(Eggs are NOT vegetarian - read this important article)
Vegetarianism as wholistic:
The word vegetarian, coined by the founders of the British
Vegetarian Society in 1847, comes from the Latin word vegetus, meaning
"whole, sound, fresh, or lively," as in homo vegetus - a mentally and physically
vigorous person. The term 'Vegetarian' was coined in 1847. It was
first formally used on September 30th of that year by Joseph Brotherton
and others, at Northwood Villa in Kent, England. The occasion being the
inaugural meeting of the Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom.
The original meaning of the word implies a balanced philosophical and moral sense of life, based on a sustainable culture, implying a lot more than just a diet of vegetables and fruits.
Prior to 1847, non-meat eaters were generally known as 'Pythagoreans' or adherents of the 'Pythagorean System', after the ancient Greek 'vegetarian' Pythagoras.
The original definition of 'vegetarian' was "with or without eggs or dairy products" and that definition is still used by the Vegetarian Society today. However, most vegetarians in India exclude eggs from their diet as did those in the classical Mediterranean lands, such as Pythagoras did due to their being either the waste by product of the bird's menstrual cycle, or a living being.
Most vegetarians are people who have understood that to contribute towards a more peaceful society we must first solve the problem of violence in our own hearts. So it's not surprising that thousands of people from all walks of life have, in their search for truth, become vegetarian.
General
Misconceptions on Vegetarianism:
I think in my experience the biggest misconception that
carnivores and omnivores have is that suddenly one becomes limited to eating
the two veg after the meat had been taken away. Actually this couldn't
be further from the truth. There are hundreds of vegetables, fruits, grains,
combinations of flours, nuts, beans, ghee, milk products, yogurt, cheese,
etc., to choose from.
The bottom line in vegetarianism is
to have a well balanced sensible healthy diet.. From one person to another
that may vary due to different natures, different work or even different
climatic situations, or cultures, but a basic balance can be applied that
can easily be applied to allow all those of us with a human body to live
a healthy, happy, peaceful life in harmony with those around us.
See
a similar review by TIME magazine on Balanced Vegetarian diet HERE
VEGETARIAN FOOD PYRAMID:
A couple of months ago, I reviewed Food Politics by Marion Nestle. One
of the chapters I found interesting was about the USDA Food Pyramid, and
how it is a product of special interests and agri-business lobbying. Vegetarian
and vegan food pyramids seem to be more based on common sense, and readers
may be interested in comparing those to the mainstream pyramid. You’ll
find the Vegetarian Pyramid and Vegan Pyramid on Vesanto Melina’s web site,
Nutrispeak.com: (from the "In a Vegetarian Kitchen" - http://www.vegkitchen.com
- Issue #22- Oct. 2002)
Vegetarian: htp://www.nutrispeak.com/vegetarianpyramid.htm
Vegan: http://www.nutrispeak.com/veganpyramid.htm
The meat-eaters keep changing their pyramid every few years. Presently they are now influenced by the latest research from Harvard (March 2003) and even within their research they over and over again mention that there's a need to take lots of fibre such as whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables etc. Makes you wonder why they bother with their strange unnatural life-style. Presently the New Zealand Consumer magazine is carrying the research article, if you have time to waste, or would just like to re-confirm our position it does make some useful reading. Remember, it is an article written by meat-eaters for meat-eaters, and the research was done on meat-eater - could say that was a little biased............but that's the way they do things. (see our comments on the validity of this kind of Harvard research)
More HERE on getting a balanced vegetarian diet
TIME Magazine's Favourable Article on Benefits of a Balanced Vege diet
Vegetarianism and Beyond:
The devotees in the Hare Krishna movement, understand
that the ultimate perfection of a vegetarian diet is to eat food offered
first in sacrifice of love to the Lord. After all, even many animals
such as the elephant, the cow, the horse are also vegetarian. Just to be
vegetarian doesn't necessarily make one a spiritual person.
Vegetarianism: A means to a higher end - by Adiraj dasa
I have converted the "Meet your Meat" video into a CD rom & will send a copy of it for free to anyone with a Cd burner & a pledge to make at least 4 copies to give to their meat eating friends.
http://www.hknet.org.nz/V-meetURmeat.html
Meet your meat - shocking live footage of the
TRUTH in the meat industry:
http://www.meetyourmeat.com/
This is the new version
I sent out a total of over 750 CD's last year to 60 different
countries. My goal in 2003 is to double that number.
I would appreciate if you would forward this message
to your readers.
Anyone willing to participate, please forward my mailing
address as mailto:Chalissa1@aol.com
THIS HAS TO BE SEEN AT LEAST ONCE - SHOW YOUR MEAT
EATING FRIENDS
IF THEY ARE WORTH KEEPING AS FRIENDS THEY WILL GIVE
UP THE MEAT HABIT