> The legionnaire's daily ration consisted of 78% carbohydrates, mainly from wheat or barley
While calling that "vegetarian" is technically correct, it's not really what people understand by "vegetarian".
While calling that "vegetarian" is technically correct, it's not really what people understand by "vegetarian".
> The best fighters in the ancient world were essentially vegetarian.
"Essentially vegetarian" is not the same as "vegetarian". I would bet most endurance athletes are "essentially vegetarian" in that they eat way more grains than proteins, but they are not vegetarian in the sense than they have a reason (moral or otherwise) to abstain from meat.
Maximus's diet consists of 78% cereals and grains and 22% meats. Is Maximus a vegetarian?
And then there's dairy (like milk and cheese). Just because someone's diet is vegetarian, it does not mean that they must exclusively eat wheat or barley.