Vegetarian classifications.
Vegetarianism is becoming a popular food choice for many individuals and families. The reasons someone may decide to adopt a vegetarian diet are varied, including reasons of improved health, animal welfare and concern for the environment. With the popularity of vegetarianism growing, so are the classifications and variations of vegetarianism. It seems that almost any diet can fit into a vegetarian category these days. From pescetarian to semi-vegetarian to flexitarian, there is a “vegetarian” classification for nearly any red meat free diet a person chooses.
The true definition of a vegetarian is a person that follows a plant-based diet, which may or may not include dairy and egg products. Vegetarians do not eat meat, poultry, fish or products produced from animal slaughter, such as gelatin (did you know gelatin is found in marshmallows,gel caps, and some gummy snacks?) . Some vegetarians also exclude products produced by animal labor, such as honey.
Following are some of the most popular categories of vegetarianism:
Ovo-Vegetarian. An ovo-vegetarian does not eat meat, poultry, fish or dairy products, but does eat eggs.
Lacto-Vegetarian. A lacto-vegetarian does not eat meat, poultry, fish or eggs, but does eat dairy products.
Ovo-lacto Vegetarian. An ovo-lacto vegetarian does not eat meat, poultry or fish, but does eat eggs and dairy.
Vegan. A vegan is a vegetarian that does not eat food from any animal sources. Vegans do not eat meat, poultry, fish, eggs or dairy. Vegans also do not consume honey and most avoid sugar that has been whitened with bone char. Veganism is a lifestyle wherein a person attempts to reduce all animal exploitation by avoiding leather, wool, fur and silk. Vegans also choose health and beauty products that contain no animal ingredients and use no animals in testing. Some vegetarians follow a vegan diet, but not a vegan lifestyle.
While the term vegetarian means that no animal flesh is consumed there are a few diet categories that often get labeled as vegetarian, when in fact, flesh is consumed.
Pescetarian. A pescetarian is a person that does not eat meat or poultry, but does consume seafood, dairy and eggs.
Flexitarian. Flexitarian is a fairly new category that describes a person who follows a plant based diet most of the time, but does make exceptions.
These are just some of the most popular classifications. There are however more diets that fall under the category vegetarian. No matter which vegetarian diet a person chooses, their health, the health of the environment, and the health of the animals is being improved.
For more information on a vegetarian diet, and for a free vegetarian starter kit visit: GoVeg.com
For tasty, simple vegan recipes visit: The Vegan Yogini