Living the vegetarian life

 
Humans are generally regarded as omnivore, but vegetarians are showing they can live without eating flesh. Joe Agbro Jr. writes about their lifestyle
AFAM Obi, a Lagos resident had travelled to England 10 years ago and was returning back for a brief holiday. Prior to his departure from England, he had telephoned his mother to let her know that he no longer eats meat or fish  that he is what they call a vegetarian. But to his utter surprise, for welcome, his mother had cooked a huge pot soup ladened with meat and fish  delicacies for many Nigerians.
“Even when I told her that I don’t take meat or fish again, she was urging me to take just a little,” said Obi relating the incident. “She could not believe I was serious that I don’t eat flesh anymore.”
Eating for many humans is not complete without flesh as part of their daily diet. In many cultures, hunting and fishing were even basic occupations. However, some people abstain from eating animal flesh or by-products. This practice is known as vegetarianism while people that practice it are called vegetarians.
In many parts of Africa, being a vegetarian is somewhat novel compared to the western world where Obi was returning from. Around here, when one declares avoidance of eating flesh, reasons easily flash out; could it be for spiritual, medical, or just another freak reason? Indeed, the popular view about town is that they take to that lifestyle for religious or spiritual purposes.

“I was introduced to vegetarianism by religion, that is Brotherhood of the Cross and Star,” said Senior Apostle Jude Uwaezuoke of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, Lagos State. That was in 1985.
The Brotherhood of the Star and Cross promotes vegetarianism – just like some other religious organisations like the Seventh Day Adventist, Rastafarianism, and Buddhism.
In Uwaezuoke’s case, his wife and their only child are also vegetarians.
On why he chose vegetarianism, he said it is “because of total love for creation. And the moment you extend this love to every creation, you will see what will happen. In fact, your life and everything would change for good.
“Vegetarians are very acceptable everywhere they go. They are loved. The only thing is that if you are a good vegetarian, it will be difficult for people to notice that you are a vegetarian because, one, you are not interested in going to parties and all those things. You take care of yourself.”
However, given that the Nigerian culture is heavy on reserving the serving of meat and fish, how does he cope with such offers?
According to him, in the initial years that he started practicing vegetarianism, he met stares and even promptings to eat flesh but nearly 30 years later,Uwaezuoke said people close to him know about his lifestyle.
“If a person values me so much,” he said, “he would go and prepare a vegetarian dish or he would go and look for fruits to give me. I can fruits for the whole day. Then there is also Tofu that is like meat. If they garnish it well, you would not know (the difference)”
Last year when he was ill and went to the hospital, his wife suggested whether they abolish the vegetarian diet. But he said the doctor even counselled against that. “She was shocked to hear that,” he said.
According to Harvard.health.edu, there are about four to six million vegetarians in the US. In Nigeria, their figure is not known. But it is growing trend, especially among health conscious people to ditch meat for plants.
“A lot of Nigerians are vegetarians,” said Emmanuella Mahmud, who has been a vegetarian for about a decade.  “But you would not know. Nigerians love their health and they fear a lot too. A vegetarian lifestyle is healthier than all these meat you see around.”
On how she became a vegetarian, Mahmud said it was a gradual process. “I first eliminated red meat from my diet and was takin only things like chicken.” Today, she is a vegan, a form of vegetarianism whereby a person abstains from all animal flesh and products, such as milk, honey, and eggs.
“I have never been a meat loving person. For instance, while growing up, eating suya (barbecued meat) had never been really my fancy,” said Mahmud. “People around me know my diet.”
She, however, owns up that a vegetarianism lifestyle impacts people in more ways than just eating  it determines one’s social life, the mode of celebrations and even what one shops for. It takes a while for family and friends to get used to a vegetarian’s lifestyle.
“Because I can’t eat what everyone is eating,” she said, “I always eat when I’m going to a function.”
Also, many restaurants do not cater for vegetarian diets; hence, eating out is another problem.
MichelaMoye, an On-Air-Personality with Abuja-based WE Fm began toying withbeing a vegetarian as a child. In her own case, she is anOvo-lacto vegetarian, which means she eats eggs and dairy products like cheese. She also says that contrary to the belief among a segment of people in the society, vegetarianism is not an expensive venture. While vegetarians tend to scrutinise many food sources,Moye believes that vegetarians need to cook their food to benefit well from the practice.
“If you have to get your food from outside sources,” she said, “there might be stock in it. But, most times, I have to cook my own food.”
“I also feel some level of concern for animals,” she said.
For good health, nutritionists advise different fruits, vegetables, and grains. Also, they recommend the use of olive oil or canola for cooking to replace saturated and trans fats. And while some people think vegetarianism is another way of slimming down but that is not the case. And always keep in mind that if you eat too many calories, even from nutritious, low-fat, plant-based foods, you’ll gain weight. So it’s also important to practice portion control, read food labels, and engage in regular physical activity.
“When people see me looking full and fresh, they often express surprise,” she said. “When you eat foods with many calories even without meat or fish, you will add weight. I know what to eat when I want to slim down.”
In Nigeria, the corporate sector is also slowly latching on to the vegetarianism tide. And some bakeries have begun providing delicacies like vegan bread and vegan pizza, the first vegetarian restaurant opened in Lagos last year. Founder and owner, Hakeem Jimo, said he was inspired to open the restaurant after discovering it was very difficult to find a place that catered for the vegetarian.
“You go abroad and it is not difficult to find somewhere you want to eat,” said Jimo who has also been a vegetarian for the past 16 years. “Even in Ghana, there are vegan restaurants.”
Located at Freedom Park, the restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner offers meatless or fishless cuisines in the form of Jollof rice, Soy Dog, Eba and Efo-riro, Vegan porridge, Veggie Burger and Vegan Chicken Burger. For a feel of flesh, there is Tofu and ‘vegan-suya’ which is actually made from wheat.
“When I discovered the place last year,” Mahmud, I used to go to take lunch everyday there from Ikeja but I later stopped because of the distance.”
This month, the restaurant organised Lagos Veg Fest, a Vegan and Vegetarian Festival.According to Jimo, the festival was “to show everyone in Nigeria that a healthy lifestyle is not only better for you but also delicious and fun.”
And it also intends to start packaging Veggie Foods to ensure more market penetration.
And while to many Nigerians, foods prepared without flesh would likely appear and may even taste bland, Moye does not agree it has to be so.
“My favourite soup is egusisoup and I make it without meat or fish. There are many leaves that are very good. And also Locust beans give it great flavour.”
And as substitute for meat, the vegetarians go for Tofu, Tempeh, and also Seitan.
While Tofu is made from soyabeans, Seitan is made from wheat but both have a texture and consistency similar to meat.
A former student of Babcock University said, “at first I didn’t like the Tofu but after some time, I began to enjoy it.”
However, vegetarians may need to go an extra length to get some vitamins such as vitamin B12 which is largely derived from animal source.  According to the Harvard Health Letter, ‘B12 deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the developing world.’
That is a tricky part for vegans who do not eat meat, egg or dairy products. The Harvard Health Letter even notes that ‘even vegetarians who eat eggs and dairy products consume, on average, less than half the adult Recommended Dietary Allowance of 2.4 mcg of B12.’
Also, other vitamins such as iodine, omega-3, zinc, and calcium while plentiful in meat and fish are scant in plants. And eating more of lant-based foods such as salads in addition to not being healthy could result in complications such as kidney stones
Hence, Mrs Iwalola Akin-Jimoh, a nutritionist said that while a vegetarian life may be appropriate for adults, it should not be recommended for children.
“They (children) are growing and need all the necessary vitamins but they cannot easily get them from being a vegetarian.”
But despite this challenge of balancing body nutrients with a vegetarian outlook, vegetarianism in the country is rising. And more Nigerians seem to be embracing it.