Introduction
Vegan, pescitarian, fruitarian, breatharian, carnivore I eat what ever I like-aterian and the list goes on. Some have benefits, others with benefits vaguely noticed and some a little bit mad and extreme. What ever may be the case there is living proof that people have managed to survive on a variety of different diets. Are there any benefits to belonging to a single type of diet or are there benefits to having a broader spectrum of foods to choose from? This article looks at the types of food cultures currently being practice by modern man today.
Historically humans ate the food that was produced within their immediate surrounding and harnessed foods that they could easily grow taking into consideration the available climate and soil conditions. It would be of hardly any use trying to convince an eskimo that he should not be eating fish and should turn his attention to a vegan diet in a place where vegetation fails to grow. Food is Entwined into human culture and people tend to eat the foot of their ancestors. Socio-economical conditions have influenced the way people eat. In todays societies, the close contact with a variety of cultures such as in London has made it easier for people to try and explore new foods from around the world. This has led to greater choice in an environment where food is more widely availability than ever before.
Pescatarian
A pescatarian is someone that eats no other meat but fish. In discussion with a friend with a family history of not eating anything but fish she regularly defended her case by stating it is okay to eat fish as ‘fish do not have feelings’. To my recollection I have never been a fish however this was elaborately explained to me by her stating that fish have a reduced number of pain nerves which practically make them immune to pain.
Prior to my transition of becoming a vegetarian I had consumed a diet of fish as a source of protein. My move to give up fish was written in the stars after consistently returning home from my favourite Caribbean food shop at the time empty handed as the fish was yet again sold out due to reduced production. I came to the conclusion that since I had gone this long without fish and was to lazy to cook it myself that I no longer needed it.
Vegetarian
A vegetarian is someone who has given up meat however still consumes animal products such as dairy and sometimes eggs. As a vegetarian I had often contemplated which came first out of the chicken and the egg. I remember the confused look of a Jamaican lady as i was unable to answer why I ate eggs but not the chicken. My reason for continuing with animal products was due to the belief that I will not gain adequate protein from a vegetarian diet. At this stage I still felt better as a vegetarian and cutting out the fish made me feeling lighter and more energetic.
Vegan
A Vegan is someone that eats no meat or animal products including the elimination of milk, eggs and other dairy products from their diet. Within this category you have the ordinary vegan and then the raw vegan. The raw vegan do not cook their food at all and eats foods under natures preparation. When thinking of a raw vegan I think of a gorilla picking and consuming the raw vegetation the land has to offer. My journey has led me to becoming a vegan and the shift in social consciousness has had an impact on helping me sustain my choice. The increased popularity in vegan food has presented me with wider choice when on the run. Supermarkets such as Tesco even stock a free range section to give vegan shoppers better variety.
Fruitarian
A fruitarian is someone who only eats fruits. Out of all the food gangs this is the one I find the most startling as often times too much of a good thing can become bad. My only awareness of a real life fruitarian came from watching a documentary on BBC the name I cannot recall. I remember watching a group of hippy looking young people doing cartwheels and thinking they were going through some sort of life crises. Fruits usually contain a high concentration of sugar within them and I’m not too sure if too much sugar in any form is great. In defence of fruitarians I do feel that the natural minerals and water content in fruits can helps significantly balance the sugar content. Although I’m sure there are initial benefits of being a fruitarian I am just unaware of the long-term benefits or possible problems to only sticking with fruits.
Breatharian
Breatharians are the stuff of legends. You hear of them but never seem to be able to see one with the living eyes. The concept of being a breatharian is that through breath they extract Prana from the air to produce sustainable energies for the body. Unlike the other food groups it is clear that no one has ever been a breatharian their whole entire life and it appears that people may be breatharian for a specific period of time. The closest I have been to becoming a breatharian was a good days fast. Im not to sure if this counts though.
Conclusion
So which food gang do you rep? Are you like me going from one food gang to the next, or have you been loyal to your gang? Have you been through your gangs initiation and gone through the rights of passage or do you remain on the outside trying to fit in? Will you now swap the red colours of meat and rep the green vegan gang?
Kristos Straker
Physiofriend
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