I refer you to the article above from The Straits Time, dated 04 March 2010. The article is about a yoga instructor that practice vegetarianism but only eats raw fruit, nuts and vegetables. The reason she became a "raw foodie" is because she found herself putting on weight and skin condition worsening. Furthermore, she tried different types of dieting plans but none seems to work till she started on the raw vegetarian concept. She became so passionate about eating raw and went on to be trained as a raw food chef. From the article, we also learn that through the practice of raw vegetarian concept, she feels younger and looks better.
Vegetarianism has been on the rise in recent years due to the media coverage of it's health benefits and many celebrities practicing it. As the mass media is very influential and people nowadays are more health conscious, from talk shows to print media we can see the extensive coverage of this topic. Some of the famous celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and Richard Gere who are both Vegan even shared their experiences on talk shows. This shows that the mass media can greatly influence the mindset of the audience.
Vegetarianism itself can be further categorized into different varieties:
Lacto-ovo vegetarianism - a vegetarian diet that permits consumption of animal products such eggs, milk, and honey.
Veganism(Vegan) - avoid all animal flesh and animal products, including milk, honey, and eggs.
Raw veganism(as stated in the article) - diet of fresh and uncooked fruit, nuts, seeds, and vegetables.
Fruitarianism - diet of only fruit, nuts, seeds, and other plant matter that can be gathered without harming the plant.
From the different varieties of vegetarianism we can see how it evolve from a simple practice of plant-based diet into all the different types. Although practising any one of them has it's health benefits, there are reports that actually state that a diet based solely on fruits and vegetable won't get you all the nutrients a normal human being need.
So do you agree that practising vegetarianism or in this instance raw veganism beneficial or it's all hype up due to the media?
I believe that practising vegetarianism is definitely beneficial for human beings and for the environment.
ReplyDeleteMany phytonutrients that are found in plant base food can actually prevent the onset of many diseases.
However, most of the people would find it difficult to change their diet completely to be a true vegetarian.
Living a vegetarian lifestyle probably depends a lot on individuals daily routine.
ReplyDeleteThe media is the reflection of the society tells us that maybe with better education, individuals are more health conscious as they know that whatever food intake may directly or indirectly affect one's health.Knowing the benefits of eating healthy encourages more people to become vegetarians.
The increasing conversion to a vegetarian may also be due to the information available from the internet. With technological advances,informations can be easily accessed by people all over the world. Most people would have seen the cruel act of human during the process of capturing animals for food. An example common to most people would be KFC. Animals are killed cruelly/brutally in the process. The act by the 'murderers' often disgust consumer. when there is a demand, there will be a supply. So some people may think that by doing their part of not consuming animal's meat would inevitably decrease the demand and hence the supply.
Religion may also be one of the reason for going veg. Some religion like buddhism requires believers to cosume only vegetarian food.
Balance to me is important. Its true that being a vegetarian may be beneficial however what you do on a regular basis is important too. If you do a job that requires massive burnout sometimes vegetables may not be sufficient. You need an all round balance diet with protein, which meat provides to help you go through the day. Another example, if you eat too much meat without exercise the excess protein might turn to fat and clog up your arteries and give you a heart attack too.
ReplyDeleteSo being too extreme is not always a good idea to me. Balance is the key.
I think eating healthy, especially being RAW has become the buzz concept in the our society today when most food ar being proccseed artficially.
ReplyDeleteI certainly do not think that there is any wrong with just eating the RAW food. In fact i think that it is indeed very healthy to avoid all the processed food. however i have my doubt to the amount of nutrients they can take in, especially when staples such as rice noodle and meat are not being taken in.
However one must respect their determination to keep up t such an healthy diet. If I were the one, i would have give up and enjoyed the wonder of delicacy in the world!
I do not support the idea of basing one's diet solely on a type of food. I believe that there must be a balance.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I will not be surprised if the media, has once again, like the countless times in the past used its persuasive powers to change the way its audience think.
Which I think is the case of the subject in the newspaper.
Just my two kents worth.
Eating healthy is good but I don't think it is very wise to just have vegetables in your diet. Your body needs all kinds of nutrients and sometimes, vegetables lack certain nurtients and this may result in mulnutrient. Eating raw food can be dangerous too because there may be bacterias in the food and the only way of getting rid of these bacterias is through cooking.
ReplyDeleteVegetables are good, but to just having vegetables as your only choice of food I would think otherwise. Too much of certain type of food does not mean that it is good for your body. Media is indeed doing good in promoting the benefits of eating vegetables and also on other matters. People would think that what media broadcast is right as some would not have the knowledge of what they broadcasted in the media. My point is, media is a powerful source of influence which can be a reason to others going vegetarianism. Personally I would feel that a balanced diet is what I would go for.
ReplyDeleteBeing vegan is perhaps simply one's choice of diet. To me i find that a balance diet is the way to go. No matter what sort of diet you choose, if it is not a balanced one you'll still end up in pretty bad shape.
ReplyDeleteBeing vegan doesn't guarantee you longer nor healthier lifestyle. Not to mention that raw food if not handled properly could have adverse results.
Beside with the current social culture in Singapore, I would say that it is almost impossible to be a vegan. Fancy going for a movie and all your friends decides to perhaps head to some fast food restaurant for a meal, you'll be oust from the group for simply being a vegan. In way, its the peer pressure and the availability of options affecting the choice of diet.
So to me it is simply another hype or trend that would eventually fade once people get sick or tired of it.
agree,balanced diet is important...
ReplyDeletehaving said that,life's too good to miss out on char kuay tiao and hokkien mee
I feel that the media merely highlights the benefits of eating more vegetables. What is influenctial is the method in which the media sends its message across. As listed, celebrities like Ellen degeneras and Richard Gere are probably the main reason why people start paying attention to facts that our parents have been telling us from young. The media also shows us the effects of eating healthily by showing us people who are thin and attractive are vegans. Maybe...
ReplyDeleteBeing vegetarian is good from the side of god, as you don't kill or make people kill for you. But it's hard to be a pure vegetarian, think a balance diet is more important
ReplyDeletealthough I'm not a vegetarian and i eat mainly meat, i still think that eating vegetables is good for health.However, only vegetables and no meat will mean that u do not get sufficient protein?I'm not sure abt that but i agree with some of the other commentators that it is best to have a balance diet of meat and vegetables.
ReplyDeletei have a few friends who are Vegan itself. they seems to be very happy with what they eat and enjoy it. having to read a lot of article mention and stating on the pros and cons of being a veterinarian. it seem to me have more pros then cons. it good to consume more green plant then meat itself. but i just cant live without meat though i have cut down the consummation of meat and increase the intake of leave. so just hope there is more people eat green and healthy.
ReplyDeleteSince young, we were taught by teachers & parents that we need to have a balance diet. I dont agree that being a veterinarian makes you a healthy person.If its a religious thing, its a different story. But changing your diet to a veterinarian just because you find it healthy is weird. Where are you going to find the amount of carbo and protein that your body need?
ReplyDeleteA balance diet will be a healthier choice.Therefore i dont agree its beneficial
i feel that eating raw is something new and i guess that it will be much nutritious. Maybe due to nutrients not being destroyed by cooking or washing. A balance diet which i feel is a much better choice.
ReplyDeletePractising vegetarianism is definitely beneficial to a person's diet & health but i believe that living purely just on vegetarianism for your diet is not the way as well. Well balance diet is needed to have the nutritions.
ReplyDeleteI feel that people nowadays are more health conscious. Have been seeing friends around me going for exercise regularly & choosing their diet real carefully, all these are some of the ways to stay healthy.
Eventually people practise vegetarianism is more to being health conscious & not due to media though i not totally agree to just practising solely just on vegetarianism.
vegetarianism is definitely beneficial to a person's diet and health to large extent. however, one must not forget that meat has a part to play in our daily diet as well as they provide protein and other nutrients that our body need to work and burn.
ReplyDeletealso, i guess it's really up to one's determination to keep to such strict healthy diet.
I would have to agree that balanced diet is the way to go. Indeed as people are more educated,they are aware and more health conscious of the diet they take.Taking up vegetarian diet can be part of their diet variety or even for the beauty conscious as a detox option.
ReplyDeleteMedia plays an important role of providing information for the public to know what is beneficial for them to decide whether or not to take up the diet plan. For eg, if i had not read this blog about the article featured,i would not have known that such raw vegetarian exists and understand better what kind of vegetarian would i want to be should i become one.
I feel that even tho all of us is classified as human,the nutrients that we need varies.That is why some people are allergic to some food for no reason. So in order to provide enough energy to fuel our body for everyday activities, the best bet will be a balanced diet.
ReplyDeletePersonally i feel that to get the nutrients out of the food in the best way is to either steam the food or eat it raw.Because i feel that by cooking the food, the nutrient will be lost during the process.