Healthy lifestyle

TEXT 3. A MEATLESS FUTURE?
Types of vegetarianism diets
But what is vegetarianism, exactly? Like many things, it depends on individual perspective in fact, there are different categories of vegetarians. At one end of the scale, there are semi vegetarians. These people simply remove meat from their diet but will still eat fish and seafood. The term ovo- lacto vegetarian refers to those who avoid meat or fish, but will eat eggs and dairy products. At the opposite end of the spectrum are vegans, or strict vegetarians Vegans eat no animal flesh, dairy products or seafood. The one thing these diverse varieties of vegetarian all have in common is some level of consideration about which animal products to exclude from their diet.
Respect for life
The practice of vegetarianism in all its numerous forms has been around for many centuries. In fact, there are many examples of societies where it is the norm rather than the exception, such as India. The motivation for adopting a meatless diet is as varied as the people who decide to opt for this way of life. Many people do so out of respect for another living being. This could be part of a broader religious code or purely due to appreciation of the rights of animals. Other reasons for this lifestyle choice could be related to health and well being, concern for the environment, or because of economics.
Spread of unhealthy diets
Those who don’t eat meat for economic or environmental reasons suggest that current diets rich in animal products are unsustainable as the world’s population increases. The expanding middle – class in developing countries has led to a significant increase in demand for meat as economies develop and disposable income rises. In addition, producing animal products to satisfy demand takes up more agricultural space. It also uses up more precious natural resources than producing the same amount of food from plants. Experts suggest the pressure that diets high in meat put on scarce land and water resources will lead to to a worldwide shortage of food. It could even result in conflict between nations.