Below is our interview with Melissa Pickell, R.D., at her home in Flemington, New Jersey, via Skype.
500-word Transcription:
Sarah: We are doing a project for my Writing, Research and Technology class. It is an Oral History project, as well as a Collaborative Research Project. And we are researching the pros and cons of a vegetarian and vegan lifestyle, and so today we are sitting with Melissa Pickell, a registered dietician, and also a lifelong vegetarian.
Sarah: So Melissa, --
Melissa: Yes
Sarah:--What is a vegetarian?
Melissa: Well a vegetarian is someone who doesn’t eat any meat of any kind. That would be fish, poultry, meat from an animal. Some vegetarians also do not eat any animal products. That would be things like eggs, or dairy products, even honey.
Sarah: And those are classified as vegetarians, or do they have a different sort of name?
Melissa: Anyone who doesn’t eat any animal products would be considered a vegan. And it’s a slightly different type of vegetarian. It, there’s considered to be a vegan lifestyle. People who are vegan not only eat no animal products, including honey, but they also wouldn’t wear any animal products. That would include silk, from a silkworm, wool, leather. That covers the--
Sarah: Cool. What are the typical reasons behind a person becoming a vegetarian?
Melissa: I hope you don’t mind I made a few notes--
Sarah: That’s fine--
Melissa: I think it comes done to a few different groups of reasons. One of course is health reasons. Many people will decide to go on a vegetarian, or vegan diet, or follow one, for their health in some way. Particularly cardiovascular health. Then there’s the moral reasons. And that would include a love of animals, prevention of animal cruelty, a disagreement of factory farm animals.
Sarah: Right.
Melissa: And then there would be religious reasons. Typically Seventh Day Adventists are people who follow a vegetarian diet, although they are not vegan. And Buddhists also tend to follow a vegetarian diet.
Sarah: Wow, very interesting.
Melissa: And some east Indian religions as well. And then the last thing I would say would be there are also environmental reasons, especially today. Many people are looking to a plant-based diet as a way to help the planet. Greenhouse gases come mainly from the meat and dairy production.
Sarah: Awesome. So we kind of already talked about this, but are there differing degrees of vegetarians? And if so, what really differentiates them from one another?
Melissa: Right, so we talked about vegetarian, and that I would say, we could break down into a couple of different groups. There are what we call ovo-vegetarians. These are people who don’t eat any meat, no meat, no fish, no poultry, but they do eat eggs. That’s the only animal product that they would eat. You might have a lacto-ovo-vegetarian, someone who eats meat, um dairy and eggs.
Sarah: But no meat?
Melissa: But no meat. And then, you might even have someone who’s a lacto-vegetarian, who eats dairy products but no eggs, and of course no meat, fish or poultry.
Sarah: So Melissa, --
Melissa: Yes
Sarah:--What is a vegetarian?
Melissa: Well a vegetarian is someone who doesn’t eat any meat of any kind. That would be fish, poultry, meat from an animal. Some vegetarians also do not eat any animal products. That would be things like eggs, or dairy products, even honey.
Sarah: And those are classified as vegetarians, or do they have a different sort of name?
Melissa: Anyone who doesn’t eat any animal products would be considered a vegan. And it’s a slightly different type of vegetarian. It, there’s considered to be a vegan lifestyle. People who are vegan not only eat no animal products, including honey, but they also wouldn’t wear any animal products. That would include silk, from a silkworm, wool, leather. That covers the--
Sarah: Cool. What are the typical reasons behind a person becoming a vegetarian?
Melissa: I hope you don’t mind I made a few notes--
Sarah: That’s fine--
Melissa: I think it comes done to a few different groups of reasons. One of course is health reasons. Many people will decide to go on a vegetarian, or vegan diet, or follow one, for their health in some way. Particularly cardiovascular health. Then there’s the moral reasons. And that would include a love of animals, prevention of animal cruelty, a disagreement of factory farm animals.
Sarah: Right.
Melissa: And then there would be religious reasons. Typically Seventh Day Adventists are people who follow a vegetarian diet, although they are not vegan. And Buddhists also tend to follow a vegetarian diet.
Sarah: Wow, very interesting.
Melissa: And some east Indian religions as well. And then the last thing I would say would be there are also environmental reasons, especially today. Many people are looking to a plant-based diet as a way to help the planet. Greenhouse gases come mainly from the meat and dairy production.
Sarah: Awesome. So we kind of already talked about this, but are there differing degrees of vegetarians? And if so, what really differentiates them from one another?
Melissa: Right, so we talked about vegetarian, and that I would say, we could break down into a couple of different groups. There are what we call ovo-vegetarians. These are people who don’t eat any meat, no meat, no fish, no poultry, but they do eat eggs. That’s the only animal product that they would eat. You might have a lacto-ovo-vegetarian, someone who eats meat, um dairy and eggs.
Sarah: But no meat?
Melissa: But no meat. And then, you might even have someone who’s a lacto-vegetarian, who eats dairy products but no eggs, and of course no meat, fish or poultry.
