Lacto-ovo vegetarianism

Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine, Apr 06, 2001 by Douglas Dupler

Lacto-ovo vegetarians are people who do not eat meat, but do include dairy products (lacto) and eggs (ovo) in their diets.

The term "vegetarian" was coined in 1847 by the founders of the Vegetarian Society of Great Britain, although vegetarianism as a way of life has existed for thousands of years. The founders of the Vegetarian Society were lacto-ovo vegetarians.

One of the central ideas that has motivated vegetarians is that food choices should not require the death or suffering of animals. Thus, many vegetarians avoid meat but eat dairy products and eggs (on the grounds that store-bought eggs are unfertilized). Some people argue, however, that eating eggs may prevent the life of an animal, so some vegetarians are lacto-vegetarians. Veganism, another type of vegetarianism, follows a diet that uses no animal products at all.

Some of the world's oldest religious traditions have advocated vegetarianism as a means to both physical and spiritual health. In the Christian tradition, the Trappist monks of the Roman Catholic Church are vegetarian, as are the Seventh Day Adventists, who form a group large enough that many studies have been performed on them to determine the health benefits of lacto-ovo vegetarianism. Some vegetarians maintain that there is evidence that Jesus and the early Christians were vegetarians as well. In ancient India, the idea of ahimsa developed, which means "not doing harm." Followers of this creed believe that living in a manner that reduces the suffering of other living beings, including animals, is necessary to reach higher levels of spiritual health. In the Hindu religion, cows are considered sacred animals because Hindus believe that milk is a nutritious and life-supporting gift from nature. Millions of Hindus are lacto-vegetarians.

The yoga system of living and health is vegetarian, because its dietary practices are based on the belief that healthy food contains prana. Prana is the universal life energy, which yoga experts believe is abundant in fresh fruits, grains, nuts and vegetables, but absent in meat because it comes from an animal that has been killed. Some Buddhists in Japan and China are vegetarian because of their spiritual beliefs. Other traditional cultures, such as those in the Middle East and the Mediterranean regions, have evolved diets that consist mainly of lacto-ovo vegetarian foods. The Mediterranean diet , which a Harvard study declared to be one of the world's healthiest, is primarily although not strictly lacto-ovo vegetarian.

The list of famous vegetarians forms an illustrious group. The ancient Greek philosophers, including Socrates, Plato, and Pythagoras, advocated vegetarianism. Other famous vegetarians include Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton, the physician Albert Schweitzer, writer George Bernard Shaw, musician Paul McCartney, and champion triathlete Dave Scott. Albert Einstein, although not a strict vegetarian himself, stated that a vegetarian diet would be an evolutionary step forward for the human race.

Vegetarianism in America has generally consisted of a small but vocal number of adherents. It has its roots in the mid-1800s, when some people began to question accepted health and dietary practices. In 1839, Sylvester Graham, who invented the "graham cracker" from whole wheat flour, wrote Lectures on the Science of Human Life. A few decades later, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau both advocated vegetarianism. In 1883, Howard Williams published The Ethics of Diet, which promoted vegetarianism and listed all the famous vegetarians throughout history. Williams's book influenced many people around the world, including Russian writer Leo Tolstoy and Indian political leader Mahatma Gandhi, although vegetarianism remained largely unpopular in America.

In the twentieth century, vegetarianism steadily gained followers in America, although it met considerable resistance from the meat industry and general public. By the 1960s, the consumption of meat in America had increased significantly from consumption levels at the turn of the century. Meat and dairy foods made up two of the four recommended food groups designed by the United States government. Some researchers claimed that meat was fundamental to health, while a growing minority of nutritionists began to correlate the meat-centered American diet with rising rates of heart disease , cancer, and diabetes. In 1971, Frances Moore Lappe published her landmark book, Diet for a Small Planet. Up to that time it was believed by American nutritionists that only meat could supply adequate protein. Lappe argued that by combining particular foods such as rice and beans, which was done in the diets of older cultures, vegetarians could obtain proteins that are as complete as protein derived from meat. The book sold millions of copies, and researchers have since confirmed that vegetarianism provides adequate amounts of dietary protein. Lappe's book also argued that meat-centered diets are unhealthful for both people and the environment, and converted many to its ideas. In 1987, John Robbins published Diet for a New America, in which he makes a strong point against the health issues of a meat-centered diet, and against the cruelty inflicted on animals from modern factory farming.