Vegetarian or vegan? -- Veġetarjan jew vegan?

 

Vegetarianism is the human practice of not eating meat (whether red, white, fish or sea food), whereas vegans add into the prohitibed list animal products, such as eggs, milk and derived products such as cheese, and so is stricter.

 

It’s an interesting subject for mankind, which has been historically omnivorous and not herbivorous.  Vegetarian practice is known to have started hundreds of years BC in India, from beliefs of non-violence against living beings  Until today, this reason is the most common given by its followers.

 

I had encountered vegetarianism in my youth with two friends of mine, one a vegan due to the non-violence principle with animals, and the other a vegeratian for the same reason but also due to his ascetic lifestyle.  I have been and remain an omnivore, however I admired and continue to admire the dedication of those making this discipline in their lives, as you would need to make a greater effort than usual when your food choices are more limited and want to be consistent.

 

Other reasons exist for someone taking this life direction, and these include health, the environment, culture and others.  Out of these, health is for me the most interesting and important.

 

Vegetarian and vegan diets generally have a variety of fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, cereals and legumes as well as their derivatives to substitute meat.  These diets canbring benefit to one’s health, such as a reduction in body weight, lower levels of cholesterol (not only low density - bad - cholesterol but also unfortunately high density - good - cholesterol) and a reduction of the risk of heart disease.1  There is also a reduced risk of diabetes.

 

Nevertheless, there are also some disadvantages, for example plants do not naturally contain the vitamin B12 which is found in eggs and milk products.  The lack of this vitamin can lead to anaemia.  Therefore, these diets are generally recommended to be augmented with B12 as a supplement or food which has been so fortified, especially for vegans.

 

These diets can also lead to a reduction in bone density.  In fact a study found that vegans had more than double the incidence of hip breaking than omnivores, although there could be other factors that could have contributed to this.2

 

There are other considerations as well, and it’s known that much more research on this subject is needed before a conclusion is reached as to the benefits or concerns about these food choices by mankind.

 

Although I do state I love animals, I am not attracted to the practices of vegeratianism or veganism.  The reason I give is that all living beings, with or without mankind, all have a place in nature’s food chain, where an animal needs to be killed for another carnivorous animal to eat (and in the omnivorous case the killing happens sometimes).  Mankind is nothing except another link in this chain, as he has always been since evolving.

 

Here I make a clear distinction and draw a straight line before arriving at the killing of animals as a pastime or sport, which for me is not acceptable.

 

Notwithstanding my own personal dietary choices, I respect those making a different choice in their own diets.

 

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Il-veġetarjaniżmu huwa l-prattika tal-bniedem fejn ma jikolx laħam (la aħmar, la abjad, la ħut u lanqas frott il-baħar), filwaqt li min hu vegan iżid ma din il-lista pprojbita prodotti tal-annimali, bħall-bajd u l-ħalib u prodotti derivati bħall-ġobon, u għalhekk huwa iktar strett.

 

Huwa suġġett interessanti għall-bniedem, għax dan huwa storikament omnivoru u mhux erbivoru.  Il-prattika tal-veġetarjaniżmu huwa magħruf li bdiet mijiet ta’ snin q.K. fl-Indja, minn twemmin ta’ non-vjolenza lejn kull ħlejqa.  Sal-lum, din ir-raġuni hija l-iktar komuni li tingħata mis-segwaċi ta’ din il-prattika.

 

Kont iltqajt mal-veġetarjaniżmu f’żogħżiti f’żewġ ħbieb tiegħi, wieħed vegan minħabba prinċipju ta’ non-vjolenza lejn l-annimali, u ieħor veġetarjan għall-istess raġuni imma wkoll minħabba l-istil axxetiku tal-ħajja tiegħu.  Jien omnivoru kont u għadni, biss ammirajt u nibqa’ nammira d-dedikazzjoni ta’ dawk li jagħmlu din id-dixxiplina f’ħajjithom, għax trid tagħmel sforz iktar mis-soltu meta l-għażliet tal-ikel tiegħek huma iktar limitati u trid tkun konsistenti.

 

Raġunijiet oħra għaliex wieħed jieħu din id-direzzjoniji f’ħajtu jeżistu wkoll, u dawn jinkludu s-saħħa, l-ambjent, il-kultura u oħrajn.  Minn dawn, is-saħħa hija għalija l-iktar interessanti u importanti.

 

Id-dieti ta’ veġetarjani u vegani ġeneralment ikollhom varjetà ta’ frott, ħaxix, ġewż, żerriegħa, ċereali u legumi, u derivati tagħhom li jissostitwixxu l-laħam.  Dawn id-dieti jista’ jkollhom benefiċċji għas-saħħa, bħal tnaqqis tat-toqol tal-ġisem, livelli iktar baxxi tal-kolesterol (kemm ta’ densità għolja - it-tajba, u l-baxxa - il-ħażina) u tnaqqis tar-risku ta’ mard tal-qalb.1  Ir-riskju ta’ dijabete jkun ukoll imnaqqas.

 

Madankollu, hemm ukoll żvantaġġi, per eżempju il-pjanti ma jkollhomx il-vitamina B12 b’mod naturali bħal ma għandhom il-bajd u l-prodotti tal-ħalib.  In-nuqqas ta’ din il-vitamina jista’ jwassal għall-anemija.  Għalhekk, dawn id-dieti ġeneralment ikun irrakkomandat li jkun miżdud il-B12 bħala supplement jew ikel fejn dan ikun fortifikat bih, speċjalment għall-vegani.

 

Dawn id-dieti jista’ wkoll iwasslu għal nuqqas ta’ densità fl-għadam.  Fil-fatt hemm studju li sab li l-vegani kellhom iktar mid-doppju tal-inċidenza ta’ ksur tal-ġenb tal-omnivori, għalkemm jista’ jkun hemm fatturi oħra li kkontribwew għal dan.2

 

Hemm kunsiderazzjonijiet oħra wkoll, u huwa magħruf li jrid isir ħafna iktar riċerka fuq dan is-suġġett biex ikun hemm konklużjonijiet iktar ċari fuq il-benefiċċji jew il-biżgħat ta’ dawn l-għażliet tal-ikel tal-bniedem.

 

Jien għalkemm nistqarr li nħobb l-annimali, m’iniex miġbud lejn il-prattiċi tal-veġetarjaniżmu jew il-veganiżmu.  Ir-raġuni li nagħti hi li l-ħlejjaq kollha, bil-bniedem u mingħajru, kollha għandhom posthom fil-katina tal-ikel tan-natura, fejn annimal irid jinqatel biex annimal ieħor karnivoru jiekol (u dan huwa l-każ ukoll f’partijiet mill-ħajja jekk l-ieħor ikun omnivoru).  Il-bniedem mhu xejn ħlief ħolqa oħra f’din il-katina, kif dejjem kien minn meta evolva.  

 

Għawnhekk nagħmel distinzjoni ċara u nħożż sinjal dritt qabel ma naslu għall-qtil ta’ annimal bħala gost jew sport, li għalija mhux aċċettabbli.

 

Minkejja l-għażliet personali tad-dieta tiegħi, nirrispetta ‘l min jagħmel għażla differenti fid-dieta tiegħu.

 

1https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325478#summary, retrieved 20/1/2021

2https://theconversation.com/is-a-vegan-diet-healthier-five-reasons-why-we-cant-tell-for-sure-152131, retrieved 21/1/2021

1https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325478#summary, retrieved 20/1/2021

2https://theconversation.com/is-a-vegan-diet-healthier-five-reasons-why-we-cant-tell-for-sure-152131, retrieved 21/1/2021