Vegetarians, fruitarians, breatharians…They are the people who live, study, work with us. They are almost the same with one small remark: unlike “ordinary” people, they do not eat meat or adhere to the fruit diet only or do not eat at all. Leaving aside the most extreme cases let us talk about the first and the most popular category: Vegetarians.

More and more people today change their diets from meat-based to plant-based. They have different reasons for doing so and vegetarianism itself has its own advantages and disadvantages. This movement or eating style has its long history going back far to the ancient Greece but it is our century that can be called its peak period. More and more web-resources, special programs, groups etc. are organized that are dedicated to meat abstinence. There are numerous on-going discussions on whether the vegetarianism is good for one’s health or not. Good restaurants include vegetarian dishes in their menu. Even at the Alma restaurants, one out of five dishes is vegetarian. The fact remains that your friend, boss or boyfriend one day can answer “no thank you, I do not longer eat meat” to your BBQ invitation. What is going on with them? Should you join them or stop any communication with these crazy people?

What is strange about vegetarianism is that despite its growing popularity, for most of us it still remains the unrevealed secret. We are surprised if a person sitting next to us at the dining table prefers potatoes and broccoli to the perfectly smelling mussels and grilled rabbit. Summarizing all that is said by different sources, from one point of view vegetarianism is good because it cleans one’s body and mind and is healthy for a human being. From other point of view, being a vegetarian you can lack some very important vitamins, energy etc.

The Voice decided to interview a person who has been not only practicing vegetarianism himself for years but who knows a lot about theoretical side of this eating style. Kai Han Lo is a Kung Fu teacher at the sport center of K.U.Leuven. This sport requires a person to have healthy body and fast reaction. The Teacher is a vegetarian for more than 20 years already. Apart of Kung Fu he is volunteering for an international organization that promotes vegetarianism, healthy and peaceful life. When you meet him you see a positive, energetic and happy man. He kindly agreed to share his secrets of healthy life and his vision on vegetarianism.

The Voice - Why would you recommend people to become vegetarians?

Kai Han Lo: I would say that a vegetarian diet is healthy for your mind and body. Nowadays medical researchers confirmed that meat diet can contribute to development of many diseases such as swine flu or cancer. In my opinion, with meat in their diet people receive anger, hate, despair, helpless of animals that were killed. That is the reason why normally people who do not eat meat look healthier and happier than those who do. My position is that people can’t eat living creatures. This is the matter of respect, to our planet and its living creatures.

I am a Chinese Kung Fu teacher. When I was young, my master told me that Kung Fu started from respect, i.e. respect to a competitor and to the whole universe. I explain our desire to eat meat with a simple reason that from our early childhood we are served meat on our plates. Thus, eating meat becomes our habit and addiction. Those who become vegetarians can easily live without animal products. Moreover, they find many benefits in doing so.

The Voice - People say that with meat we receive many vitamins that can’t be found anywhere else. Saying it differently, how can vegetarians receive “meat” vitamins from other products?

Kai Han Lo: First of all, we speak about vitamin B because meat, fish and dairy products are considered to be the main sources of B-12. I would say that nowadays it is not a problem because we have many products that are rich with this vitamin, as for example seaweed, brown rice, whole weat, nuts, some green vegetables etc. Remember, that nowadays technologies are so developed that we can easily find alternatives to meat products. |

In our next issue we will provide with some tips and recommendations concerning vegetarianism in Leuven.