Participate in National Vegetarian Week

Monday marked the beginning of  National Vegetarian Week.

Vegetarian week has been celebrated since the early 1990s and over the years, restaurant chains, down to small eateries have embraced the concept and began offering a good selection of non-meat options.

 So what exactly is the definition of a vegetarian?

 The Oxford English Dictionary defines a vegetarian as someone abstaining from eating meat and fish.

 Other dictionaries go on to define a vegetarian as someone who doesn’t ingest any animal products such as eggs or cheese.

 There are several reasons why people choose to become vegetarian, but according to youngveggie.org, the name being self explanatory, some of the the top reasons are: Compassion for animals, environmental awareness, religious reasons and health concerns.

 Even if you aren’t a vegetarian, you can use this week to try adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet.

 Visit the at the Harris Pavilion on Thursdays and Saturdays in the VRE parking lot and choose from the vast selection of locally grown produce. Salso hosts a farmer's market in the parking lot of The Freedom Fitness and Acquatics Center at George Mason's University's Prince William County campus on Thursdays.

Interested in knowing more about becoming a veggie? Visit nationalvegetarianweek.org