59% of Sikhs and only 44% of Hindus are vegetarian

[ronki23]

10. Religion and food

Surprisingly a higher % of Sikhs are vegetarian than Hindus. Several of the Sikh Gurus ate meat and there is no prohibition on meat eating in Guru Granth Sahib.

 

[ronki23]

Guru Nanak, Guru Angad, Guru Hargobind and Guru Gobind Singh ate meat. I'm surprised there's a higher vegetarian % in a religion which DOESN'T espouse vegetarianism

 

[ronki23]

The research says only 8% of Buddhists are vegetarian which is even more surprising

 

[Secret Chief]

The research says only 8% of Buddhists are vegetarian which is even more surprising

Well, the Buddha and his followers accepted whatever alms food was given to them each day by householders. Given this, one would not expect there to be any explicit dietary prohibitions in the texts, and I am not aware of any.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Do you believe in all these reported statistics?

 

[Brickjectivity]

Vegetarianism is not very convenient. That mostly explains it for me.

 

[ronki23]

Do you believe in all these reported statistics?

I also read that Punjab is 67% vegetarian, the second highest vegetarian % after Rajasthan.

Punjab is 41% Hindu so in the unlikely event that all Hindu Punjabs are vegetarian then that means ~24% of Sikhs (the remaining population of the 67%) are vegetarian.
Obviously you can't think in absolutes but it does indicate a very high percentage of Sikhs are vegetarian even though its not necessary

 

[ronki23]

Vegetarianism is not very convenient. That mostly explains it for me.

Why is it higher in a religion that doesn't condone it compared to one that does?

 

[ronki23]

I also read that Punjab is 67% vegetarian, the second highest vegetarian % after Rajasthan.

Punjab is 41% Hindu so in the unlikely event that all Hindu Punjabs are vegetarian then that means ~24% of Sikhs (the remaining population of the 67%) are vegetarian.
Obviously you can't think in absolutes but it does indicate a very high percentage of Sikhs are vegetarian even though its not necessary

 

[Brickjectivity]

Why is it higher in a religion that doesn't condone it compared to one that does?

That is a good question for the Sikhs, but it could mean that vegetarianism is more common by region and town. Perhaps a lot of Sikhs live where meat eating is discouraged either by regulations or by the people living around them. That's a possibility.

 

[Subduction Zone]

The research says only 8% of Buddhists are vegetarian which is even more surprising

The chart says that 25% of Buddhists are vegetarian, still lower than Sikhs or Hindus which is surprising. The 8% figure was in the category only abstain from eating certain kinds of meat.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Do you believe in all these reported statistics?

PEW research is generally recognized as a polling company without an agenda. Or I should say that they have realized that the best way to make money is by being known for unbiased polls.

 

[stvdv]

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Why is it higher in a religion that doesn't condone it compared to one that does?

The second chart clearly suggests why imo
All those living near the ocean eat fish
That can't be coincidental

 

[GURSIKH]

As Stvdv pointed the coastal states of Kerala, TN, AP, Orissa, WB are Non-Veg as fishes are easily available and In Sikh Gurudwaras only Vegetarian meal is served and encouraged.

 

[Aupmanyav]

And outside the gurudwaras? A bit surprising to me. Punjab lags behind even in consumption of alcohol.

 

[GURSIKH]

And outside the gurudwaras? A bit surprising to me. Punjab lags behind even in consumption of alcohol.

Its surprising bcoz Bollywood has created such image of Sikhs- always drunk and eating leg-piece. My friends calls me nakli(fake) Sikh as I am vegetarian and avoid drinking. . From where you got the alcohol data. ?

 

[Aupmanyav]

It is all over out there on Google.
Rather than alcohol, I think the Punjab Problem is drugs. 'Udta Punjab'. They have graduated o drugs.
alcohol consumption in india state wise - Google Search

 

[ajay0]

10. Religion and food

Surprisingly a higher % of Sikhs are vegetarian than Hindus. Several of the Sikh Gurus ate meat and there is no prohibition on meat eating in Guru Granth Sahib.

In all Gurudwara's , only vegetarian food is given to devotees as prasad or sacred offerings.

This could have played a role in promotion of vegetarianism amongst Sikhs.

The three gunas of Satva, Rajas and Tamas is also mentioned in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, and this could also have played a role in promotion of vegetarian food which is sattvic compared to nonvegetarian which is rajasic/tamasic. Sattva is preferred to rajas or tamas.

Ayurveda advocates sattvic vegetarian food as healthiest, and scientific research has also show the correlation between cancer and cardiovascular diseases with nonvegetarian food.

How plant-based food helps fight cancer

But when researchers asked nearly 70,000 volunteers about their diets, then tracked them over time, they found lower cancer rates among people who didn't eat meat at all.

In fact, vegans — those who don't eat any animal products including fish, dairy or eggs — appeared to have the lowest rates of cancer of any diet. Next in line were vegetarians, who avoid meat but may eat fish or foods that come from animals, such as milk or eggs.

Vegetarian Diet Reduces Risk Of Heart Disease By A Third

A vegetarian diet can reduce a person’s risk of heart disease by a third. Vegetarians have a 32% lower risk of hospitalization or death from cardiovascular disease than people who consume meat and fish.

The finding came from new research from the University of Oxford and was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study is the largest yet to compare cardiovascular disease rates between vegetarians and meat eaters.