Vegetarianism and Veganism, Health Implications

A vegetarian or vegan diet is an increasingly popular choice that focuses on eating plant-based foods and avoiding animal products, especially meat. While vegetarians often consume some animal products, such as eggs and milk, the term vegan usually refers to someone who follows a stricter form of vegetarianism, avoiding all meat products as well as foods from animal sources. Vegetarian diets have been adopted by certain ethnic and religious groups for centuries (e.g., followers of Hinduism and Jainism), but throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the number of people opting to avoid the consumption of animal products has consistently risen in Western cultures and developed countries. Globally, it has been estimated that between 1% and 10% of the population in any given country may identify ...