There is a whole heap of varieties of vegetarianism. Depending on your stance, you may or may not agree with that last statement I just made. There is quite a lot of debate within the vegetarian community about whether or not you can class yourself as a vegetarian if you consume any part of an animal, bird, insect or fish. I have probably forgotten a category or two but you get my gist.
To be perfectly frank with you, I am a believer of each to his or her own, whatever feels right for you and your situation is fine by me. You won’t find any elitist preaching on this site (well not from me at any rate hehe).
So that you are fully aware of the options that are out there, I will discuss the specific types of vegetarian in their own posts and will just give you an overview in this post so that you can get an idea of which category you are going to fall into. Depending on the type of vegetarian you chose to be you will have different dietary and product exclusion requirements, which is another good reason to separate the information out into manageable chunks. Deep breath and here we go:
Types of Vegetarian
Vegan – a vegan attempts to avoid consumption of animal products in any way. So no meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey and so on but then it goes even further into the remainder of your lifestyle and you exclude all other animal by-products i.e. leather, clothes, many cosmetics, some furniture, glue….
Semi-Vegetarian – This is the most hotly debated class of vegetarianism because semi-vegetarians usually either eat fish and/or chicken. The term for a vegetarian that only eats fish is pescotarian, and it’s pollotarian for someone that eats poultry. Obviously, these items are meat, which is why it is hotly debated.
Lacto-Vegetarian - this involves eating no meat but including dairy products such as butter, milk and cheese in your diet.
Ovo-Vegetarian – this involves excluding all meat, fish and dairy products from your diet but eating eggs.
Ovo-Lacto-Vegetarian – this is a combination of the two categories above and is said to be the most common form of vegetarianism that is adhered to today. It involves excluding all meat and fish from your diets but including dairy products and eggs.
Raw Vegetarian – only eat uncooked vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds because they believe that they will receive better nutrition from their meals this way.
Fruitarian – this type of vegetarian is very rare as they only it fruit and it’s components i.e. the seeds and nuts that come from fruit. They are also extremely concerned with the methods that are used to cultivate and harvest the fruit.
As you can see, there are many different flavors of vegetarianism and over the next few weeks, we will explore each one to look at their benefits, the challenges that go along with taking a particular path and what products you should be including/excluding from your lifestyle.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m a vegetarian now.And I have been realizing all the foods the that I can’t eat. I’m a Pollo-vegetarian and I need some advice! Some help! Do you have any ideas?
Being a Pollo-vegetarian is not as easy as people think! Not because you tend to miss other meats but because the diet can be a little boring if you don’t work at trying to change your meals up a bit.
In my opinion you probably shouldn’t have chicken everyday. Try out some of the vegetarian alternatives, vegetarian burgers nut roasts and similar products can really help stop the boredom set in.
I would also suggest that you experiment with different herbs and spices. Making your meals more exciting will really help you keep on track. I love to make lighter dishes in the summer so if you are a Pollo vegetarian you could do things like – Chicken and orange segment salad, Chicken Caesar salad, chicken breast marinated and grilled in sweet chili sauce. There are lots and lots of things that you can do to mix it up.
What sorts of things have you been trying? How are you finding it?
I’m wanting to become a vegitarian for ethical reasons. I think Lacto-Ovo would be the best option for me. I did hear that some cheeses are made from the lining of an animals stomach. Is that true? And if so, how can I find cheese that is not made that way? I’m a cheese lover, so it would be difficult for me to eat soy cheese. I need a little help with my cheese dilema. Also, I need some help with eggs. Is eating an egg the same as eating a baby chicken?? I would really appreciate any information that I can get. =)
It is true that many cheeses are made with rennet, which is from the lining of a cow/calf stomach. Not all cheese is made this way, the best way to check out if your favourite brands contain rennet is to go to their website which will normally clearly state their position on this substance if it is not on the packet. Joyous Living also have a great list of cheeses and they detail whether or not they are suitable for vegetarians.
The eggs that are commercially produced and which we mainly eat are not fertilised so they would never have become baby chickens. The egg is a building block to life but not a sentient being, the stance that you take on this particular issue is entirely up to you.
Cheese and eggs have always been the hardest things for me to give up so I know where you are coming from – let me know how you have got on with your move to vegetarianism.
I have found out that I am a diabetic, I have had gastric surgery to control my blood sugar. I am finding out that a vegetarian diet would be best for me. Heres my issue, I am also anemic, and have been told in the past that I need at least 3 to 4 oz of red meat a day. Is there anything in a vegaterian diet that can replace that? I haven’t started the diet yet still researching everything. Thank you.
Hi Sylvia,
It is a myth that you cannot be anaemic and follow a vegetarian diet. As you are diabetic and have had surgery I would speak to your doctor or practice nurse about your diet if you can. Iron is easily replaced in a vegetarian diet by eating the right foods (legumes – peanuts, beans, lentils, peas and of course not legumes like raisins, spinach, oatmeal… ) and/or by taking supplements. I wouldn’t want to comment on your iron levels because low iron stores has actually been shown to help/minimize the risks of diabetes and heart disease.
By the way you can naturally help your body to absorb iron better by not having caffeine whilst you are eating (so avoid coffee, tea and sodas with caffeine in them around meal times). Eating foods rich in vitamin C at the same meal will also increase your absorption rates.
If you want to try and follow a vegetarian diet you may have to be firm about it with medical staff – it is easier for them to get you to follow what they already have laid out – there is no reason why as a diabetic and a sufferer of anaemia that you should not follow a vegetarian diet. I would go armed with some research and this one might be a good starting point for you.
Good luck and let me know how you get on
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Being vegetarian have great healthy living lifestyle. Fresh vegetables and fruits is good for the skin that can give long lasting fairer skin. You don’t have to waste buying beauty products just to maintain your beautiful looking skin. With the result of eating healthy foods, life live to the fullest.
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Well said
thanks for stopping by!