Vegetarian diets have gained in popularity, particularly in recent years.
People frequently associate this manner of eating, which emphasizes plant foods over animal products, with the plant-based movement.
There are several reasons why more individuals are opting for a vegetarian diet and numerous approaches to this eating style.
This article discusses six vegetarian diet variants, including which foods to include and avoid. It also looks at some of the most prevalent reasons individuals choose a vegetarian diet.
Why follow a vegetarian diet?
There are three primary reasons why someone could opt to eat a vegetarian or plant-based diet. These are connected to personal and public health, the environment, and food-producing animals.
Animal products, particularly those produced in large-scale concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), have been discovered to include undesirable compounds such as antibiotics (1).
According to research, antibiotic usage in animal feed may result in the development of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms in humans (1).
Individual health advantages of well-planned, nutritionally appropriate vegetarian meals have also been demonstrated in research.
They can help you lose weight and reduce your risk of obesity and chronic illnesses, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer (2, 3, 4, 5).
Many individuals opt not to support industrialized animal agriculture because of its detrimental effects on soil, water, and air (1, 6, 7).
CAFO manure and fertilizer runoff, for example, can pollute groundwater. This might end up in the water and contribute to forming dead zones, parts of the ocean where most life has died owing to a lack of oxygen (8).
Furthermore, CAFOs and the animals housed within them emit greenhouse gases such as methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. These have an impact on global climate change (9, 10).
Some people choose a vegetarian diet to assist animal welfare while adhering to their ideals. CAFOs hold vast populations of animals, who are frequently crammed together in unsanitary circumstances and slaughtered for food after a short lifespan (11, 12).
People are also concerned about the dairy industry’s ethical practices, such as collecting milk from cows that have just given birth and removing them from their calves shortly after delivery (13).
Some people may discover that a vegetarian diet saves money for their family, or they may enjoy the flavor of plant foods over certain animal-derived goods.
The different vegetarian diet alternatives allow you to eat in a way that best corresponds with your principles and goals.
1. Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet
Some consider a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet to be the most traditional vegetarian diet. In this variant, you would not eat meat or fish but consume eggs and dairy products.
The Latin word lac implies milk. Hence the prefix “Lacto” alludes to cow’s milk or dairy products. Milk can only be produced by animals such as cows and humans.
The prefix “ovo” denotes “egg” and is derived from the Latin word ovum, which means “egg.”
A lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet includes eggs, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, and other dairy products while avoiding animal-derived foods such as cattle, fish, poultry, and hog.
Some people choose this variant for religious or cultural reasons. Hindus and Buddhists, for example, may adopt a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet (14, 15).
2. Lacto-vegetarian diet
As the name implies, a lacto-vegetarian diet is a plant-based diet that incorporates dairy products.
This category contains dairy products such as cow’s milk and meals produced from it. Examples include cheese, butter, sour cream, yogurt, and ice cream.
It forbids all meats, including beef, hog, poultry, and fish. Eggs are also excluded.
People who maintain a Lacto-vegetarian diet may do so for religious or cultural reasons, similar to those who follow a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet. This variant is widespread among adherents of Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism (14, 15).
3. Ovo-vegetarian diet
An ovo-vegetarian diet excludes dairy products but includes eggs, as the “ovo” prefix suggests.
An ovo-vegetarian diet eliminates all dairy products and meals, including cow’s milk, cheese, butter, sour cream, yogurt, ice cream, and meat and fish.
An ovo-vegetarian diet, on the other hand, would include eggs and egg dishes such as scrambled eggs, hard-boiled eggs, and omelets. Eggs such as muffins, cakes, and bread may also be used in baking.
4. Flexitarian diet
The “flexi” prefix indicates that a flexitarian diet is intended to be more flexible than a rigid vegan or vegetarian diet.
It highlights the advantages of plant-based diets while allowing for trace quantities of animal products.
It is mainly plant-based but contains some meat and other animal items, such as eggs and dairy, in moderation.
The primary principles of a flexitarian diet include eating predominantly whole plant foods, receiving most of your protein from plants rather than animals, reducing added sugar and processed foods as much as possible, and occasionally adding meat and animal products (16).
Because they occasionally consume modest amounts of meat, flexitarians are not strictly vegetarians. It is up to the individual to create a diet that fits their lifestyle.
5. Pescatarian diet
A plant-based diet that includes fish is known as a pescatarian diet. The prefix comes from the Italian word “pesce,” which means “fish.”
While a pescatarian consumes fish-based meals such as tuna, halibut, salmon, or sushi, they often forgo meats such as cattle, chicken, or hog.
Including dairy products and eggs in a pescatarian diet varies from person to person.
A pescatarian diet allows you to acquire healthy omega-3 fatty acids from fish and seafood. Specific vegetarian diets may be deficient in these (17).
6. Vegan diet
A vegan diet excludes animal-derived goods, such as meat, fish, dairy products, and eggs. Some vegans prefer not to consume honey since bees produce it.
Some people prefer a vegan diet for ethical reasons.
A vegan diet consists entirely of plant foods. Fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes such as beans, peas, and lentils are all included.
Plant-based alternatives to traditional animal goods, such as plant-based milk and dairy products, plant-based egg substitutes, and plant-based meat substitutes such as tofu, tempeh, seitan, and jackfruit, may be included in a vegan diet.
Another feature of the vegan diet extends beyond food choices and into a person’s daily life.
A vegan, for example, may avoid purchasing consumer items such as cosmetics, clothes, and shoes that include animal-derived substances or have been tested on animals.
Vegan diets are often deficient in specific nutrients. As a result, doctors frequently advise vegans to take vitamin and mineral supplements such as vitamin B12, iron, omega-3 fats, zinc, and others.
How to choose a vegetarian diet
When deciding which vegetarian diet is best for you, consider variables like sustainability, affordability, and nutritional quality.
Furthermore, selecting which version best corresponds with your own beliefs and aspirations is critical in evaluating how sustainable it will be for you.
Maintaining a way of eating that is not feasible for your lifestyle and does not fit with what is essential to you will be difficult.
What’s great about all of these vegetarian diets is that you can experiment with different kinds and adapt as needed until you discover one that works for you.
The bottom line
A vegetarian diet is predominantly plant-based and, depending on the variety, may or may not accept certain animal-derived goods.
Plant-based diets can benefit your health, the environment, and animal welfare.
Vegetarian diets do not include meat but may consist of eggs, seafood, dairy products, or a mix.
A flexitarian diet emphasizes plant foods while allowing for limited amounts of animal items, such as meat.
A vegan diet excludes all animal products from its diet, extending beyond food to everyday lifestyle and purchasing decisions.
A vegetarian diet can have several health and ethical benefits. The optimal diet for you is determined by nutritional quality, affordability, convenience of usage, and ease of maintenance.
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