National Vegetarian Week

Monday marked the beginning of National Vegetarian Week.

Vegetarian week has been celebrated since the early 1990s and over the years, restaurants chains, down to small eateries have embraced the concept and began offering a good selection of non-meat options.

 So what exactly is the definition of a vegetarian?

 The Oxford English Dictionary defines a vegetarian as someone abstaining from eating meat and fish.

 Other dictionarys go on to define a vegetarian as someone who doesn’t ingest any animal products such as eggs or cheese.

 There are several reasons why people choose to become vegetarian, but according to youngveggie.org, the name being self explanatory, some of the the top reasons are: Compassion for animals, environmental awareness, religious reasons and health concerns.

 Even if you aren’t a vegetarian, you can use this week to try adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet.

 Visit the at 9201 Center St. in the Harris Pavilion Thursday and choose from the vast selection of locally grown produce.

Interested in knowing more about becoming a veggie? Visit nationalvegetarianweek.org