A vegetarian is
someone living on a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables
and fruits with or without the use of dairy products and eggs.
A
vegetarian does not eat any meat, poultry, game, fish, shellfish or
crustacea, or slaughter by-products.
Types of Vegetarian
Lacto-ovo-vegetarian.
Eats both dairy products and eggs. This is the most common type of vegetarian
diet.
Lacto-vegetarian.
Eats dairy products but not eggs.
Vegan.
Does not eat dairy products, eggs, or any other animal product.
Stumbling Blocks Many foods contain ingredients derived
from the slaughter of animals. Gelatine is made from animal ligaments,
tendons, bones etc which have been boiled in water. It is often found
in confectionery, low fat spreads and desserts, and other dairy products.
The term animal fat refers to carcass fat and may be present in a wide
range of foods, including biscuits, cakes, and margarines. Suet and
lard are types of animal fats. Certain food additives (E numbers) may
be derived from animal sources.
Cheese
is often made with rennet extracted from the stomach lining of slaughtered
calves. Vegetarian cheese is made with rennet from a microbial source.
The
Vegetarian Society has an information sheet listing ingredients which
may be unsuitable for vegetarians.
Many
vegetarians that eat eggs will eat only free-range eggs. This is due
to moral objections to the battery farming of hens. The Vegetarian
Society only endorses products containing eggs if the eggs are certified
as free-range.
Practices in catering Vegetarians
dining out will expect work surfaces and chopping boards, utensils
and all other kitchen equipment and facilities to be either kept separate
from those used for non-vegetarian food preparation, or cleaned thoroughly
before vegetarian food preparation.
Caterers
should also ensure that fryers, grills and griddles used for preparing
non-vegetarian products are thoroughly cleaned. Fryers must be filled
with fresh, uncontaminated oil before vegetarian food is cooked.
The
Society recommend that caterers keep a separate set of utensils for
the preparation and serving of vegetarian meals.
For further details see the Information
Sheets on Statistics and Going
Vegetarian and the catalogue of Vegetarian
Books with books on almost everything.
|
