Thought you knew everything there is to know about the vegetarian diet? These few facts may surprise you:
- Vegetarianism has traditionally been linked to the people of ancient India. Even today, Indians make up more than 70 percent of the world's vegetarian population.
- The first Vegetarian Society was formed in 1847 in England. The main aim of the members was to dispel the common belief that it's not possible to lead a healthy life without eating meat.
- There are varying degrees of vegetarianism. The strictest of vegetarians not only steer clear of all forms of meat, they also avoid all animal products, including honey (bees are often killed in the production of honey), and foods which might contain traces of animal products, such as bread baked in buttered tins and sugar to which bone charcoal has been added (to make it white).
- You might recall the scene in Notting Hill where William Thacker (Hugh Grant) goes on a blind date with a slightly off-the-wall "fruitarian". Fruitarianism is a very real form of vegetarianism, where the diet consists of fruit, nuts, seeds and other plant material that can be gathered without killing the plant (e.g. pears can be picked without killing the plant, carrots cannot).