What’s a LACTO-OVO VEGETARIAN ?

Many people who are concerned with cruelty to animals and the environment are choosing to eat a vegan diet.  Today, animals are kept in crowded, unnatural environments and killed in a horrible way to provide meat. Chickens no longer roam freely, but are trapped in cages where they are feed antibiotics and other chemicals. Cows are force- fed, crowded, and slaughtered in a brutal fashion. Also, animals eat vast amounts of grain that could be saved to feed the world’s starving people. If you are thinking of eating a vegan diet to help the planet and your health, there are three kinds of vegan eating you can choose from.

The following website is a good resource for your options: http://www.celestialhealing.net/physicalveg.htm

“LACTO-OVO VEGETARIAN”: Eats no meat, poultry, or fish, but includes dairy products and eggs in the diet along with plant-based foods.

LACTO VEGETARIAN: Excludes all animal products except dairy products. Includes all plant-based foods in the diet.

OVO VEGETARIAN: Excludes all animal products except eggs. Includes all plant-based foods in the diet.”

FLEXITARIAN EATING

Some of the difficult aspects of being a purist vegan are the fact that you may miss meat dishes that you have had in the past such as turkey at Christmas, ham at Easter, your mother’s pot roast, or a chicken dinner on Sunday.  The Vegan Nook suggests that you could try being a “flexitarian” by eating 80% vegan and allowing yourself  20% for eating what you fancy, even if it is meat. The Vegan Nook is located at: http://www.vegetariannook.com/advantages-of-vegetarian-diet.html.  The author says:

“My suggestion to get the Advantages of Vegetarian Diet without the dis-Advantages.

Try the flexitarian route. You’ll still get many of the benefits. Your eating will generally be healthier. You can still have your favorites. You can eat with your family and friends without eating different foods or feeling different…. You can allow the 20% guilt free when you follow the 80% healthy vegetarian.” However, if you are committed to eating a pure vegan diet, then the flexitarian diet may not appeal to you.  Some vegans find any kind of meat repulsive.

VEGAN RECIPES

The classic book on vegan eating is “Diet for a Small Planet” by Fances More Lappe. Wikipedia comments, “The bestselling first edition, published in 1971 by Ballantine, was sponsored by the Friends of the Earth organization. Besides the book’s promotion of vegetarianism, its underlying orientation emphasized a responsible use of the Earth’s resources. The book includes recipes based on the complementarily combinations, and was followed by a collection, Recipes for a Small Planet by Ellen Buchman Ewald, with an introduction written by Lappé.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_for_a_Small_Planet

Free Vegan Recipes on the Internet

The following links are websites that have free vegan recipes on them:
http://www.vitalita.com/vcg/cookbooks/

http://artmam.net/Free_Vegan_Cookbooks.htm

http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/index/html/gp35.html

http://veganrecipes-idahovegan.blogspot.com/2008/03/free-vegan-cookbooks.html

http://www.myvegancookbook.com/blog/

If you choose to eat a vegan diet there are many choices that you have to make.  Are you going to be lacto-ovo-vegan; ovo-vegan, pure vegan, or flexitarian?  Also, if you are eating a vegan diet you should do research on how to get enough B12 in your diet. Some vegans can get anemic if they are not eating enough B12, but this can be overcome by careful attention to diet. In general, eating a vegan diet is beneficial for the planet, the animals, and your health.