Online Class: Vegetarianism 101 — How to Be a Vegetarian

Although there are various types of vegetarians the one thing that remains consistent is that no type of vegetarian eats any kind of animal. This means that they never eat fish, chicken, pork, seafood, or any other animal body part. Some of the misconception about what a vegetarian is gets started by well-meaning people who try to adopt a vegetarian diet, yet still eat fish or chicken (or some other animal) and continue to call themselves a vegetarian. They really aren't vegetarian, so it sends out mixed messages. But vegetarians do not eat any type of animal. 

The difference in a total vegetarian and a vegan is the lifestyle that goes beyond just what people eat. The person who has a total vegetarian may be following the diet for the multitude of health benefits that it provides, but they may not pay much regard to animal issues beyond how it impacts their health and diet. The person who is a vegan is usually someone who is against all forms of animal exploitation and seeks to avoid harming animals whenever possible. So for vegans it is a lifestyle, rather than just a diet.  

By the Numbers

People, vegetarians and non-vegetarians, often want to know just how many vegetarians there actually are. It would be difficult to figure this number out on a worldwide basis, but there have been polls conducted in various countries that can shed some light on the topic.  

According to recent research conducted by The Vegetarian Resource Group (in conjunction with Harris Interactive), the number of Americans that are considered vegetarian is around 3%. Yet in a survey of the country's youth, they found that around 7% of them said they never eat meat and 8% of adults said they never eat meat. The discrepancy here is between "never eating meat" in the questionnaire and then if they ever eat fish or poultry (chicken, turkey, duck). So apparently there are some people that don't associate things like chicken and turkey with meat. Yet according to the definition of meat, as it relates to animals, is "animal tissue considered especially as food." 

It is safe to say that in America around 3% of the population is actually vegetarian. What that amounts to are over 9 million people who are true vegetarians. Many people believe that vegetarianism with the country's youth is on the rise, as younger people are beginning to adopt the lifestyle. Beyond that, there are millions more in the country that are "vegetarian inclined," meaning that they mostly eat vegetarian foods and just include small amounts of meat here and there in their diet. 

Vegans make up the smallest percentage of vegetarians, representing around 1% of the American population. Most vegetarians fall into the lacto-ovo varieties. Throughout the world, countries vary by how many vegetarians they have. Some have many vegetarians, such as India, while other countries have few, such as Eastern Europe.

Making the Decision

You may be asking yourself just why it is that so many people choose to go vegetarian, especially in a country so prone to not be vegetarian. There are several reasons that people choose vegetarianism. Below provides a brief overview of these reasons, but we will go much more in-depth in this course regarding the various reasons behind each of these decision areas. 

Here are the most common reasons that people choose vegetarianism (in no particular order): 

• Health. One of the most common reasons that people go vegetarian is because of the health benefits. Some may do it to lower their cholesterol, reverse heart disease, or take advantage of a myriad of other ways that it can improve one's health.
• Environmental. Because of the vast environmental damage caused by the livestock and fishing industry, some people choose to eat a plant based diet. A plant based diet is better on ones carbon footprint, taking fewer resources and causing less damage to the planet. Basically, it's a more earth friendly way to eat.
• Animal Rights. Many people choose vegetarianism for ethical reasons, believing that one should not eat take the life of an animal to eat when there are so many other possible food options. Animals rendered for food suffer horribly in the vast majority of cases. These vegetarians believe animals should not be treated as objects, but should be allowed to live their life as nature intended.
• Religious. There are several religions that promote or subscribe to vegetarianism, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Seventh Day Adventists. Usually the religious principles are out of ethical reasons, striving to treat other creatures with respect and to not do them harm.
• Other. There are other reasons that people choose vegetarianism, such as world hunger issues. Because producing meat takes a vast amount more of resources, it is an efficient form of feeding the world. For example, it is estimated that it takes 16 pounds of grain to produce one pound of beef. You can feed a lot more people in the world with 16 pounds of grain than you can one pound of beef. Essentially, you can feed more people with vegetarian foods than you can non-vegetarian ones. So those who would like to end world hunger would find this a compelling reason to be vegetarian.