viable answer to feeding the world’s hungry through more efficient use of grains and other crops
- Save animals from suffering in factory-farm conditions and from the pain and terror of slaughter
- Conserve vital but limited freshwater, fertile topsoil and other precious resources
- Preserve irreplaceable ecosystems such as rainforests and other wildlife habitats
- Decrease greenhouse gases that are accelerating global warming
- Mitigate the ever-expanding environmental pollution of animal agriculture
(from Awareness Days)
Why go vegetarian?
A well-balanced vegetarian or vegan diet can provide many health benefits, such as a reduced risk of chronic diseases, including:
- obesity
- coronary heart disease.
- hypertension (high blood pressure)
- diabetes
- some types of cancer
Beyond protecting against these particular ailments, vegetarianism is also claimed to enhance wellbeing and holistic health:
- Increases lifespan. ...
- Lower cholesterol levels. ...
- Less risk of stroke and obesity. ...
- Reduces risk of diabetes. ...
- Gives healthy skin. ...
- High fiber content. ...
- Can reduce depression. ...
- Improves metabolism.
To find out more about how to enjoy a meat-free diet, visit The Vegetarian Society’s Info Hub.
If you are looking for something special to cook on October 2 to celebrate World Vegetarian Day, why not visit Veggie, where you will find seven special Seven Delicious Dishes to Celebrate World Vegetarian Day, including Roasted Vegetable Salad with Halloumi and Mushroom Pesto and Artichoke Calzone among many other mouth-watering treats.
What is a vegetarian?
According Dr Diane M. Mason and Janet T. Mullins, extension Specialist for Food and Nutrition to the University of Kentucky, The term vegetarian can be difficult to define. As a general guide, vegetarians eat a plant-based diet that includes foods such as milk and eggs — foods made by animals but that do not involve harming the animal.
Vegetarians enjoy a plant-based diet that does not include the flesh of any animal. Vegetarians generally eat foods produced by animals including honey, milk and eggs.
Vegans abstain from eating animalderived products including meats, dairy items, honey and eggs. Most also will not use any animal products including leather, wool and silk.
Lacto-ovo vegetarians enjoy a plant-based diet that includes dairy products and eggs. Lacto vegetarians consume dairy products but no eggs.
Ovo vegetarians enjoy eggs but no dairy products. There are other definitions associated with vegetarianism that include more and less restrictive eating patterns. These include “pescatarian” (those who eat fish and seafood), “pollotarian” (those who do not eat red meat) and “flexitarian” or “semi-vegetarian” (those who usually eat a plant-based diet but who also include lean meats, poultry and seafood.
On the occasion of World Vegetarian Day, always remember that food is not only about taste but it is also about healthy living and one choice can impact your whole life.
Nick Gillett 