Vegetarianism Vegetarianism as defined by The World Book Dictionary (1989) is "the practice or principle of eating only vegetable foods and refraining from eating meat, fish, or other animal products". This definition, though accurate, seems somewhat limited, as being a vegetarian is so much more: it is a lifestyle choice, a way of thinking, and a way of behaving. Over 12 million Americans and countless others, from all over the world, have turned to the vegetarian diet (Vegetarian Times, 1996). People who have become vegetarians have made a conscious choice to be this and, having studied this practice, no one should entertain becoming a vegetarian lightly. Even though there are many ben