Got Food? - the Scientia Review

Sensory vegetarians avoid meat because they have a conscious dislike for its taste, smell, texture,
or sight. This may originate from an imagination of the animal when it was alive or upon reflection on the
death of the animal. Many ethical or health-based vegetarians perceive some or all of these sensory
perceptions as negative. There is an entire range of ways in which vegetarians display an aversion to the
sensory impact of meat. Some may view public displays of meat (e.g. in a butcher's shop) or even the
sight of vegetarian foods made to imitate meat as repulsive. Others may dislike the sight of blood in meat
or meat-based foods. However, a substantial number of sensory vegetarians consciously see others eating
meat and regard it as cannibalistic and therefore a source of negative reinforcement.
The last major motivation for vegetarianism in general is a vegetarian influence on a previously
non-vegetarian person, which then causes latter to feel a need to emulate this influential other. This
person can be a parent, a friend, or anyone else with a substantial amount of influence on the person. Of
course, one may become a vegetarian for solely societal reasons: vegetarians are typically viewed as more
health-conscious and self-disciplined than non-vegetarians. This is an important factor in a cultural
phenomenon that has been occurring in recent decades, in which the state of being a vegetarian becomes
viewed as trendy and special. This results in many meat-eaters' experiencing a societal aspiration to be
classified as vegetarian; because the definition of vegetarian is subjective, some meat-eaters, especially
those who consumed only fish, poultry, and plant products, then fulfill their social need and call
themselves vegetarians, either by actually giving up all meat or by giving up only red meat. Any people of
this type generally have little motivation to remain vegetarian, and they are the most likely to give up and
return to an omnivorous diet. Those who truly do not consume any animal products may react with
indignation to these individuals and become defensive of their own status as vegetarians (Janda &
Trocchia, 2001).
History of Vegetarianism and Veganism
The first recorded individual to live with a diet of no meat was Pythagoras of Samos. Shortly
thereafter, other Greek philosophers such as Plutarch, Epicurus, and Plato took on this lifestyle choice as
well. This practice continued through the centuries with relatively small followings, and in the midnineteenth
century, the Vegetarian Society in England was popularizing the term vegetarian. Gradually,
the global number of vegetarians increased. It was in the year 1944 when Donald Watson invented a new
and stricter lifestyle, that of total abstinence from animal products. This would become veganism, the first
offshoot of vegetarianism. Watson proposed that his newsletter on the subject would be called the Vegan
News, and defined veganism as a diet of solely fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and other beneficial nonanimal
products. Vegans thus became a discrete group, living more rigorously than vegetarians, who
typically allow the consumption of dairy, eggs, or honey, and the use of leather, wool, and other such
material. Indeed, if a vegetarian were to eschew all animal products, he or she would be generally
considered a vegan (Safire, 2005).
Other side branches exist in the world of vegetarianism: pescetarian or pesco-vegetarian is used
for persons who eat seafood, but no meat or fowl; rawism describes a person who consumes only raw
fruits and vegetables; a flexitarianist is anyone who eats like a vegetarian at home but consumes meat
when dining out. All of these evolved from vegetarianism after veganism was established (Safire, 2005).
Protein in Vegetarian Diets
Constructing a nutritionally complete vegetarian or vegan diet is a challenge of its own. Because
they restrict if not abandon several of the food groups, vegetarian and vegan diets are predisposed towards
nutritional imbalance. Specifically, fruits and vegetables are consumed in excess, yet there is a deficiency
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