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FAQs

What is vegetarianism?
Well, basically a vegetarian will not eat any food made from the death of an animal. This would include a whale or an insect. Vegetarians then DON'T eat fish. However, vegetarians will eat dairy products.

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 (preferably free range). A vegetarian does not eat any meat, poultry, game , fish, shellfish or crustaceans, or slaughter by-products such as gelatine or animal fats.

What's the difference between veganism and vegetarianism?
Vegans will not eat dairy products. Vegans will not eat, or use, anything which is an animal product. So, vegans will not eat eggs or honey. Veganism is a good thing, but many people find being a vegetarian much easier than being a vegan.

What can a vegetarian eat?
Loads of stuff. Fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices, nuts, grains, pulses, seeds, dairy stuff, and even seaweed!

Why be a vegetarian?
People decide to be vegetarian for a range of reasons

animal welfare reasons - concern for animal welfare and opposition to killing animals

health reasons - to reduce consumption of animal fats, and to eat more fibre (see http://www.vegsoc.org/health/ for more on this

economic reasons - to eat cheaper

ecological reasons - concern for the impact that animal farming has in using more resources than arable farming

religious reasons - typically Hindu and Buddhist which have taught against killing animals, but the other major religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) have believers who are vegetarian

Is the vegetarian diet healthy?
Yes. Anyone who thinks about what they eat is likely to benefit. You can have an unhealthy diet whether you eat meat or not, but there is absolutely no need for a vegetarian diet to be unhealthy or difficult to follow.

Are vegetarians unusual?
According to a 1999 Gallup poll, 3.8% of Scots (and 5.0% of all Britons) are vegetarian. Across the UK 6.7% of women and 3.3% of men are vegetarian. A remarkable 45% of the country are actively reducing their intake of red meat.

What if I just eat less meat?
Many people are doing just that (see above), and for some people it is easier to reduce meat consumption gradually rather than immediately. However, if you eat less meat, you will get less of the health benefits than if you eliminated it completely. You may even find it simpler and easier just to cut out meat completely rather than ration it, and you'll have more reason to develop meat free meals.

Why a Vegetarian Society?
To promote and explain vegetarianism. The meat industry in the UK, and elsewhere, is massive, and gets public subsidies to promote consumption.

Why South East Scotland Vegetarians (SESV)?
To promote and explain vegetarianism in SE Scotland of course. Feel free to join us.

But, what about ....?
If you want to know more, then please get in touch with us.