A vegetarian is defined as someone who
does not eat meat, poultry, or fish. In
contrast, those who include both plants
and animals in their diet are called
omnivores or nonvegetarians. The two
most common types of vegetarians are
lacto-ovo and vegan.
Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian
Lacto-ovo vegetarians avoid all animal
flesh but do use eggs (ovo) and dairy
products (lacto). Some people are
simply lacto-vegetarians, using dairy
products but not eggs, and others are
ovo-vegetarians, using eggs but not dairy
products.
Vegan (pronounced vee-gun
or vee-gan)
Vegans avoid all products of animal
origin, including eggs, dairy foods,
gelatin (made from the bones and
connective tissue of animals), and honey
(the product of bees). Vegans avoid
animal products not only in their diet but
in every aspect of their lives. They
typically shun leather goods, wool and
silk, tallow soaps, and other products
made with animal ingredients.
Variations on “Vegetarian”
Within the two main categories of
vegetarian there are many variations,
depending on the motivation,
experiences, and unique needs of the
individual. When people become
vegetarian in an effort to achieve better
health, there may be some flexibility in
their use of animal products. However,
when the choice is made on the basis of
ethics or religion, there is a greater
tendency toward complete adherence to
the diet.
When people first become vegetarian,
many rely heavily on dairy foods and
eggs. As their knowledge and experience
of vegetarian issues grow, they often
begin to replace these animal products
with protein-rich plant foods such as soy
products, legumes, nuts, and seeds. This
natural progression gets easier with each
passing year. Convenient and delicious
vegetarian options have multiplied
dramatically in the marketplace in recent
years. Mainstream grocery stores feature
an impressive selection of nondairy
milks, veggie “meats,” tofu, and other
vegetarian favorites. This trend away
from the use of animal products is
reflected in recent figures comparing the
number of vegans to lacto-ovo
vegetarians. Ten years ago it was
estimated that 5 to 10 percent of all
vegetarians were vegan and 90 to 95
percent were lacto-ovo vegetarian,
whereas recent surveys show that 25 to
40 percent of all vegetarians are vegan.
While many vegetarians do not quite
fit the definition of vegan, they are very
close. Some avoid all obvious dairy
products and eggs but are not concerned
about traces of animal products in
prepared foods. Others eat the
occasional pizza slice or ice-cream cone
but do not consume these products on a
regular basis. This rapidly growing
subsection of the vegetarian population
is much closer in its dietary practices
and nutritional intakes to vegans than to
lacto-ovo vegetarians; thus, people
following this type of diet are often
called near-vegans.
We might expect that there is little
room for diversity among vegans and
near-vegans, but this is clearly not the
case. Within the vegan/near-vegan
category are many variations, among the
most popular of which are health
movements, such as macrobiotics,
natural hygiene, living- and raw-food
consumers, and fruitarians. All of these
systems promote dietary regimes based
on simple, whole foods. In most cases,
processed foods, refined sugars, and
concentrated fats are shunned, and, in
many cases, nutritional supplements may
be avoided as well.
These diets are low
in total fat, saturated fat, trans-fatty
acids, cholesterol, and refined
carbohydrates, minimizing potentially
damaging dietary components. They also
are rich in protective dietary
constituents, such as fiber,
phytochemicals (protective chemicals
naturally present in plants), and several
vitamins and minerals (including folate;
vitamins A, C, and K; potassium; and
magnesium). However, these regimes
can be considerably more restrictive
than those vegan diets that include the
full spectrum of plant foods along with
necessary supplements or fortified
foods. Such diets may lack vitamin B12
and may be deficient in vitamin D. They
also may provide insufficient protein,
carbohydrate, fat, vitamins, and
minerals, and too much fiber, to meet the
needs of infants and young children.
Beyond the two main categories,
lacto-ovo vegetarian and vegan, are
people who call themselves vegetarian
but do not qualify according to accepted
definitions. These near-vegetarians
comprise two to three times the number
of those who never eat flesh foods. The
explanation, it seems, is that many who
eliminate red meat but still include
poultry or fish consider themselves
vegetarian. In addition, some who eat
only a little meat, poultry, or fish often
regard themselves as vegetarian. The
term sometimes used to describe these
folks is semi-vegetarian, although a
more appropriate term is nearvegetarian.
