Vegetarianism and other special diets
Vegetarianism and other special diets
Why are people vegetarian?
Moral grounds - Killing of animals
Health grounds
Fashion
Religion
Vegetarians do not necessarily want healthier food that meat eaters and there is a tendency to confuse the "Wholefooder" with the vegetarian. The general assumption is the vegetarian is more concerned about eating over-refined foods than the average meat eater. This is probably a misconception formed by the hospitality industry. The main concern should be to produce good tasting food without using meat or animal product content.
Types of vegetarianism
Ovo-lacto vegetarian
- will not eat meat or meat products
- will eat milk, dairy produce and eggs.
Lacto - vegetarian
eat milk & dairy products but not eggs
Ovo - vegetarian
includes eggs but not dairy products
Vegan
do not eat any meat, dairy or egg products - vegetables only
Fruitarian (fructarian)
eat only the fruit of plants not the plant itself.
Characteristics and attention points
Vegetarian eating can meet all nutrient requirements.
• Tends to be bulky
• High water and high fibre content are common in vegetable foods.
• The ability to create interesting dishes probably requires greater imagination than cooking with meat and is often relatively time consuming.
Two main approaches are adopted -
• To produce foods that emulate meat dishes.
• To produce foods that bear no relation to meat in flavour or texture.
Care is needed to ensure sufficient of certain nutrients
Identify the appropriate sources of:
• energy:
• calcium:
• iron:
• riboflavin:
• B12:
• vitamin D
For further Information see
Special diets:
Religious
Numerous types of special dietary or preparation requirements exist which are linked to religious practice for example:
• Kosher
• Hindu
• Halal
Others
Allergies
• Celiac
• Gluten Free
• Lactose intolerance
• Diabetic
Health reasons
What is a healthy diet?
• "Wholefooders"
• Weight Loss
• low calorie
• low fat/cholesterol
• low salt
• high Fibre