Do Vegetarians Eat Fish? Types of Vegetarianism

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:45

In recent years, vegetarianism has been developing rapidly, expanding its borders and attracting new people. There are many prerequisites for this, ranging from social motives to ethnic ones. There are no established norms and rules in this way of life, therefore, at present, this topic is of considerable interest, which, in turn, raises a huge number of questions. Many people are curious about what vegetarians can eat: whether they eat fish, poultry, eggs, and other animal products. Therefore, the number of discussions on this topic is growing every day.

How did vegetarians come about?

This way of life originated many millennia ago in various eastern states. Therefore, before everyone started calling such a diet "vegetarianism", it was called "Indian" or "Pythagorean".

In Europe, this way of life began to be practiced only in the middle of the nineteenth century, and at the moment, supporters of vegetarianismMost of them live in Italy. In Russia, this movement appeared a little later, and in 1901 the first society of supporters of such food was registered in Moscow.

In recent decades, this lifestyle has been gaining momentum, but if you delve into this topic, many still cannot understand whether vegetarians eat fish and eggs, drink milk, and, in general, who are they called that? Since such a statement that these are the people who do not eat meat is only the tip of the iceberg and has long been outdated.

What can be considered proper vegetarianism?

In general, this concept came from the English language and in translation means "food not related to the killing of an animal." That is, by this way of life it is meant that people cannot eat meat products, eggs and other food of animal origin. But can a vegetarian eat fish? This question can be answered if you know what type of "non-meat-eaters" a person belongs to.

There are no strict lists of unacceptable food products, and everyone determines for himself what he will eat and what he will refuse. Everything may depend on certain reasons why a person became a supporter of this movement.

What could be the motivation?

If you know exactly why certain adherents of this lifestyle decided to give up animal food, then you can answer such questions: “What foods do they eat?” or “What type are these vegetarians?”, “Do they eat fish?”. Motives for such a diet maybe completely different:

• Moral - in order not to cause suffering to animals, as well as to avoid their killing and exploitation. Such people usually do not eat anything of animal origin at all, not even fish.
• For medical reasons, since such a diet can significantly reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, the appearance of cancer cells and a number of cardiovascular diseases. In this case, people can eat fish and some other animal products.
• Economic motives - such people are convinced that this lifestyle can help them save money that they spend on buying meat products. Therefore, answering the question "do vegetarians eat fish, seafood or other animal foods with such a diet", we can safely say yes.
• For religious reasons.
• Environmental reasons - such people believe that killing animals has a negative impact on the environment.

Therefore, depending on such motives, there are several types of vegetarians.

Pescovegetarianism

About these supporters of this diet, many people say that they are the wrong vegetarians. Do they eat fish or other animal foods? It turns out that they eat all these foods with great pleasure, so they are not considered true members of the vegetarian movement.

The data of the supporters of this diet are not separated from the true adherents of plant foodsonly their food system, but also their views on the torment and fear of sentient beings. Sand-vegetarians believe that fish cannot feel pain during a violent death, so they can be safely eaten. Such a belief is contrary to the notions of ardent supporters of such a lifestyle, who are sure that in no case should you eat any living organisms.

Flexitarianism

This variety appeared more than ten years ago. Such people are said to be only half vegetarian. Do these supporters of the movement eat fish? As it turns out, they can afford to eat not only this product, but sometimes even meat.

Flexitarians try to eat absolutely no food of animal origin, but they cannot completely eliminate it from their diet.

Vegan

This type implies such supporters of the movement, who are also called "strict vegetarians". Whether these people eat fish can be immediately understood by their name, since they do not consume any animal food, therefore they are also referred to as raw foodists. They are also adherents of eating unprocessed foods. That is, these vegetarians believe that food should not be cooked at a temperature that is higher than 115 degrees Celsius.

Some vegans may even cut out sugar, alcohol and honey. Their motto is "Say no to eating living beings and any animal products."

But besides the mainof the above supporters of this movement, there are several more varieties that adhere to incomplete or transitional options for such a diet.

Other types of this movement

The most common type is currently considered lacto-ovo vegetarians. These people absolutely do not use beef, poultry, pork, game, but do not deny themselves eggs and milk. Do vegetarians eat fish in this case? No, because these supporters of the movement also do not eat seafood, including shellfish.

There are also lacto-vegetarians who do not eat eggs, but can consume all kinds of dairy products. They are common to a large extent among Hindus, who are guided in their diet by religious motives.

The next type are ovo-vegetarians. They do not eat meat, dairy products, but eat eggs. Some people become adherents of such a diet, as they may suffer from lactose intolerance.

There is another variation of this movement, whose supporters follow a macrobiotic diet in their diet, that is, they prefer a variety of cereals and all kinds of cereals. Their menu may also include fruit and vegetable dishes. Can vegetarians eat fish in this case? The answer to this question is yes, but only in very rare cases. This diet also recommends avoiding sugar and various refined foods.

And the last type is fruitarians. The diet of these people consists exclusively of vegetablefruits, as well as a small amount of cereals, nuts and seeds. They also avoid eating potatoes, lettuce, or beets.

Vegetarianism - good or bad?

Thanks to such a large number of varieties of this movement, recently this topic has become the most discussed among the world community. Some tend to argue that such a lifestyle can only hurt, while others are sure that it has a lot of its advantages.

For example, American doctors claim that vegetarians are much less likely to suffer from colon cancer, as vegetables and fruits contribute to the normalization of the digestive tract, which cannot be said about meat. In turn, British scientists have proven that the exclusion of all animal products from your diet significantly reduces the risk of developing various eye diseases.

But, despite such significant advantages, vegetarianism also has its undeniable disadvantages. It turns out that people who follow this lifestyle often suffer from vitamin B deficiency, and therefore are prone to various neurological diseases and disorders.

Useful information

Deciding to join such a movement, a person should ask not only such a question as "do vegetarians eat fish or not and what can be consumed at all." To become a supporter of this diet, you must first prepare psychologically for this, as well as discuss possible contraindications with your doctor.

Undoubtedly, for many people, the transition to such a diet is the beginning of a new stage in their lives, since vegetarianism is not only the rejection of any products, but is also considered a kind of philosophy of human existence.