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 numerous reasons why more individuals are opting for a vegetarian diet, as well as numerous approaches to this style of eating.

This article examines six vegetarian diet variations and lists the foods to eat and stay away from for each. It also looks at a few typical justifications for choosing a vegetarian diet.

Why Do Individuals Follow a Vegetarian Diet?

Three key factors can influence a person’s decision to adopt a vegetarian or plant-based diet. These are connected to environmental issues, human and public health, and food-producing animals.

Animal products are likely to contain undesired ingredients, such as antibiotics, according to studies, especially those produced in large-scale concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

According to research, humans may become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics as a result of the use of antibiotics in animal feed.

Additionally, studies have demonstrated the advantages of well-planned, nutrient-dense vegetarian diets for personal health benefits.

They may aid in the prevention of chronic diseases and obesity like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer while also supporting weight loss.

Because industrialized animal husbandry has detrimental effects on soil, water, and air, many individuals decide not to support it.

Groundwater can become contaminated by CAFO manure and nutrient runoff, for instance. This could enter the ocean and aid in the growth of dead zones, regions of the ocean where the majority of life has vanished as a result of a shortage of oxygen.

Additionally, CAFOs and the animals housed there produce greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane. These aggravate climate change on a global scale.

Some people decide to follow a vegetarian diet in order to support animal welfare and to be ethically compliant. Large populations of animals are kept in CAFOs, where they are frequently unhealthily crowded together and killed for food after a short lifespan.

Taking milk from cows who have just given birth and separating them from their calves soon after delivery are two further ethical issues people have with the dairy industry.

Those people could discover that a vegetarian diet saves money for their family, or they might just prefer the flavor of plant-based foods to some products made from animal products.

You can select a vegetarian diet that best suits your morals and objectives thanks to its various versions.

How to Choose from Vegetarian Diets

It’s crucial to take sustainability, price, and nutritional value into account when deciding which vegetarian diet option is best for you.

The version that most closely fits your beliefs and aims should also be taken into account when figuring out how sustainable it will be for you.

It will be far more difficult to maintain a diet that doesn’t fit into your lifestyle and doesn’t support your values.

The beautiful thing about all different kinds of vegetarian diets is that you can experiment with many varieties and make adjustments as necessary until you find one that works well for you.

The 6 Types of Vegetarian Diets

1. Vegan Diets

A diet that excludes all animal-derived products, including all meats and fish, dairy products, and eggs is known as a vegan diet.

One of the main justifications for some people’s vegan diets is ethics.

A vegan diet consists only of plant-based meals. Fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes like beans, peas, and lentils are included in this.

A vegan diet may include plant-based substitutes for conventional animal products such as tofu, tempeh, seitan, and jackfruit as well as plant-based milk and dairy products and egg substitutes.

The vegan diet also differs in that it frequently affects a person’s daily life in addition to their dietary preferences.

For instance, someone following a vegan diet could refrain from buying consumer goods like shoes, apparel, and cosmetics that include substances obtained from animals or that have undergone animal testing.

Some minerals are typically lacking in vegan diets. Because of this, doctors frequently advise vegans to take supplements containing specific vitamins and minerals, such as zinc, vitamin B12, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids.

2. The Flexitarian Diet

As suggested by the “flexi” word, a flexitarian diet is intended to be more adaptable than a rigid vegan or vegetarian diet. While permitting a minimal quantity of animal products, it places an emphasis on the advantages of plant-based diets.

It emphasizes eating largely plants but also includes some meat and other animal products, such as dairy and eggs, in moderation.

The primary tenets of a flexitarian diet include eating largely whole plant foods, receiving the majority of your protein from plants rather than animals, avoiding processed foods and added sugar as much as you can, and occasionally including meat and animal products.

Because flexitarians occasionally consume tiny amounts of meat, they aren’t strictly speaking vegetarians. It is up to each person to customize their diet to suit their lifestyle.

3. Pescatarian Diets

A pescatarian diet consists of fish and is based on plants. The prefix is derived from the fish-related Italian word “pesce.”

The usual pescatarian diet excludes other meats like cattle, poultry, or hog while permitting fish-based dishes like tuna, halibut, salmon, or sushi.

Pescatarian diets vary from person to person if a pescatarian diet includes dairy products and eggs.

Getting beneficial omega-3 fatty acids from fish and seafood is a perk of a pescatarian diet. These might not be present in certain vegetarian diets otherwise.

4. Lacto-vegetarian Diets – Allows for Dairy Foods

According to the “lacto” prefix, a lacto-vegetarian diet is a plant-based diet that allows individuals to eat dairy products.

Dairy goods like cow’s milk and dishes produced with it are included in this version. Cheese, butter, sour cream, yogurt, and ice cream are a few examples.

All meats, including beef, hog, poultry, and fish, are prohibited. Eggs are also excluded.

Similar to the lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, people may pursue a lacto-vegetarian lifestyle for religious or cultural reasons. People who practice Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism frequently use this variant.

5. Lacto-ovo Vegetarian Diets – Allows for Dairy Foods

Many individuals agree that the lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet is the most common vegetarian diet. Lacto-ovo Vegetarian diets are diets where individuals wouldn’t eat meat including fish however these vegetarians would still eat eggs and dairy products.

The Latin term lac, which signifies milk, is the root of the prefix “lacto,” which denotes dairy goods or cow’s milk. Milk can only be produced by animals, such as cows and people.

The Latin term ovum, which signifies egg, is where the prefix “ovo” originates from.

When you consume a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, you must exclude all animal-derived foods including cattle, fish, poultry, and pork while including dairy products like eggs, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, sour cream, and ice cream.

Some people choose this variant for religious or cultural reasons. People who practice Hinduism and Buddhism, for instance, may eat a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet.

6. Lacto-vegetarian diets – Allows for Dairy Foods

According to the “lacto” prefix, a lacto-vegetarian diet is a plant-based diet that includes dairy products.

Dairy goods like cow’s milk and dishes produced with it are included in this version. Cheese, butter, sour cream, yogurt, and ice cream are a few examples.

All meats, including beef, hog, poultry, and fish, are prohibited. Eggs are also excluded.

Similar to the lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, people may pursue a lacto-vegetarian diet for religious or cultural reasons. People who practice Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism frequently practice this variant.

Conclusion – Types of Vegetarian Diets

Depending on the variety, a vegetarian diet consists mostly of plant foods but may or may not allow certain goods produced from animals.

Diets based on plants are better for your health, the environment, and the welfare of animals.

Vegetarian diets in their many forms don’t include meat but could instead include dairy products, eggs, fish, or a combination of these.

A flexitarian diet emphasizes plant foods but does contain trace amounts of meat and other animal items.

A vegan diet excludes all animal products from its menu as well as from daily living and purchasing decisions.

Numerous ethical and physiological advantages might come from adopting a vegetarian diet. The optimal diet for you will rely on elements like nutritional value, price, usability, and simplicity of maintenance.