When you decide to become a vegetarian, it is a personal commitment and only a personal commitment. No one will ever give you a rule book, a set of principles to sign up to or a set of guidelines to follow. It is entirely up to you what you mean by being a ‘vegetarian’. There are no rules for being a vegetarian.
There are, however, different levels of vegetarianism but some vegetarians may well debate and even argue that their personal point of view is correct. The strictest kind of vegetarianism that you are likely to come across is the macrobiotic diet; then there are the vegans, who do not consume any animal products including fish, eggs and dairy products.
Then there is the majority of vegetarians who will eat fish, dairy yet eggs yet there are those who do not eat fish, some who will drink milk and eat cheese yet will not eat eggs and some who do. I even knew a vegetarian who allowed himself one bacon sandwich a month and turkey on Christmas Day (my father), but he considered himself a vegetarian.
You could adopt a mild form or vegetarianism at first but then gradually quit eating fish and dairy products later as your craving for animal protein assuages. Or you could jump in at the deep end by going vegan and add fish back in if you find it too hard. You can do whatever your conscience allows you to do.
Let us suppose that you take the mild approach to vegetarianism for a year or two but then decide to stop eating dairy products and eggs. You have now become a lacto-vegetarian. It displays a sympathy for the animals in the dairy and egg industries. Numerous hens live in appalling battery conditions. In general, cows fare somewhat better, yet they still live an abnormal life.
Ovo-vegetarianism is the name give to the diet by which you can still eat eggs after you have given up meat, fish and dairy products. Ovo-vegetarianism is convenient if you find it hard to get enough protein into your diet, because you can have an egg for breakfast yet eat vegetarian for the remainder of the day.
Veganism is just about as strict as most people would like to go. Strict vegans do not consume any animal products including honey. Most individuals find that this is going too far and that it puts unnecessary stress on the vegetarian following it. After all, a vegan has to know what is in everything he or she eats: every dish, loaf of bread, cake, biscuit and even slushie, in case someone has used honey as a sweetener or animal fat instead or margarine.
Most vegetarians would recommend the slow but steady approach to becoming a vegetarian, because it can be difficult at first and you do not would like to put yourself off before you have even given it a opportunity to benefit you. Bear in mind that lifestyle alterations are always difficult, so go simple on yourself and take your transformation into a vegetarian slowly.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a number of topics, and is now concerned with low carb vegetarian recipes. If you want to know more, please visit our website at http://vegetariancasserolerecipes.com