Types of Vegetarian Diets

Not all vegetarians follow the same diet plan. In fact, if you got ten people who call themselves vegetarians in the same room together, you'd likely find out that they each have their own definition of the word and probably each have their own unique veggie diet.


Here's a brief look at a few different types of vegetarian diets. Calling yourself a "vegetarian" is sort of like calling yourself a "Christian" - there are many different denominations of people who call themselves followers of Christ, and there are a similarly diverse group of people who refer to themselves as vegetarians.

Fake Vegetarians

We all know people like this - individuals who call themselves vegetarians but are actually meat-eaters. I've met more than a few fake veg types in my life, and I've never understood why you would lie about your diet like this. Perhaps these people want to seem compassionate or politically active but don't have the willpower to actually eat a diet without meat?

Vegans

Vegans are considered the most hardcore of all vegetarians. Most vegans refrain from eating any product that came from any type of animal. That means no dairy whatsoever, no milk, no butter, no eggs. It also means no gelatin, which is usually derived from animal flesh. A lot of vegans also refuse to wear leather or use other products taken in any way from a living thing. For some people, choosing a vegan lifestyle is a religious matter, for others it's political, and still others do it for health.

Pescatarians

If you can pick out the root word here, you can probably figure out what a pescatarian is. The root word "pesca" is derived from the Latin word "piscis," which means fish. Pescatarians refrain from eating any and all meat except seafood. The pescatarians I've met are usually eschewing red meat,chicken, and other animal products for political reasons, usually because they believe that the consumption of beef, pork, and chicken is unsustainable. Since many forms of seafood are highly-sustainable, they have no problem consuming fish, shrimp, oysters, and other proteins that come from the sea.

Pollotarians

Again, if you can pull out the root word "pollo," you probably already know what a pollotarian is. This type of vegetarian consumes chicken but not red meat or seafood. Most pollotarians are, like me, following a specific diet for health reasons rather than political or religious beliefs.

Ovo-Lacto Vegetarians

This term describes my diet. Oco-Lacto vegetarians don't mind consuming eggs and dairy (the words "ovo" and "lacto" in the name refer to these products) but avoid eating animal flesh of any kind, including seafood. I couldn't possibly give up cheese, and my favorite midnight snack of cookies and milk is a habit I'm not yet ready to break. So I'm proud to be an ovo-lacto, though I must admit I have considered going vegan a few times.