Types of Vegetarians

Do you know that the World Vegetarian Day is observed on October 1 each year?

The objective of the Vegetarian Day is to raise awareness on the environmental benefits as well as health benefits due to a vegetarian diet. It also emphasizes the need to follow a vegetarian diet.

The North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) started Vegetarian Day in 1977 to promote vegetarianism among non-vegetarians.

International Vegetarian Union endorsed the day later. Vegetarianism has gained much popularity over the years.

Many people consider it for the sake of the environment and to protect animals while others follow it due to its health benefits as the diet can reduce the risk of heart problems, strokes, cancer and other severe health problems.

In some parts of the world, vegetarianism is an important aspect of religion. It has its roots in the idea of non-violence and empathy towards animals.

Some others follow vegetarianism to save the environment. They don’t like the idea of killing animals where they farm.

Vegetarians are different types. 

• Lacto-Ovo vegetarians consume dairy products in addition to plant-based foods. They also eat eggs. This is the most common type of vegetarianism.
• Lacto vegetarians consume only dairy products like milk, yogurt, ghee, cheese, butter, cream, and kefir in addition to vegetables and leafy vegetables.
• Ovo vegetarians eat eggs and plant-based food.
• Vegans eat only plant-based food. They do not consume animal-related products such as milk, yoghurt, butter, cheese, buttermilk and honey.
• Pesco-vegetarians are semi-vegetarians. In other words, they eat plant-based foods along with fish and seafood. Technically they are not considered as vegetarians, but, they restrict their meat intake to fish and seafood.

Image Credit: Paolo Trabattoni / CC by 2.0

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