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So, You're A Vegetarian?
People Who Don't Eat Meat
By Johnathon Allen
My carnivorous friend likes to chide my vegetarian palette by saying, "Red meat is not bad for you -- green fuzzy meat is bad for you." Which may be true, but when you consider that having a plant-based diet significantly reduces the risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and cancer it's no wonder that 14 million Americans now call themselves vegetarians.
Couple this with the fact that Americans spend $4 billion annually on medical expenses and lost wages for meat-related food illness, and it's also not surprising that the population of veggies continues to grow by about a million every year.
According to Virginia Messina, author of The Vegetarian Way, "A plant-based diet appears to be the best way for humans to eat for overall health. Regardless of what our digestive system will support, it makes sense for the whole family to limit animal foods in their diet."
But what exactly do all those people mean when they call themselves vegetarians?
Take Ben from Houston, Texas, for example. After seeing our flight stewardess deliver my pre-ordered vegetarian meal he leans over and says, "Yeah, I eat chicken and fish sometimes, but basically I'm a vegetarian."
Really, Ben is a semi-vegetarian, or what I call a plant-favoring omnivore: someone who eats almost anything except red meat. I hated breaking it to him, but really the girl in front of us, Ashley, who considers herself a vegan (pronounced VEE-gan) and was eating a delicious looking grilled tofu sandwich, is what most people imagine when they think "vegetarian." Vegans, like Ashley, eat only plant-based foods and avoid animal products of any kind, including dairy, eggs and even honey.
