VEGETARIANISM: DAY TWO

This morning I woke up worried.  I hadn’t forgotten my pledge to remain meat free.  No, I had not re-thought that pledge.  Rather, my wife and I had not gone to the grocery store this weekend yet, and our supply of food had been running down.  I suspected that I did not have the usual banana and yogurt I ingested each morning.  It was Sunday this morning which meant that Valerie and I ate breakfast after mass either at Corner Bakery or at the local Stripes gas station where delicious hand-made tortilla breakfast tacos are made with egg and all kinds of different meats and beans are served.

The problem I had lay in the definition of Vegetarianism.  Conceptually, I began these thirty days with the understanding that vegetarianism means eating no meat.  To me that meant that I would need to refrain from eating the four staple proteins: beef, chicken, pork, and fish.  Easy enough.  But then, it occurred to me that perhaps I was defining the term too narrowly.

Google defines it such: veg·e·tar·i·an·ism (vejəˈterēəˌnizəm/) noun

1. the practice of not eating meat or fish, especially for moral, religious, or health reasons.

   "vegetarianism, they claim, will save the world from hunger

I discussed in my post yesterday, one of the moral reasons that people are vegetarian arises from the sacredness for life.  What I hadn’t thought about yesterday was whether such sacredness of life includes the eating of eggs or products made from eggs.  Would I be violating my thirty day fast if I ate a breakfast taco or scrambled eggs.  Do egg whites count?

There are different forms of vegetarianism.  According to the website Vegetarian Nation, there are different levels of vegetarianism:

• Vegan: Vegans do not consume any animal products or by-products. So vegans of course do not consume red or white meat, fish or fowl. They also do not consume eggs and dairy. Vegans do not use honey or beeswax, gelatin and any other animal by-product ingredients or products. Vegans typically do not use animal products such as silk, leather and wool, as well.
• Lacto Vegetarian: Lacto-vegetarians do not eat red or white meat, fish, fowl or eggs. However, lacto-vegetarians do consume dairy products such as cheese, milk and yogurt.
• Ovo Vegetarian: Ovo-vegetarians do not eat red or white meat, fish, fowl or dairy products. However, ovo-vegetarians do consume egg products.
• Lacto-ovo vegetarian: Lacto-ovo vegetarians do not consume red meat, white meat, fish or fowl. However, lacto-ovo vegetarians do consume dairy products and egg products. This is the most common type of vegetarian.
• Pollotarian: Much like the pescatarian, this “semi-vegetarian” diet restricts  meat consumption to poultry and fowl only. Pollotarians do not consume red meat or fish and seafood
• Pescatarian (Pescetarian): While technically not a type of vegetarian, these individuals do restrict their meat consumption to fish and seafood only. Pescatarians do not consume red meat, white meat or fowl. This is considered a “semi-vegetarian” or “flexitarian” diet.
• Flexitarian – A plant-based diet with the occasional meat item on the menu. These folks do their best to limit meat intake as much as possible and they have an almost entirely plant-based diet.

Hilariously, Vegetarian Nation advise that Flexitarians are not really vegetarians, commenting “This is not technically considered a “vegetarian” diet, but we commend the effort!”  So how does one choose to the level of vegetarianism?  Does one have to earn entry into each level of vegetarianism or does one simply jump right into the level one wants?  Do vegetarianism of a higher level look with disdain upon those in a lower level or vise versa?

I would think that being a vegan could be an expensive and difficult proposition!  To eliminate all animal products would require that one cook at home all the time and to buy products at specialty (and expensive) supermarkets.  I simply don’t have the time nor the funds to be such a vegetarian, unless of course, I ate only vegetables, fruits, and yogurt.

I found a banana and yogurt in the refrigerator.  But then at lunch, I ate a cheese sandwich and pretzels.  I know that some baked goods include eggs.   Does wheat bread?  Pretzels?  Cheese is a dairy product.  I am not sure I have any qualms about ingesting milk products since milk is a natural product of mammals including humans and, in theory, causes no suffering or loss of life in and of itself.

For dinner, I ate refried beans, rice, and tortillas.  I suspect that the refried beans were made with some kind of fat.  I had part of a chocolate cake which had to have been made with eggs.  I clearly did not eat Vegan today. 

I think that I am probably most comfortable with a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, simply to keep the amount of time in determining those food  items which meet the level of vegetarianism to a mere distraction and not an all time consuming vocation.

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