Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes all animal flesh, including poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustacea, and slaughter by-products. The reasons for choosing vegetarianism may be related to morality, religion, culture, ethics, aesthetics, environment, society, economy, politics, taste, or health.There are several variants of the diet, some of which also exclude eggs and/or some products produced from animal labor such as dairy products and honey. Veganism, for example, excludes all animal products from diet. By some strict definitions, animal products are not used for attire either, whether or not the production of clothing or items has involved the actual death of an animal (dairy, eggs, honey, wool, silk, down feathers, etc.) A generic term for both vegetarianism and veganism, as well as for similar diets, is "Plant-based diets".Vegetarian diets have been found to satisfy the nutritional needs for all stages of life, and large-scale studies have shown vegetarianism to increase longevity, improve health, and significantly lower risks of cancer and other diseases.

Interested in some statistics about vegetarian diets? Studies have shown vegetarians to be at less risk for high blood pressure, cancer and heart disease. Here are some of the long-term advantages of plant-based diets.

Vegetarians are generally a healthy bunch. Compared to meat eaters, they have less heart disease and cancer, lower blood pressure – and they're slimmer. But does a good diet need to exclude meat?

December 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a low-protein, low-calorie diet and exercise lower hormones and growth factors that increase a person’s risk of developing and dying from cancer.

According to new research presented at Digestive Disease Week® 2007 a vegetarian diet may have a significant impact on the gastrointestinal (GI) system, affecting the risk for certain diseases.

Flaxseed is the richest source of the phytoestrogen lignans, containing 75-800 times higher concentration than other plant foods in the vegetarian diet. It is also a very rich source of a-linolenic acid, representing more than 50% of its oil.