While the world celebrates the International Vegetarian Day every year in November, the claims of this category return to the fore again in the absence of specialized restaurants that meet their needs in providing their own foods without entering any type of meat or its derivatives in the menus, as the monitoring operations conducted by «Okaz» were not recorded. The existence of sufficient restaurants specialized in providing foods for vegetarians, with no meat being included in the menu.
Vegetarians are known as a category of people who refrain from eating meat, fish, chicken and all their derivatives for reasons that concern them, and they fall into great embarrassment at social events such as weddings and others, as such tables do not have the vegetables that vegetarians need, in addition to that restaurants provide only meat on occasion.
Social worker Susan Al-Mashhadi says, "I am a vegetarian and I am very happy with that. The question is, are there any difficulties in being a vegetarian in our society?"
And she adds: In my own opinion, yes, there are some difficulties facing vegetarians. For example, the absence of a section in shopping centers, restaurants, and special sites for this category in order to ensure that everything sold can be eaten without the need to read the ingredients, and the goods do not include explanatory signs such as the green color for those who are called “vegetarians”, and among the difficulties facing vegetarians is the lack of Sections in the (menu) of restaurants, and if they are found, they are not scientifically studied and sometimes devoid of credibility.
Avoiding harassment and respecting difference
Specialist Susan Al-Mashhadi says: “I recently witnessed the opening of special restaurants for vegetarians in some European countries, as the number of vegetarians is increasing voluntarily out of interest and concern for health after discovering the danger of relying on meat and animal products in a large way, as burgers, steak and chicken have become purely vegetarian products and have not reached Such meals to us so far ». On a personal level, Al-Mashhadi says: “I do not encounter difficulties except from people who do not respect my difference, and it does not mean that I cannot eat meat and not be able to see the slaughter of sheep. What is required – according to Al-Mashhadi – is respect for difference, and what bothers me most is the disregard for my feelings, and the disregard of some for being a vegetarian. And God Almighty created many alternatives to compensate the body for not eating meat and animal products.. The positive thing is that I have now specialized in making vegetarian food such as cakes, ice cream, sweets and various foods with plant alternatives, and it has become known or is an attempt to provide food that satisfies and satisfies the taste of vegetarians like me.
Lean…and lower sugar levels
Family medicine consultant, Dr. Ahmed Abdel Moneim Al-Salamouni, says: “A new diet has spread, followed by those who are known as (vegetarians), and they are people who suffice with eating plants and vegetables without meat and its derivatives, fish, chicken, eggs, milk, dairy, cheese, and others.” This diet has spread among young men and women, and some people consider it a healthy system to maintain their health. Some of them see it as an approach and system in eating food for life.
A vegetarian is defined as a person who lives his life with a diet based on grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and other non-animal products. A vegetarian does not eat products made using materials taken from animals. Whether live or otherwise, there are several types of vegetarians or stages of vegetarianism, starting from the most strict and strict and then gradually decreasing.
Al-Salamouni explained that strict vegetarians, who do not eat any animal products, are more agile, have lower blood pressure, and lower cholesterol and sugar levels. And most likely the heart function, and the degree of responsiveness of the arteries, is better for them. In sum, as Salamouni sees it, healthy food means balanced eating more than it relates to vegetarian or non-vegetarian meals.
Smart and long-lived
Family Counselor, Dr. Rawnaq Seddik, believes that research and studies indicate that the physical fitness of vegetarians is more than double the physical fitness of meat eaters, and studies have also shown that vegetarians are characterized by intelligence, long life and less risk of disease, but one of the troubles that vegetarians may suffer is the difficulty of diversification In food, there is no doubt that the recommended amounts for each food group can cover all the body's needs for nutrients when following a vegetarian diet, through diversification in the foods consumed, and eating appropriate amounts to cover the body's calorie needs according to age, gender, and activity level. physical.
Women are more demanding of vegetables
Sarah Rajkhan, manager of a restaurant in Jeddah, says that there is an increasing demand for vegetarian meals, reaching 20%, especially from women, who are the most demanding of vegetarian food. “The taste of every group of society must be respected and their requirements met. The increasing demands for vegetarian foods, with the importance of having specialized restaurants for vegetarians or having their own corner in large restaurants.
As for Chef Mona Khaled, who specializes in making food for productive families, she says: There are increasing requests for vegetarian food without meat, chicken and fish. It is also noted that women are asking for sweets without including eggs, milk and margarine in their manufacture.
Too much “C” embarrasses us!
In the monitoring conducted by “Okaz”, with a number of vegetarians, it was found that most of their problems are represented in the lack of vegetarian alternatives in restaurants, and the frequent criticism of them because of their vegetarian system, in addition to the large number of questions and investigations (Sen C) and dozens of questions that are asked of them in event invitations; Like why don't you eat meat? (Why) deprive yourself of fish? Passing through the frequently asked question: Do you have an allergy to meat? It does not end with a request to try to convince a vegetarian to try tasting a type of meat, for example.
Vegetarians, men and women, suffer from the lack of alternative food for them on the occasions they go to, especially (marriage halls), and many vegetarians suffice with eating legumes and appetizers in buffets, and some vegetarians choose to be so, not because of an allergy or disease, but rather because it is a subjective matter that they are accustomed to. on him.
Vegetarians unanimously agree that only eating plant foods without meat does not weaken a person physically, as some believe, and they pointed out that with regard to public health, there are different studies; Some of them indicate that vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters, and another section indicates the opposite. But vegetarians differ in their sub-classifications. Some of them do not completely refuse to eat eggs or milk products, and some of them refuse.
The most famous of them in history
Historically, and far from the differences, vegetarians have spread throughout human history, so we find among the famous vegetarians in the ancient West scholars such as Euclid, one of the geniuses of mathematics and Greek philosophy, and the famous philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, and among the notable Arabs are the poet Abu Al-Ala’ Al-Maari, the writer Ibn Al-Muqaffa and the Andalusian physician Ibn Al-Bitar And the founder of Al-Khwarizmi Algebra. In modern times, the list goes on, including the painter and architect Leonardo da Vinci, the inventor Thomas Edison, and other celebrities.
Adnan Shabrawi (Jeddah) @Adnanshabrawi