Vegans - who are what they eat and how are they different from vegetarians? Eating Vegan

According to statistics, more than a billion people on the planet Earth do not consume meat. There can be many reasons for this - from physical, moral, social and ethical to spiritual and mystical. According to the established stereotype, such people are often called vegetarians. But is this correct? Many people have heard the word "vegan" - who are these people? What are they different from raw food? Who of them can eat dairy products and eggs, and who is categorically against it?

Classification of vegetarians

As already mentioned, there can be many reasons for choosing such a lifestyle: faith, individual preferences, personal health issues. Many refuse meat products because of concern about the state of the environment and the animal world. For some people, the transition to vegetarianism is associated with savings, since rice or buckwheat is cheaper than meat products. There are several kinds of this direction of nutrition:

- lactoove vegetarianism, in which it is possible to eat eggs and dairy products, but you can not eat fish, meat and poultry;

- ovovetarianism, where you can eat eggs, but milk, sour cream, cottage cheese can not be;

- lactovegetarianism, in which you can eat dairy products, but eggs can not be;

- sand-vegetarianism, where it is considered possible to eat seafood and fish.

It remains to learn about such a category as vegans - who are these people? This is the most extreme form and type of vegetarianism. What do vegans eat? It's easier to say that they can not eat: eggs, dairy products, honey, gelatin, refined food, processed food, preservatives, alcohol, caffeine, any stimulants, all products of animal origin.

Vegetarian differences from vegan

Since these are the two most common trends among people who abandoned meat food, one should understand the differences between them. Moreover, as is known, the average person does not see any difference between these concepts. What is the difference between a vegan and a vegetarian? The main difference is taste preferences.

Vegetarian does not eat meat of animals, as well as fish and poultry. However, in the diet of such people there is no ban on milk products and eggs, as well as on all derivatives. Attitude to honey is quite ambiguous, but often loyal.

Vegans - who are these people? Here beliefs are much tougher and stricter. You can not eat meat, fish, or poultry. It is forbidden to even wear things that are made from animal raw materials. You can not eat eggs, honey, gelatin, dairy products. Vegans are often fanatical fighters for animal rights. All over the world, they advocate the abolition of bullfighting and even the banning of the circus, as in this entertainment institution, according to their beliefs, forcibly exploit animals. It's easy to imagine what attitude vegans show to poultry farms, meat processing plants, fish harvesting plants and even to simple hunters and fishermen.

The vegan diet is an illusion or a reality?

What is interesting - a person who refused to eat meat, still uses animal protein. Then what is the food of the vegans and its features? A vegetarian is different from a meat-eater in only one - in refusing to eat meat. Therefore, he can not get some amino acids, which in plant products simply do not exist. But how such people live? It turned out that everything is simple. The vegetarian organism adapts itself to such nutrition over time. In the stomach and intestine appear saprotrophic bacteria, which begin to process the incoming fiber with food and supply the necessary amino acids. It turns out that the vegan is completely dependent on its own microflora, and the meat-eater receives the necessary substances from meat products. But is everything so simple?

Pros and cons of refusing meat

Vegans - who are these people? And why do many dietitians respond negatively about the practice of such nutrition? The main disadvantage is that the intestinal microflora is destroyed by the action of certain products, such as garlic, onions, etc., and there are a lot of them. Therefore, if you jam about how to become a vegan, then before you make a final decision, you still need to carefully weigh the pros and cons.

After all, as it turns out, in the intestine and stomach not only food that has been ingested from outside, but also proteins that are excreted by the internal environment of the body in the digestive tract, is processed. There were a lot of such proteins! What does it mean? A person who has ceased to consume meat continues to receive animal protein "from himself."

Naturally, so many people would not be adherents of veganism, if it were so harmful. There are also positive moments. For example, according to statistics, vegetarians are generally healthier and slimmer than meat eaters. This is due to increased attention to their own energy balance and the use of low-calorie food.

The Dangers of Veganism and Vegetarianism

If the above were characterized by general negative points, then one should not forget about the dangers. Without this, it is impossible to make a complete picture of the answer to the question: "Vegans - who are they and what do they eat?" The main thing is to understand and remember: if you exclude meat from the diet, then there will be no special harm, but if you do not eat all the foods that have Animal origin, then it is already dangerous. No vegetable protein is able to fully replace the animal protein, either by its digestibility, or by its composition of amino acids.

Than it threatens? People who have excluded food of animal origin may develop protein deficiency. Also there is a chance to earn enough unpleasant illness called "kwashiorkor". It is often found in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Protein starvation leads to an increasing loss of body weight, it can not be compensated even by the possibility of the intake of proteins from the outside with food. It is especially difficult for such processes to be tolerated by children and adolescents, as a violation of metabolic processes can lead to a halt in growth, and to changes in the body, many of which can be irreversible. Naturally, in the most neglected case, such protein starvation can lead to death.