Is being a vegetarian a diet?

Question

well people say i baceame a vegetarian becuse i need to loose weight but i know its not true...they make fun of me becuse i became a vegetarian......

Answer 1

Being vegetarian or vegan is a life choice. Not a fad diet.

The idea that going vegetarian will help you lose weight is pretty much a myth. Though there CAN be truth to it...

There are two kinds of vegetarians. Healthy eaters and convenience eaters.

Convenience vegetarians tend to eat a lot of prepackaged meat like substances. Still eating the same "SAD" way.

(from Ask Dr. Sears)
STANDARD AMERICAN DIET (SAD)
If you were to list the factors that increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, intestinal disorders – just about any illness – the standard American diet has them all:

High in animal fats
High in unhealthy fats: saturated, hydrogenated
Low in fiber
High in processed foods
Low in complex carbohydrates
Low in plant-based foods
The striking fact is that cultures that eat the reverse of the standard American diet – low fat, high in complex carbohydrates, plant-based, and high in fiber – have a lower incidence of cancer and coronary artery disease (CAD). What's even more sad is that countries whose populations can afford to eat the healthiest disease-preventing foods don't. The United States has spent more money on cancer research than any country in the world, yet the American diet contributes to the very diseases we are spending money to prevent.



Convenience vegetarians just switch the first item, animals, for prepackaged processed fake meat-stuffs. Which is only slightly healthier.

So unless you're ready to work, you're not going to lose weight being vegetarian. If you're consuming a lot of dairy, you are going to experience very little health benefits.

Answer 2

vegetarian is a diet in the true sense of the word diet. Diet means what you eat. Dieting, or slimming in the UK is a new sense of the word that came after the vast majority of us stopped starving. There are Kosher diets and Halal diets and Vegan diets, etc. Those people who become vegetarians to loose weight really aren't committed to it ethically. They shouldn't make fun of you. Those that are probably aren't committed to anything. I've been vegetarian for 19 years and some people still make fun of me, but they are usually the idiots who need bypass surgery in a couple of years. If you are ethically committed to your lifestyle, then stick with it and you might find that those people who are making fun of you are then asking you for dietary advice in a few years because their doctors have told them that they need to be more careful or they'll die.

Answer 3

You could tell your friends that just being a vegetarian or vegan does not automatically promote weight loss. There are still a lot of overweight vegetarians and vegans out there with oily skin and hair, because they still eat fried foods (french fries, potato chips,) and sugary desserts. It's just more common that a vegetarian/vegan should be thin because we tend to have a more natural taste for healthy things than those who eat animal products.
You could also tell them that there is no shame in being a compassionate person, and realizing that animals do not have to die for us to eat. Most people who will make fun of you for your choice are probably just uneasy about their choice to eat animal products. people do not like things that make them challenge the way they live.

Answer 4

anything you do is a DIET. the word diet isnt just for losing weight. you diet to gain weight, you diet to maintain, and u diet to lose. lets look at an obese person. they have a 'poor' diet. lets look at an anorexic girl. she has a 'sick' diet. lets look at a healthy human being. that person has a 'balanced' diet. im a vegetarian. so im on a 'vegetarian' diet. but that doesnt mean im trying to lose weight. thats just simply the diet that i follow.

Answer 5

bro, tell your friends to shove it haha. you're obviously being way more intelligent and mature about it than they, so you should feel proud and at peace with yourself! kudos to you!

vegetarianism (and veganism) are both diets, as well as lifestyles and mindsets.

i was a vegetarian for like 2 1/2 years before i went vegan, and it was quite easy by that time... :)

so again, i commend thee on thy conscientiousness and they conscience!

Answer 6

Being vegetarian is not a diet in and of itself. I have known a few fat vegetarians.

Answer 7

Vegetarianism is a lifestyle commitment more specifically depending on how seriously you are about your health.

Answer 8

Its not a diet, it is a choice on your part to live a certain way and if I didnt love boneless skinless chicken so much id do the same

Answer 9

Well, it all depends upon which definition of "diet" you mean. It IS "what you eat", but it isn't "a set of dietary guidelines to make you lose weight".

Answer 10

No, it's a lifestyle choice.