Well I guess that this is the category that I fall into!
A Lacto vegetarian is someone who doesn’t consume any meat from animals but does eat dairy products. You will often find that lacto-vegetarians make sure that the dairy products that they do consume are ethically sourced via free range/organic products from a verifiable market place.
The benefits of being a Lacto-Vegetarian are many:
- You have a greater range of products from which to obtain your daily nutrients.
- You will be able to get B12 from the dairy products that you use, no plant is known to be able to substitute for this.
- You will have no need to take extra dietary supplements.
Being a Lacto-vegetarian allows me to follow my principles surrounding, animal welfare, the environment and the sustainability of humanity on this planet.
As most of us do these days, I lead a very busy life. I juggle work, children and leisure time so, for me, it is less stressful to follow a lacto-vegetarian regime than to follow a vegan one.
Dairy products are really just a very small part of my diet. For example, I use milk in porridge and tea. I eat vegetarian cheese in sandwiches, on baked potatoes with baked beans and with salads.
In other aspects of my life, I do adhere to some vegan principles – for example – I don’t use leather in any form, I buy Vegan Cosmetics and so on.
Remember that you should do what feels right for you and your lifestyle.
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello, for bring a lacto-vegetarian, are you allowed to eat fish?
Sorry, I meant being a lacto-vegetarian
Hi Lizzy, no if you you have fish in your diet then you would be considered a semi-vegetarian that is otherwise know as a pescetarian. A pescetarian diet is actually one of the healthiest diets in the world.
hey, Im 13 years old, and i play a lot of sports. would becoming a lacto-vegetarian give me less energy to play?
And, i was also wondering how i could tell my parents that i wanted to become a vegetarian. neither of them are, and im sure theyd understand, it just seems like an awkward thing to cover at my age….
Hi
No it wouldn’t provide you any less energy as long as you eat healthily and make sure you cover all the food groups. There are many famous sports stars who are not only vegetarian but vegan.
I first went vegetarian when I was about your age. My mother was not vegetarian but she was quite accepting of the fact that I wanted to give it a go when I sat down with her and explained the reasons behind it.
I am 21 and I want to become vegetarian but I love dairy products and fish and maybe alittle chicken I do want to give up red meat for good. Does that mean I am a semi vegetarian too? I think I could leave chicken too but that would take a bit of work. What do you think.
You should do whatever makes you feel healthy (mind and body). If you want to give up red meat that’s great and it is a growing trend. I would personally approach it one thing at a time.
You know you don’t want to eat red meat so don’t and that is a great start…if somewhere down the line you decide that you do want to give up poultry then you can phase it out slowly as well.
Remember as you do these things though you need to maintain a healthy diet. In order to do this you will need to up your protein intake from another source.
I am considering becoming a semi vegetarian. still eating fish occasionaly and dairy.
How do I make sure I’m not eating too many grains and carbs, that tend to make me gain weight? I’m hoping to lose weight from this lifestyle change too.
Hey Noele : )
Carbs are going to make up the biggest proportions of your meals as a vegetarian. You just need to make sure that you eat good carbs such as bread, rice, pasta and that you stick to the recommended portion sizes when eating them. Vegetables such as Potatoes and fruit should of course also be included in this.
For meals I usually use about 1oz of rice per person, 2 tortillas per person for quesadillas, 2 slices of bread for a sandwich. I try to eat 4 or 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Women need about 45g of carbs a day and men need 55g, if you are very active then you will need to adjust this.
It is a balancing act but if you get into the right routine you should naturally lose weight and not put it on.
Hi
I am 18 years old and I want to become a vegeterian. I want to stop eating red meat and chicken. Although chicken is one of my favorites to eat and I love dairy products as well! I started a few days ago with my decision, it has been my own personal decision. While my parents are supportive with it, my siblings think I can’t do it. How can I make it as harmless to myself and would I be a laco-vegeterian or a semi vegeterian? Thanks 
Hello! I have been trying to become a vegetarian. It’s really hard…how do you start it off? I’ve done research and tried some delicious foods that are American and worldly. How would you start it off? Plus, I have a friend who is vegetarian who lives in the shelter, but they don’t serve vegetarian foods. So what’s the answer to both our questions?
I am pretty young and am thinking about becoming a vegetarian. Do you have any advice?
It can be hard to start with but don’t be hard on yourself. You are doing it the right way finding communities that you can get support from are one of the best ways to start off. Make sure that you are organized. The transition can take as long or be as quick as you like. It really depends what kind of person that you are and what suits you best.
Being a vegetarian in a shelter, in hospital or in prison can be really difficult because your needs are not necessarily going to be catered to. All you can do is inquire with the authorities whether or not your dietary needs can be accommodated. In the meantime it is really important to keep healthy when your stress levels are very high it is really important to make sure that you have all the food groups covered so that your body and mind can function optimally. From my point of view it is more important in that situation to fuel your body well and make plans to become vegetarian later.
How did your friend get on at the shelter? Have they asked about having their needs met? It’s a difficult one I know but I would be really interested to know how they got on.
How is your vegetarianism going? I see you found Soul Veg Folk! I couldn’t imagine being vegetarian without relying on Afro Caribbean influences in my spicing. I use a lot of jerk seasoning, rice and peas and I am a real sucker for Jamaican vegetable patties! In fact I use spices and ingredients from all around the world to keep my food interesting. Boredom seems to lead a lot of people to give up on the idea of becoming a vegetarian. It doesn’t have to be boring at all, you just need to get creative which I find you can even do on a tight budget as long as yyou shop around.
Hey! My name is Aydan. I am very interested in being a Lacto-vegetarian. I am 12 years old and have eaten meat my whole life. I am 130 pounds and 5’4. I am hoping to loose some weight with this life style change. Any suggestions about recipes?
Hi Aydan, I think I was about the same age as you when I first became a vegetarian. You will probably find it quite easy to transition. It is important to eat a balanced diet whether or not it contains meat, if you do this and lead a healthy lifestyle with some exercise then your body will find its natural weight.
There are a couple of websites that I would suggest the first one is for general recipes and the second one is my daughters favourite and tailored towards young people.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/everyday-cooking/vegetarian/Main.aspx
http://www.youngveggie.org/recipes.html
Good luck, I’d love to know how you get on. Swing by the blog and let me know if you get the chance.
Kittie
Hey:)
I’m 13 and I might become a vegetarian. I don’t want to eat red meat because I feel bad for the animals and their “putting down” method is cruel. I also don’t want to eat fish because overfishing is a major problem, but I don’t mind eating poultry, I just don’t like eggs. I also like dairy as long as it’s organic. What type of vegetarian is that and how do I stay healthy?
Also, how do I tell my parents what I plan on doing? They both think that vegetarionism is stupid and expensive. What should I do? Can you help?
Hey
Vegetarianism can be more expensive for parents because it can mean that they need to start making people in the household different meals. I think it is also something that parents think is just a phase so they can be apt to not take it too seriously. The best way for you to get them on board if you are serious about it is to do lots of research to show them that you have really thought it through. Go through and see which foods you are going to cut out – from this you’ll be able to tell which vitamins and minerals you need to replace (in your case this isn’t too many as you seem to be cutting out red meat and fish).
You can stay healthy by eating the diet that you have described – a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, poultry and some dairy (lacto-pollo vegetarian) covers most of the major food groups. Do make sure that you include cereals in your diet as well and if possible make sure that it is a brand that has added vitamins and minerals this should minimize any supplements you might need to take.
There is a really cool guide for teenagers and parents about vegetarianism which can be downloaded here.
Hi i am 28 and im 5 foot 3 and 150 pounds and i dont eat much but i keep gaing and i saw everything how they treat animals its horribly cruel and i hate it and i have high blood pressure plus i want to lose quite a bit of weight but i cant drink milk or.eat icecream but if i eat any meat i feel bloated and tired can u help me to how i can become vegetarian
Hi Amanda,
What sort of things do you like to eat and what do you currently eat on a daily basis? Once I know this I’ll try and put together some ideas for you.
Kittie
Sandwichs suc as the su subs at walmart like roast beef and hamand im tryi.gto completely cut out salt too um just anything i can find arou.d the house to eat … I love stir fry umm teriaki sauce but not ..ranch just i used to e a biggg meat Lover now since i seen that i hav e nuttin to eat that i ca. Ti of
Sandwichs suc as the su subs at walmart like roast beef and hamand im tryi.gto completely cut out salt too um just anything i can find arou.d the house to eat … I love stir fry umm teriaki sauce but not ..ranch just i used to e a biggg meat Lover now since i seen that i hav e nuttin to eat that i ca. Ti so love boclli anx melted cheese
What about the steam fresh bags is that glod to eat