Indian doctor says paneer, milk 'not veg', sparks debate on social media

Many individuals opposing the doctor's view argued that dairy products are vegetarian as no animals were harmed while obtaining them.

A doctor who claimed that milk and paneer cannot be considered as vegetarian food, stirred a heated debate online. Dr Sylvia Karpagam stated that since paneer and milk are derived from animals, they are non-vegetarian.

Another doctor, Sunita Sayammagaru took to social media and posted a picture of an 'Indian thali' and captioned it "Dinner plate of husband's vegetarian meal. Has protein, good fats and fiber" promoted the debate.

The image she shared featured a thali which included paneer, moong dal, salad with carrots, cucumber and onions, along with raw coconut, walnuts and a bowl of unsweetened kheer, highlighting it as a well-balanced dish.

Responding to the aforementioned post, Dr Sylvia Karpagam who is the working editor of the Indian Journal Medical Ethics, insisted that milk and paneer are not vegetarian foods.

“Also paneer and milk are not 'veg'. They are animal source foods.....same like chicken, fish, beef and all,” she wrote.

This quickly led to a widespread debate on X. Many individuals opposing her view argued that dairy products are vegetarian as no animals were harmed while obtaining them.

One user commented, "No animals are killed to produce milk or paneer, so they remain vegetarian." While another person said, "Dairy products are sourced from animals without harming or killing them. Therefore, they qualify as vegetarian, though not vegan. Any ethical concerns regarding animal treatment arise from the dairy industry’s practices, but that does not change their classification as vegetarian."

Countering this argument, Dr Karpagam said that eggs which are widely considered non-vegetarian even though hens do not need to be killed to lay them.

Several users accused her of spreading misinformation while other questioned if she has made the post as a 'rage bait' to drive engagement.

Owing to cultural and religious reasons, the definition of 'vegetarian' varies across the country unlike in other part of the world. A vegetarian in India consumes dairy products and not eggs, making them lactos-vegetarians.

While in Western countries, vegetarians are ovo-lacto which means they consume milk, its products and eggs. Pescatarians on the other hand eat fish and seafood, but avoid meats like chicken are also considered vegetarians.