Vegetarianism, as defined by Oxford Dictionaries, ‘is the practice of not eating meat or fish, especially for moral, religious, or health reasons.’
Vegetarians vary based on their food choices. Vegetarians who consume dairy products and eggs are called lacto-ovo vegetarians. Those who consume dairy products but not eggs are known as lacto-vegetarians while those who consider eggs in their diet but avoid dairy products are called ovo-vegetarians; and people who have purely plant-based diet – no dairy products, no eggs, and no any other products from animals are identified as vegans.
Balanced diet brings a lot of health benefits and according to Christian Nordqvist, vegetarian diet helps lower body weight thus it reduces the risk of obesity. There was ‘a study of 38,000 people that showed that fish eaters, vegetarians, and vegans had a lower body mass index (BMI) than meat-eaters.’ Furthermore, a vegetarian diet that consists of almonds, soy proteins, high-fibre foods and a special margarine can lower bad cholesterol which could decrease the risk of heart disease.
Sources:
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/vegetarianism
https://www.vegsoc.org/definition
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/becoming-a-vegetarian
https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Vegetarianhealth/Pages/Vegetarianmealguide.aspx
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8749.php
