The Beginner’s Guide to Becoming a Vegetarian

Should you become a vegetarian? People choose a vegetarian diet for many reasons. For some people, eating vegetarian is a way to be healthier or to avoid hormones used in animal foods. For others, eating this way has more to do with religion, animal rights, or environmental concerns. If you’re considering a vegetarian diet, you’ll want to consider what type of vegetarian you’ll be. Once you’ve decided which foods you’ll avoid, you’ll also want to come up with a plan to ensure that you’re able to get all the nutrients your body needs. Types of vegetarian diet There are several different types of vegetarian diets: Vegetarian If you follow a vegetarian diet, that means you don’t eat meat, poultry, or fish. This category of eaters can be further divided by what animal products you choose to include in your diet: lacto-ovo vegetarians eat both eggs and dairy products lacto vegetarians eat dairy products but not eggs ovo vegetarians eat eggs but not dairy products Vegan If you’re following a vegan diet, you don’t eat meat, poultry, or fish. You also don’t consume dairy products, eggs, or other animal products, like gelatin or honey. Partial vegetarian A partial vegetarian doesn’t eat meat but does eat some animal foods. pescatarians eat fish but avoid all other meat pollo-vegetarians eat poultry but avoid other meat and fish Flexitarian Others follow what’s known as a semivegetarian or flexitarian diet. People following this diet eat mostly plant-based foods but may occasionally include meat, dairy, eggs, poultry, and fish in small amounts.