Vegetarianism

Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, freshwater fish, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. A person who practices vegetarianism is known as a vegetarian.<!--NOTE: Specifying what is meant by "meat" is necessary because some people don't consider poultry or seafood "real meat", and they may think that they are still being vegetarians while they are eating either, as has been extensively discussed on the talk page. The specifics regarding this are mentioned below in both the lead and body of the article.--><!--NOTE: See the sources and past talk page discussions for the addition of by-products of animal slaughter. Because many vegetarians are unaware of certain animal-derived products which are hidden in their foods or because they do not care if they consume them, and others are not vegetarians for ethical reasons, it was decided that "may also abstain," or some variation of that, is neutral and more accurate wording for this information.-->

Vegetarianism may be adopted for various reasons. Many people object to eating meat out of respect for sentient animal life. Such ethical motivations have been codified under various religious beliefs as well as animal rights advocacy. Other motivations for vegetarianism are health-related, political, environmental, cultural, aesthetic, economic, taste-related, or relate to other personal preferences.

A small number of towns and cities around the world are exclusively vegetarian or have outlawed meat, including Rishikesh in India, which banned meat, fish, and eggs in 1956. A larger number of towns and cities are vegetarian-friendly. In other locations, finding vegetarian food can pose some difficulties.

There are many variations of the vegetarian diet: a lacto-vegetarian diet includes dairy products, an ovo-vegetarian diet includes eggs, and a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet includes both. All of them include honey. As the strictest of vegetarian diets, a vegan diet excludes all animal products, and can be accompanied by the abstention from animal-derived products, such as leather shoes and silk clothes.

Vegetarian diets pose some difficulties. For vitamin B₁₂, depending on the presence or absence of eggs and dairy products in the diet or other reliable B₁₂ sources, vegetarians may incur a nutritional deficiency. Packaged and processed foods may contain minor quantities of animal ingredients. While some vegetarians scrutinize product labels for such ingredients, others do not object to consuming them, or are unaware of their presence.

Etymology

The first written use of the term "vegetarian" originated in the early 19th century, when authors referred to a vegetable regimen diet. Historically, 'vegetable' could be used to refer to any type of edible vegetation. Modern dictionaries explain its origin as a compound of vegetable (adjective) and the suffix -arian (in the sense of agrarian). The term was popularized with the foundation of the Vegetarian Society in Manchester in 1847, although it has been used before in writing first attributed to actress, writer and abolitionist Fanny Kemble, in her Journal of a Residence on a Georgian plantation in 1838–1839. The earliest occurrences of the term seem to be related to Alcott House—a school on the north side of Ham Common, London—which was opened in July 1838 by James Pierrepont Greaves. From 1841, it was known as A Concordium, or Industry Harmony College, and the institution then began to publish its own pamphlet, The Healthian. It provides some of the earliest appearances of the term "vegetarian". Its origin is an irregular compound of vegetable and the suffix -arian (in the sense of "supporter, believer" as in humanitarian).

History

Prehistory and early origins

In 2025, a study published in Science measured nitrogen isotope ratios in fossilized teeth and determined that Australopithecus was almost entirely vegetarian.

Indian subcontinent

thumb|upright|[[Parshwanatha founded Jain vegetarianism in the 9th century BCE]]

While the broader concept of nonviolence (Ahimsa) developed across multiple ancient Indian philosophies, Jainism was unique in establishing strict vegetarianism as an absolute, non-negotiable mandate for all followers—both ascetics and the lay community. The earliest record of vegetarianism comes from the 9th century BCE, inculcating tolerance towards all living beings. Pārśvanātha and Mahavira, the 23rd and 24th tirthankaras in Jainism, respectively, revived and advocated ahimsa and Jain vegetarianism between the 8th and 6th centuries BCE; the most comprehensive and strictest form of vegetarianism. However, the institutional origins of this strict lay mandate are sociologically anchored in the narrative of Neminatha, the twenty-second tirthankara.

According to Jain tradition and noted by historical sociologists, the prince Neminatha abandoned his royal wedding in Junagadh after hearing the cries of captive animals slated to be slaughtered for the wedding feast. His refusal to predicate personal celebration upon animal slaughter, and his subsequent renunciation of worldly life, served as a defining cultural catalyst. His renunciation is said to be followed by his meditation at Mount Girnar. Scholars identify this narrative as the foundational charter myth that shifted vegetarianism from an isolated ascetic exercise in self-denial to a universal ethical baseline regarding animal welfare for the entire Jain community.

In Indian culture, vegetarianism has been closely connected with the attitude of nonviolence towards animals (called ahimsa in India) for millennia and was promoted by religious groups and philosophers. The Ācārāṅga Sūtra from 5th century BCE advocates Jain-vegetarianism and forbids the monks from walking on grass in order to avoid inflicting pain on them and prevent small insects dwelling inside from getting killed. The ancient Indian work of the Tirukkuṟaḷ, dated before the 5th century CE, explicitly and unambiguously emphasizes shunning meat and non-killing as a common man's virtues. Chapter 26 of the Tirukkural, particularly couplets 251–260, deals exclusively on moral vegetarianism or veganism.

Hemachandra, a 12th-century Jain scholar and monk, achieved a significant political victory for vegetarianism in Indian history. He successfully converted King Kumarapala of the Chaulukya dynasty (who ruled present-day Gujarat and surrounding areas) to Jainism. Under Hemachandra's guidance, King Kumarapala issued sweeping imperial edicts (amari-ghoshana) that legally banned the slaughter of animals across his entire kingdom. This alliance is historically responsible for cementing Gujarat as the geographic epicenter of strict vegetarian cuisine in India.

In the 16th century, the Jain monk Hiravijaya Suri was invited to the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Through philosophical discussions regarding nonviolence, the monk persuaded the Emperor to issue imperial edicts (farmans) that legally enforced animal welfare across the empire. These edicts temporarily banned the slaughter of animals for several months of the year, prohibited fishing in specific sacred lakes, and mandated the release of thousands of caged birds. This represents one of the earliest recorded instances of state-enforced animal welfare and dietary restrictions at the imperial level in Indian history.

Mediterranean and ancient Greece

Among the Hellenes, Egyptians, and others, vegetarianism had medical or ritual purification purposes. Vegetarianism was also practiced in ancient Greece and the earliest reliable evidence for vegetarian theory and practice in Greece dates from the 6th century BCE. The Orphics, a religious movement spreading in Greece at that time, also practiced and promoted vegetarianism. Greek teacher Pythagoras, who promoted the altruistic doctrine of metempsychosis, may have practiced vegetarianism, but is also recorded as eating meat. A fictionalized portrayal of Pythagoras appears in Ovid's Metamorphoses, in which he advocates a form of strict vegetarianism. It was through this portrayal that Pythagoras was best known to English-speakers throughout the early modern period and, prior to the coinage of the word "vegetarianism", vegetarians were referred to in English as "Pythagoreans".

East Asia

thumb|upright|left|[[Emperor Tenmu began bans on the killing for and eating of meat in 675 CE in Japan.]]

In Japan in 675, the Emperor Tenmu prohibited the killing and the eating of meat during the busy farming period between April and September but excluded the eating of wild birds and wild animals. These bans and several others that followed over the centuries were overturned in the nineteenth century during the Meiji Restoration. In China, during the Song dynasty, Buddhist cuisine became popular enough that vegetarian restaurants appeared where chefs used ingredients such as beans, gluten, root vegetables and mushrooms to create meat analogues including pork, fowl, eggs and crab roe and many meat substitutes used even today such as tofu, seitan and konjac originate in Chinese Buddhist cuisine.

Early modern and modern era

thumb|right|Labeling is mandatory in [[India to distinguish vegetarian products (green) from non-vegetarian products (brown).]]

Following the Christianization of the Roman Empire in late antiquity, vegetarianism practically disappeared from Europe, as it did elsewhere, except in India. Several orders of monks in medieval Europe restricted or banned the consumption of meat for ascetic reasons, but none of them eschewed fish. Moreover, the medieval definition of "fish" included such animals as seals, porpoises, dolphins, barnacle geese, puffins, and beavers. Vegetarianism re-emerged during the Renaissance, becoming more widespread in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1847, the first Vegetarian Society was founded in the United Kingdom; Germany, the Netherlands, and other countries followed. In 1886, the vegetarian colony Nueva Germania was founded in Paraguay, though its vegetarian aspect would prove short-lived. The International Vegetarian Union, an association of the national societies, was founded in 1908. In the Western world, the popularity of vegetarianism grew during the 20th century as a result of nutritional, ethical, and—more recently—environmental and economic concerns.

Virchand Gandhi was the official delegate representing Jainism at the first World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893. He was one of the first historical figures to defend Jain vegetarianism on a global stage to a Western audience. Gandhi systematically dismantled the contemporary Western assumption that vegetarianism led to physical weakness, successfully reframing the Jain diet in the West as a highly rational, scientifically grounded, and compassionate lifestyle.

Vegetarian locations

A small number of cities, towns, and intentional communities around the world are exclusively vegetarian where no meat is sold or consumed due to religious and cultural influences. In all-vegetarian locations, meat and sometimes other animal products are sometimes officially outlawed. In other exclusively vegetarian cities, meat is not sold or served due to cultural influences but is not officially outlawed. Some religious centers in India have banned all meat sales within municipal boundaries. For example, in 1956, Rishikesh banned the sale of meat, fish, and eggs.

Locations where residents are vegetarian and only vegetarian food is consumed within city limits include:

• Amirim, Israel. Founded in 1958 on vegetarian principles, the town features vegetarian guest houses and had a population of 865 in 2022.
• Cheremshanka, Altai Republic in Russia
• Community of the Ark, La Borie Noble, France. Founded in 1948 by Lanza del Vasto as a vegetarian, spiritual commune.
• Haridwar in Uttarakhand, India. In 2002 meat sales were banned in Haridwar. The ban was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2004.
• New Vrindaban in West Virginia, United States. Founded in 1968 by Kirtanananda Swami, New Virndaban is a vegetarian, intentional community.
• Palitana in Gujarat, India. In 2014, Palitana banned meat sales.
• Pushkar in Rajasthan, India. Pushkar is one of the world's oldest cities and a religious center. Because of its holy status and number of temples, Pushkar is a vegetarian city where the sale of meat, fish, eggs, and alcohol are all banned.
• Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, India. In 1956, Rishikesh banned the sale of meat, fish, and eggs.

Former all-vegetarian locations

• Alcott House in Surrey, United Kingdom
• Ephrata Cloister in Pennsylvania, United States
• Fruitlands in Massachusetts, United States
• Octagon City, Kansas, United States
• The Sanctuary (community) in West Sussex, United Kingdom

Heavily-vegetarian locations

The percentage of vegetarians varies by country. India has the highest percentage of vegetarian residents, and Mexico has the second highest percentage of vegetarian residents. In general, vegetarians are a minority. However, a number of cities and towns around the world have much larger vegetarian populations who constitute a majority of municipal residents. Heavily-vegetarian locations include:

• Bali in Indonesia
• Bengaluru the capital of Karnataka, India
• Chennai the capital of Tamil Nadu, India
• Chiang Mai in Thailand
• Loma Linda, California in the United States
• Shashamane in Oromia Region, Ethiopia
• Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, India

Varieties

There are a number of vegetarian diets that exclude or include various foods:

thumb|right|A variety of vegetarian and [[Veganism|vegan deli food]]

thumb|right|A vegetarian hamburger with roast potatoes

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! !! Meat !! Dairy !! Eggs !! Honey

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! Lacto-ovo vegetarianism

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! Lacto vegetarianism

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! Ovo vegetarianism

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! Vegan diet

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Primary classifications

• Lacto-ovo vegetarianism (or ovo-lacto vegetarianism) includes animal products such as dairy, eggs, and honey.
• Lacto vegetarianism includes dairy and honey but not eggs.
• Ovo vegetarianism includes eggs and honey but not dairy.
• Veganism excludes all animal flesh and by-products, such as dairy, eggs, and honey, edible bird's nests and items refined or manufactured through any such product, such as animal-tested baking soda or white sugar refined with bone char.

Within the "ovo-" groups, there are many who refuse to consume raw eggs (with balut being an extreme example); however, such distinction is typically not specifically addressed.

Some vegetarians also avoid products that may use animal ingredients not included in their labels or which use animal products in their manufacturing. For example, sugars that are whitened with bone char, cheeses that use animal rennet (enzymes from animal stomach lining), gelatin (derived from the collagen inside animals' skin, bones, and connective tissues), some sugar cane (but not beet sugar), and beverages (such as apple juice and alcohol) clarified with gelatin or crushed shellfish and isinglass, while other vegetarians are unaware of, or do not mind, such ingredients.

Restrictive plant-based diets

• Fruitarianism only permits fruit, nuts, seeds, and other plant matter that can be gathered without harming the plant.
• Macrobiotic diets mostly consist of whole grains and beans.
• Raw veganism includes only fresh and uncooked fruit, nuts, seeds, and vegetables. Food must not be heated above to be considered "raw". Usually, raw vegan food is only ever "cooked" with a food dehydrator at low temperatures.

Cultural and ecological variations

thumb|Fresh [[fig halves on wooden surface]]

Sattvic diet (also known as yogic diet), a plant-based diet which may also include dairy and honey, but excludes eggs, red lentils, durian, mushrooms, alliums, blue cheeses, fermented foods or sauces, and alcoholic drinks. Coffee, black or green tea, chocolate, nutmeg, and any other type of stimulant (including excessively pungent spices) are sometimes excluded, as well.

Jain vegetarianism is a strict form of lacto-vegetarianism. It excludes meat, eggs, and honey, but it also excludes root vegetables and bulbs, such as potatoes, onions, and garlic. This is because ancient Jain botanical classifications identified these underground plant parts as hosts for dense colonies of microscopic life forms, known as nigoda. Because of this, the Jain diet is one of the earliest recorded food systems designed around microbiological conservation, extending the rule of nonviolence to micro-ecosystems.

Beyond the exclusion of root vegetables, the Jain diet further restricts several specific plant categories based on early biological conservation principles:

• Multi-seeded and symbiotic fruits: Fruits such as figs are excluded due to their symbiotic relationship with pollinating wasps, which often die inside the fruit. Eggplant (brinjal) is also historically restricted due to its high susceptibility to internal pests and its classification as containing numerous germ-cells (bahu-beej).
• Fungi and aquatic roots: Mushrooms are strictly excluded as they are non-photosynthetic organisms that grow on decaying matter. Aquatic stems, such as the lotus root, are avoided because their extraction violently disrupts mud-dwelling aquatic organisms.
• Micro-habitats: Vegetables with dense, overlapping leaves or tight florets, such as cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli, are traditionally avoided because their complex structures harbor insect colonies that cannot be removed without causing harm.

This comprehensive application of nonviolence (ahimsa) also extended beyond food into early forms of ethical consumerism. Historically, Jain ethical codes for the lay community explicitly prohibited participation in the fifteen forbidden trades (karmadanas), which legally barred Jains from manufacturing, selling, or utilizing non-dietary animal products such as leather, ivory, fur, and traditional silk. This strict avoidance of animal byproducts established an ancient historical precedent for the lifestyle practices associated with modern veganism.

Semi-vegetarian diets

Individuals sometimes label themselves "vegetarian" while practicing a semi-vegetarian diet, as some dictionary definitions describe vegetarianism as sometimes including the consumption of fish, or only include mammalian flesh as part of their definition of meat, while other definitions exclude fish and all animal flesh. In other cases, individuals may describe themselves as "flexitarian". These diets may be followed by those who reduce animal flesh consumed as a way of transitioning to a complete vegetarian diet or for health, ethical, environmental, or other reasons. Semi-vegetarian diets include:<!--NOTE: Older archived copies state the title as "No More Sacred Cows" and date as December 31, 2009, consistent with old citation this replaced. The retitling is common, but the date change seems like a typo by Newsweek. Regardless, data from the most updated live and archive copies were used. If either the title or date are changed, an appropriate archived copy with that data should replace this archived copy, with url-status=dead. Original link: http://www.newsweek.com/id/228720 -->

• Pescetarianism, which includes fish and possibly other forms of seafood.
• Pollotarianism, which includes chicken and possibly other poultry.

Semi-vegetarianism is contested by vegetarian groups, such as the Vegetarian Society, which states that vegetarianism excludes all animal flesh.

| width = 25%

thumb|[[Countries' positions on vegetarian diets within their food-based dietary guidelines:

]]

thumb|upright|right|[[Acorn noodle soup]]

thumb|right|A fruit stall in [[Barcelona]]

In Western countries, the most common motive for people practicing vegetarianism is health consciousness. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has stated that at all stages of life, a properly planned vegetarian diet can be "healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases." Vegetarian diets offer lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol and animal protein, and higher levels of carbohydrates, fibre, magnesium, potassium, folate, vitamins C and E, and phytochemicals.

Bones

Studies have shown that a (non-lacto) vegetarian diet may increase the risk of calcium deficiency and low bone mineral density. A 2019 review found that vegetarians have lower bone mineral density at the femoral neck and lumbar spine compared to omnivores. A 2020 meta-analysis found that infants fed a lacto-vegetarian diet exhibited normal growth and development.

Diabetes

Vegetarian diets are under preliminary research for their potential to help people with type 2 diabetes.

Cardiovascular system

Meta-analyses have reported a reduced risk of death from ischemic heart disease and from cerebrovascular disease among vegetarians.

Mental health

Reviews of vegan and vegetarian diets showed a possible association with depression and anxiety, particularly among people under 26 years old. Another review found no significant associations between a vegetarian diet and depression or anxiety.

Eating disorders

The American Dietetic Association discussed that vegetarian diets may be more common among adolescents with eating disorders, indicating that vegetarian diets do not cause eating disorders, but rather "vegetarian diets may be selected to camouflage an existing eating disorder".

Mortality risk

A 2012 study found a reduced risk in all-cause mortality in vegetarians with a significantly lower ischemic heart disease mortality (-29%) and overall cancer incidence (-18%) in comparison to nonvegetarians. A 2017 review found a lower mortality (−25%) from ischemic heart disease.

Diet composition and nutrition

Western vegetarian diets are typically high in carotenoids, but relatively low in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B₁₂. Vegans can have particularly low intake of vitamin B and calcium if they do not eat enough items such as collard greens, leafy greens, tempeh and tofu (soy). High levels of dietary fiber, folic acid, vitamins C and E, and magnesium, and low consumption of saturated fat are all considered to be beneficial aspects of a vegetarian diet. A well planned vegetarian diet will provide all nutrients in a meat-eater's diet to the same level for all stages of life.

Protein

Protein intake in vegetarian diets tends to be lower than in meat diets but can meet the daily requirements for most people. Studies at Harvard University as well as other studies conducted in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and various European countries, confirmed that vegetarian diets provide sufficient protein intake as long as a variety of plant sources are available and consumed.

Iron

Vegetarian diets typically contain similar levels of iron to non-vegetarian diets, but this has lower bioavailability than iron from meat sources, and its absorption can sometimes be inhibited by other dietary constituents. According to the Vegetarian Resource Group, consuming food that contains vitamin C, such as citrus fruit or juices, tomatoes, or broccoli, is a good way to increase the amount of iron absorbed at a meal. Vegetarian foods rich in iron include black beans, cashews, hempseed, kidney beans, broccoli, lentils, oatmeal, raisins, jaggery, spinach, cabbage, lettuce, black-eyed peas, soybeans, many breakfast cereals, sunflower seeds, chickpeas, tomato juice, tempeh, molasses, thyme, and whole-wheat bread. The related vegan diets can often be higher in iron than vegetarian diets, because dairy products are low in iron. and 58% of the respective vegetarian or vegan groups). However, the American Dietetic Association states that iron deficiency is no more common in vegetarians than non-vegetarians (adult males are rarely iron deficient); iron deficiency anaemia is rare no matter the diet.

Vitamin B₁₂

Vitamin B₁₂ is not generally present in plants but is naturally found in foods of animal origin. Lacto-ovo vegetarians can obtain B₁₂ from dairy products and eggs, and vegans can obtain it from manufactured fortified foods (including plant-based products and breakfast cereals) and dietary supplements. A strict vegan diet avoiding consumption of all animal products risks vitamin B₁₂ deficiency, which can lead to hyperhomocysteinemia, a risk factor for several health disorders, including anemia, neurological deficits, gastrointestinal problems, platelet disorders, and increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. The recommended daily dietary intake of B₁₂ in the United States and Canada is 0.4 mcg (ages 0–6 months), rising to 1.8 mcg (9–13 years), 2.4 mcg (14+ years), and 2.8 mcg (lactating female).. Significantly, for vegetarians, certain algae such as spirulina are good sources of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), linoleic acid (LA), stearidonic acid (SDA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and arachidonic acid (AA).

Calcium

Calcium intake in vegetarians and vegans can be similar to non-vegetarians, as long as the diet is properly planned. Lacto-ovo vegetarians that include dairy products can still obtain calcium from dairy sources like milk, yogurt, and cheese.

Non-dairy milks that are fortified with calcium, such as soymilk and almond milk can also contribute a significant amount of calcium in the diet. Broccoli, bok choy, and kale have also been found to have calcium that is well absorbed in the body. Though the calcium content per serving is lower in these vegetables than a glass of milk, the absorption of the calcium into the body is higher. Products including milk, soy milk and cereal grains may be fortified to provide a source of vitamin D. For those who do not get adequate sun exposure or food sources, vitamin D supplementation may be necessary.

Vitamin D₂

• Plants
• Alfalfa (Medicago sativa subsp. sativa), shoot: 4.8 μg (192 IU) vitamin D₂, 0.1 μg (4 IU) vitamin D₃
• Fungus, from USDA nutrient database, per 100 g:
• Mushrooms, portabella, exposed to ultraviolet light, raw: Vitamin D₂: 11.2 μg (446 IU)
• Mushrooms, portabella, exposed to ultraviolet light, grilled: Vitamin D₂: 13.1 μg (524 IU)
• Mushrooms, shiitake, dried: Vitamin D₂: 3.9 μg (154 IU)
• Mushrooms, shiitake, raw: Vitamin D₂: 0.4 μg (18 IU)
• Mushrooms, portabella, raw: Vitamin D₂: 0.3 μg (10 IU)
• Mushroom powder, any species, illuminated with sunlight or artificial ultraviolet light sources

Vitamin D₂, or ergocalciferol is found in fungus (except alfalfa which is a plantae) and created from viosterol, which in turn is created when ultraviolet light activates ergosterol (which is found in fungi and named as a sterol from ergot). Any UV-irradiated fungus including yeast form vitamin D₂. Human bioavailability of vitamin D₂ from vitamin D₂-enhanced button mushrooms via UV-B irradiation is effective in improving vitamin D status and not different from a vitamin D₂ supplement according to study. For example, vitamin D₂ from UV-irradiated yeast baked into bread is bioavailable.

By visual assessment or using a chromometer, no significant discoloration of irradiated mushrooms, as measured by the degree of "whiteness", was observed making it hard to discover if they have been treated without labeling. Claims have been made that a normal serving (approx. 3 oz or 1/2 cup, or 60 grams) of mushrooms treated with ultraviolet light increase their vitamin D content to levels up to 80 micrograms, or 2700 IU if exposed to just 5 minutes of UV light after being harvested.

Choline

Choline is a nutrient that helps transfer signals between nerve cells and is involved in liver function. It is highest in dairy foods and meat but it is possible to be obtained through a vegan diet.

Ethics and diet

General

With regard to the ethics of eating meat, scholars consider vegetarianism an ideology and a social movement. Ethical reasons for choosing vegetarianism vary and are usually predicated on the interests of non-human animals. In many societies, controversies and debates have arisen over the ethics of eating animals. Some people, while not vegetarians, refuse to eat the flesh of certain animals due to cultural taboo, such as cats, dogs, horses or rabbits. Others support meat eating for scientific, nutritional and cultural reasons, including religious ones. Some meat eaters abstain from the meat of animals reared in particular ways, such as factory farms, or avoid certain meats, such as veal or foie gras. Some people follow vegetarian or vegan diets not because of moral concerns involving the raising or consumption of animals in general, but because of concerns about the specific treatment and practices involved in the processing of animals for food. Others still avoid meat out of concern that meat production places a greater burden on the environment than production of an equivalent amount of plant protein. Ethical objections based on consideration for animals are generally divided into opposition to the act of killing in general, and opposition to certain agricultural practices surrounding the production of meat.

Within the Jain ethical framework, the prohibition against eating meat extends beyond the physical act of killing (dravya-himsa) to the psychological intent behind it (bhava-himsa). This is academically illustrated through the classical Jain narrative of King Yashodhara and the dough rooster. In this ethical parable, a king compromises with a demand for ritual animal sacrifice by offering a rooster made of flour. However, Jain theology dictates that because the psychological intent to kill was present, the spiritual degradation was identical to killing a living creature. Scholars note that this narrative was historically utilized to establish that the institutionalization of meat-eating corrupts the psychological purity of a society, regardless of who physically butchers the animal.

Ethics of killing for food

Ethical vegetarians believe that killing an animal, like killing a human, especially one who has equal or lesser cognitive abilities than the animals in question, can only be justified in extreme circumstances and that consuming a living creature for its enjoyable taste, convenience, or nutrition value is not a sufficient cause. Another common view is that humans are morally conscious of their behavior in a way other animals are not, and therefore subject to higher standards. Jeff McMahan proposes that denying the right to life and humane treatment to animals with equal or greater cognitive abilities than mentally disabled humans is an arbitrary and discriminatory practice based on habit instead of logic. Opponents of ethical vegetarianism argue that animals are not moral equals to humans and so consider the comparison of eating livestock with killing people to be fallacious. This view does not excuse cruelty, but maintains that animals do not possess the rights a human has.

Dairy and eggs

One of the main differences between a vegan and a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet is the avoidance of both eggs and dairy products such as milk, cheese, butter and yogurt. Ethical vegans do not consume dairy or eggs because they state that their production causes the animal suffering or a premature death.

To produce milk from dairy cattle, farmers separate calves from their mothers soon after birth to retain cow milk for human consumption.

Treatment of animals

Jain communities established large-scale systems for animal welfare long ago. Jain merchants funded the creation of panjrapoles—specialized animal shelters and hospitals across India designed to care for sick, old, or rescued livestock and birds. The motivation behind these early shelters was not modern ethical philosophy, but the core Jain religious belief that committing violence against any living creature directly harms a person's own soul and spiritual purity.

Ethical vegetarianism has become popular in developed countries particularly because of the spread of factory farming and environmental consciousness. Some believe that the current mass-demand for meat cannot be satisfied without a mass-production system that disregards the welfare of animals, while others believe that practices like well-managed free-range farming or the consumption of game (particularly from species whose natural predators have been significantly eliminated) could substantially alleviate consumer demand for mass-produced meat.

Religion and diet

Jainism teaches vegetarianism as moral conduct, as do some sects of Hinduism. Buddhism in general does not prohibit meat eating, but Mahayana Buddhism encourages vegetarianism as beneficial for developing compassion. Other denominations that advocate a vegetarian diet include the Seventh-day Adventists, the Rastafari movement, the Ananda Marga movement and the Hare Krishnas. Sikhism<!-- is this it? --> does not equate spirituality with diet and does not specify a vegetarian or meat diet.

Baháʼí Faith

While there are no dietary restrictions in the Baháʼí Faith, `Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of the religion's founder, noted that a vegetarian diet consisting of fruits and grains was desirable, except for people with a weak constitution or those that are sick. He stated that there are no requirements that Baháʼís become vegetarian, but that a future society should gradually become vegetarian. `Abdu'l-Bahá also stated that killing animals was contrary to compassion. While Shoghi Effendi, the head of the Bahá'í Faith in the first half of the 20th century, stated that a purely vegetarian diet would be preferable since it avoided killing animals, both he and the Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Baháʼís have stated that these teachings do not constitute a Baháʼí practice and that Baháʼís can choose to eat whatever they wish but should be respectful of others' beliefs.

Buddhism

Theravadins in general eat meat. If Buddhist monks "see, hear or know" a living animal was killed specifically for them to eat, they must refuse it or else incur an offense. However, this does not include eating meat which was given as alms or commercially purchased. In the Theravada canon, Shakyamuni Buddha did not make any comment discouraging them from eating meat (except specific types, such as human, elephant, horse, dog, snake, lion, tiger, leopard, bear, and hyena flesh) but he specifically refused to institute vegetarianism in his monastic code when a suggestion had been made.