6 Types of Vegetarian Diets: Why to follow a vegetarian diet?

6 Types of Vegetarian Diets: Why to follow a vegetarian diet?


Vegetarian diets have grown in popularity, especially over the last few years.

People often consider the way of eating ,emphasizing plant foods over animal products.

There are many reasons more people are choosing a vegetarian diet, and several variations of how to approach the way of eating a vegetarian diet.


6 Types of Vegetarian Diets: Why to follow a vegetarian diet?

This article reviews  about the 6 variations of the vegetarian diet, including which foods to include and avoid in each. 

It also explores a few common reasons why people choose a vegetarian diet.



Why follow a vegetarian diet?

There are three main reasons why someone might choose to follow some variation of a vegetarian diet. 

These are related to personal and public health, the environment, and the animals which are raised for food.


Research suggests that antibiotic usage in animal feed may lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in humans.

Research has also shown individual health benefits of a well-planned, nutritionally adequate vegetarian diets.


Environmentally speaking, many people choose not to support industrialized animal agriculture due to its negative impacts on soil, water, and air.

Some people also choose a vegetarian diet as a way to support animal welfare and align with their personal ethics.

CAFOs house large populations of animals, often packed tightly together in an unhealthy conditions and slaughtered for food after a short lifespan.


Many people may find that a vegetarian diet is more cost-effective for their household, or they may simply prefer the taste of plant foods over certain animal-derived products.


SUMMARY

Most of the people choose to adopt some form of a vegetarian or plant-based diet due to health, environmental, or ethical reasons. Different diet variations may better align with your personal goals and ethics also.



Now Let Us Talk About 6 Variations Of Vegetarian Diet:


1. Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet

Some people think that lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet as the most traditional vegetarian diet.

In this variation, you wouldn’t eat meat or fish, but you would still include eggs and dairy products in your diet.


“Lacto” refers to cow’s milk or dairy products and comes from the Latin word, which means milk.

 “Ovo” refers to eggs and comes from the Latin word ovum, which means egg.


Following a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet means including eggs, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, and other dairy products in your diet, while excluding all the animal-derived meats, such as beef, fish, chicken, and pork.


SUMMARY

A lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet includes eggs and dairy products,and excludes all meats, including fish, chicken, pork, and beef.



2. Lacto-vegetarian diet

A lacto-vegetarian diet is a plant-based diet that also includes dairy products, as the “lacto” prefix suggests.

This variation includes dairy products like cow’s milk and other foods made with it. These can include foods like cheese, butter, sour cream, yogurt, and ice cream.


It excludes all meats, like beef, pork, chicken, and fish. 

It also excludes eggs.


SUMMARY

A lacto-vegetarian diet includes dairy products, such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream, but also excludes eggs, meat, and fish.



3. Ovo-vegetarian diet

An ovo-vegetarian diet doesn’t include dairy products, but does incorporate eggs, as the “ovo” prefix indicates.


 Excluding meat and fish, an ovo-vegetarian diet also excludes all the dairy products and foods made using them, such as cow’s milk, cheese, butter, sour cream, yogurt, and ice cream.


However, someone of an ovo-vegetarian diet would include eggs and egg dishes, like scrambled eggs, hard-boiled eggs, and omelets. They may also include eggs in baking, such as in muffins, cakes, and breads.


SUMMARY

An ovo-vegetarian diet is a variation that includes eggs in all the forms, but doesn’t include dairy products, meat, or fish.



4. Flexitarian diet

A flexitarian diet is designed to be more flexible than a strict or vegetarian diet, as indicated by its “flexi” prefix. 

It emphasizes the benefits of plant-based foods while allowing small amounts of animal products also.


It takes a primarily plant-focused approach to eating, but includes some amount of meat and other animal products, like eggs and dairy, in moderation.


The main principles of a flexitarian diet includes eating mostly whole plant based foods, getting most of protein from plants instead of animals, limiting added sugar and processed foods if possible, and incorporating meat and animal products occasionally.

A flexitarian wouldn’t technically be considered a vegetarian diet because they eat small amounts of meat sometimes. It’s up to the individual to design the diet to fit to their lifestyle.


SUMMARY

A flexitarian diet is designed to emphasize plant foods while also being flexible by occasionally incorporating meat and animal products in small amounts sometimes.



5. Pescatarian diet

A pescatarian diet is a plant-based diet which includes fish. The prefix is derived from the Italian word “pesce,” which means fish.


While someone on a pescatarian diet will consume fish-based foods, like tuna, halibut, salmon, or sushi, but they’ll typically avoid other meats, like beef, chicken, or pork.


Whether a pescatarian diet also includes the dairy products and eggs tends to vary from person to person.


A pescatarian diet offers the benefit of getting healthy with omega-3 fatty acids from fish and seafood because these may otherwise be lacking in certain vegetarian diets.


SUMMARY

A pescatarian diet includes fish but doesn’t include other meats, like beef, pork, or chicken. A pescatarian diet may also include dairy products and eggs, but this depends on personal preference.



6. Vegan diet

A vegan diet is one of  that diet which excludes all animal-derived products, including all meats and fish, dairy products, and eggs.

Some people on a vegan diet also choose to exclude honey because it is produced by bees.


Ethics are a major reason why some people choose a vegan diet.


A vegan diet is based purely on plant foods. This includes all fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes, including beans, peas, etc.


Vegan diets may tend to be low in some nutrients. For this reason, healthcare providers often recommend vegans to take certain vitamin and mineral supplements, including vitamin B12, iron, omega-3 fats, zinc, and more.


SUMMARY

A vegan diet is entirely based on plant foods, excluding all animal-derived ingredients. 


6 Types of Vegetarian Diets: Why to follow a vegetarian diet?


How can you choose a vegetarian diet

When choosing which variation of a vegetarian diet is right for you, it’s important to consider some factors like sustainability, cost, and nutritional quality.


While considering which variation best aligns with your personal values and goals is an important factor when determining how sustainable it will be for you.


If a way of eating isn’t realistic for your daily lifestyle and doesn’t align with what is important to you, then it will be much harder to sustain.


What’s nice about all the types of vegetarian diets is that you can experiment with different variations and adjust accordingly until you find a good food which will be fit for you.


SUMMARY

There are many approaches to the variations of a  vegetarian diet. The best one for you depends on your personal goals and ethics, as well as how sustainable the diet is for your daily lifestyle.



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