Semi-vegetarianism

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Semi-vegetarianism is a term used to describe the practice of excluding some meat (particularly red meat) from the diet while still consuming limited amounts of poultry, fish, and/or seafood^[1][2]. In many references, a semi-vegetarian is also a flexitarian or "almost vegetarian". The term semi-vegetarian is sometimes also referred to as a diet that excludes "red meat". Semi-vegetarian diets are not vegetarian diets, which exclude ingestion of all animal flesh. There is some argument over whether one can describe onesself as a 'semi-vegetarian', given that it is literally impossible to be half of an absolute. Suggestions have been made that it is a term adopted for fashionable reasons e.g. "I'm, like, a vegetarian, but like, I like steak?" "Like yeah, you must be a semi-vegetarian, that's so cool that you care for animals." With the contradiction in the conversation being self-evident.^[3][4]

Contents 1 Motivations 2 Types 3 See also 4 References

[edit] Motivations

There are several reasons why one might follow a semi-vegetarian diet.

• Health reasons: To help reduce saturated fat or cholesterol in the diet, or for other health reasons.
• Ethical/philosophical reasons: Some people believe in avoiding certain animal foods but not others due to a belief in a hierarchy or evolutionary scale that places some animals higher than others. Those at the top of this scale are considered "higher-order" animals, deserving of better treatment. The following is an example of such a scale:
  1. Mammalian meat - cow, pig, deer, etc
  2. Poultry - chicken, turkey, duck, etc
  3. Fish - tuna, salmon, tilapia, etc
  4. Seafood (other than fish) - clams, oysters, crab, lobster, scallops, etc
• Environmental reasons: Larger livestock, such as cows or pigs, use more resources per pound of meat and create more waste than other meat sources.
• Gastronomical reasons: Some may not like the taste of e.g. red meat or fish, and exclude that from their diet.

[edit] Types

• Flexitarianism - Mostly avoiding all meat, but eating it under some situations.
• Pollotarianism - Mammalian meat, fish, and seafood is excluded, but chicken or other poultry is not.
• Pescetarianism - Mammalian meat and poultry is excluded, but fish and seafood are not.

[edit] See also

v • d • e Vegetarianism Diets Lacto-ovo-vegetarianism · Ovo-vegetarianism · Lacto-vegetarianism · Sattvic diet · Veganism · Raw veganism · Fruitarianism · Sproutarianism · Juicearianism Semi-vegetarianism Flexitarianism · Pescetarianism · Pollotarianism Basic topics History of vegetarianism · Vegetarianism by country · List of vegetarians · Environmental vegetarianism · Economic vegetarianism · Ethics of eating meat Vegetarianism and religion Buddhism • Catharism • Christianity • Hinduism • Jainism • Sikhism • Tolstoyanism Food and drink Vegetarian nutrition · Vegetarian cuisine · Vegan cuisine · Meat analogue · Tofurkey · Veggie burger · Chreese · Vegan wine · Plant milk · Soy milk · Vegan organic gardening Organizations and events American Vegetarian Party · Christian Vegetarian Association · European Vegetarian Union · Food for Life · International Vegetarian Union · Massachusetts Animal Rights Coalition · PETA · Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine · Toronto Vegetarian Association · Vegan Society · Vegetarian Network Victoria · Vegetarian Society · Veggies · World Vegan Day · World Vegetarian Day

[edit] References

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