Recently such notions as vegetarian diet, vegetarianism and vegetarian have become rather common because they are heard and read quite frequently and in most cases in relation to the Mediterranean diet. It seems that Mediterranean and Vegetarian diets go hand in hand.
More and more people make their choice and join the so called Vegetarian Society, i.e. start to lead the same way of life as those, who dropped certain foods from their daily meal. Meanwhile some do not know how and why they have stepped into this path. The range of the reasons may be unexpectedly wide. Some people change their life philosophy in order to promote long life and optimum health, to purify their body and with the body – their soul; somebody decreases meat consumption due to economic reasons to cut the family budget expenses; other individuals just insane of being in the main stream of all modern trends and forget about a current fad as soon as a new one is highly advertized on TV, radio stations and glossy magazines; many support vegetarianism as a concept of nonviolence towards animals. Various reasons could be introduced to this list however a dominating majority of the people who choose this kind of diet do it just to be fit, strong (body and soul), to live a long, active and interesting life.
Although people have started discussing and describing advantages and disadvantages of the vegetarian diet not long ago, the origin of this eating culture dates back to the ancient India and Greece. The most prominent practicing vegetarians from Greece were Pythagoras and Porphyry. Curiously, up till the nineteenth century Pythagoreans were people adhering to the vegetarianism. Respectively the vegetarian movement as we imagine and know it today was formed in the mid of the nineteenth century.
Vegetarianism has a number of types, the category is labeled according to the product excluded or included. The most widespread and liberal type of the vegetarian diet is semi-vegetarianism. It contains a great deal of plant food and allows having fish or poultry or other meat on a non-frequent basis. Aforementioned food chain has an obvious allusion toward the Mediterranean nutrition pattern, isn’t it? By no means, this coincidence is linked with the roots of the vegetarian style and philosophy of nutrition. The vegetarianism was outlined and scrutinized as a phenomenon in the ancient times, it was naturally imprinted to the lifestyle of the people who inhabited those territories and as a heritage was conferred to next generations. People think that vegetarianism is something new, unfamiliar, incognito, which has recently appeared. While it always constituted an integral part of the Mediterranean diet.
Vegetarianism is attributed to the healthy way of life and the Med diet is the best option to indulge yourself with the variety of delicious food which brings lots of benefits to your health. The main emphasis in it is on fruit and vegetables. Tomatoes, onions and garlic play a leading part in most of the dishes. All the salads are dressed with crystal clean and shimmering olive oil. The better part of the plate is mainly covered with various greens, lettuces. Nuts, beans and cereals add to the rainbow of extra beneficial food. Flavors are robust and clear, no complicated sauces and heavy portions of cream and butter. It is a precious gift for a true vegetarian.
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