More and more people are choosing to eat vegetarian these days. A vegetarian is someone who does not eat meat, fish or shellfish, but can also choose to eat other animal products such as eggs, dairy, gelatin, or honey. People become vegetarians for a variety of reasons, such as animal suffering, health, the environment or religion. Whatever the reason, vegetarian food is at least as healthy as a meat diet. In fact, it has even been scientifically proven that a diet with a lot of meat is unhealthy.
There are different types of vegetarians:
Flexitarians:Flexitarians are also known as semi-vegetarians. They do not eat meat or fish one or more days a week.
Pesco vegetarian:Pesco vegetarians eat fish, dairy and eggs but no meat or poultry.
Lacto-ovo vegetarian:Lacto-ovo vegetarians do not eat meat, fish or poultry, but they do eat eggs and dairy products (ovo means eggs and lacto means dairy). This is the most common form of vegetarian diet.
Lacto vegetarian:Lacto vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, poultry or eggs, but they do eat dairy products.
Ovo vegetarian:Ovo vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, poultry and dairy, but do eat eggs.
Vegan:Vegans do not eat any animal products at all. They do not eat meat, dairy, eggs, honey, or gelatin. Some vegans (and some other types of vegetarians) choose not to wear clothing with animal products, such as leather, wool or silk, or not use products such as lotion or makeup that have been tested on animals.
Is a vegetarian diet healthy?
A vegetarian diet can be very healthy and may even lower the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. However, eating a balanced diet if you are a vegetarian requires some extra attention. Since vegetarians don't eat certain foods, they have to add foods that normally come from animal products. By eating a variety of foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, soy products, and whole grains, vegetarians can get adequate nutrients from non-meat sources. Vegetarians, especially vegans, should make sure they get enough protein, iron, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids.
