Vegetarianism has become well-known in the United States over the last 3 decades and more people are coming to know about it through social media, their friends and dieticians. Many are turning to vegetarianism for different reasons like a change in religion, health, and environmental reasons.
When talking about it, we need to learn about the types of vegetarians because that’s where most of the classifications are. As such, we recap and explain the 6 ‘main’ vegetarian diets in this guide and what they include.
The standard vegan diet
Most people are familiar with the term ‘vegan’ and think that they’re not allowed to eat meat. Broadly speaking, that’s right. As a rule, vegans do not eat any sort of meat like beef, chicken, and fish that were produced from the slaughter of an animal nor do they use any animal products like milk, cheese, and eggs that are produced by animals.
Taking this a step further and away from food, some vegans choose not to use any animal product at all like silk curtains, leather bags, and fur coats.
Having said this, the development and subsequent rise of ‘cultivated’ or ‘lab-grown’ meat from companies like Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and SuperMeat have some vegans thinking if they can buy it because animals weren’t processed in its making.
Here are some food choices for vegans:
- Mixed fruit and nut granola bowl
- Tofu steak
- Cauliflower fried rice
Go Fish! Pescatarian diet
Pescatarian is formed from the combination of the Italian word ‘peace’ which means fish and the English word ‘vegetarian’. This term is thought to have originated in 1993 and has since grown in popularity.
The pescetarian diet allows the consumption of fruits and nuts, vegetables, dairy products, egg products, and fish meat.
Popular food choices for pescetarians include
- Most Japanese sushi
- Seafood Scampi
- Poke bowls
Flexitarian for more options
Flexitarianism is the perfect choice for those considering or transitioning into a vegetarian diet because of the minimal restrictions it places. Flexitarians allow the consumption of fruits and nuts, vegetables, dairy products, egg products, and occasional meat products like beef, fish, pork, etc.
The goals of flexitarianism can differ from one individual to another but some plan to gradually decrease the consumption of meat to transition into the other non-meat diets of vegetarianism.
Lacto-ovo vegetarian
Lacto-ovo vegetarians are a stricter form on the scale of vegetarianism that many consider the next step from pescetarianism. The term Lacto-ovo comes from the Latin words ‘Lacto’ which means milk and ‘Ovo’ which means egg. This should give you hints into the dietary consumptions of the Lacto-ovo vegetarians as they mainly eat fruits and nuts, vegetables, dairy products, and egg products.
There are many food options for Lacto-ovo diets like:
- Veggie pizzas
- Egg fried rice
- Aglio Olio Pasta
Ready to make the healthier choice? Choose Ashker’s Fresh Market for all your needs today!
Over the years, new branches of vegetarianism in the United States grow to accommodate people who want to make healthier choices. In this article, we’ve covered the 4 basic types of vegetarianism, their meanings, and what their diet looks like. We hope that you can take some of these diets to heart and apply them for a cleaner and healthier lifestyle.
Remember that you can start small and try out our vegan menu a few days a week to see if it’s for you and work your way up from there. If you’re ready to start a healthier eating habit, choose Ashker’s Fresh Market for all your healthier meals today!