Types Of Vegetarianism

Most people conceive vegetarians to be a homogenous cluster of people, who do not eat meat, but this is very far from the truth. A lot of different types of vegetarians exist and the categories are influenced by the reason the people went vegetarian.

The basic definition of a vegetarian is, a person who doesn’t eat meat. But a vegetarian could, possibly, consume other animal products such as cheese, butter, eggs and milk. The lacto-ovo vegetarian has milk, butter, eggs and other diary products but doesn’t consume meat, poultry or fish. Someone who doesn’t eat eggs, but consumes dairy products is called a lacto vegetarian.

A person who doesn’t eat any animal product or its by-product, like dairy products, is called a vegan. Their diet only consists of legumes, grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables. They also shun other animal products like leather, fur etc. One peculiar thing that a vegan doesn’t eat is white sugar, because it is supposed to be processed from a substance, derived from the bones of animals, that is responsible for the white color of sugar.

There are a lot of different categories in the vegetarian community. The fruitarians only eat fruits, seeds and nuts. They believe that fruits are self-perpetuating, and they are not required to be planted to derive the food source. This way of eating, according to them, is most balanced with the earth and is also more natural.

Almost all the above communities readily eat cooked fruits, legumes and vegetables. There is a growing rationale that eating raw or uncooked food is better for the nutritive sake. This belief is based on the presumption that, when the food is cooked it loses most of it nutrients, and to get the full potential nutritive value, say vitamins and proteins from food, it should be consumed raw, or juiced, If it should be cooked then it, should not be cooked at a temperature over 100 degrees, so that the nutrients are not lost.

If you’re on a restrictive diet, then you must make sure you’re getting all the necessary proteins, vitamins, mineral, carbohydrates and fats that are required to maintain good health of the heart and muscles. There are plant based meat products as well to use as a meat alternative. Eat a balanced vegetarian diet.