Vegetarian and Vegan Diet Types, Benefits, Disadvantages and Nutrition Information on MedicineNet.com

Vegetarian and Vegan Diet

Author: Betty Kovacs, MS, RD
Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Introduction to vegetarian diets

To eat meat, or not to eat meat...This is the question on many people's mind. The negative impact of animal foods on health, the damage associated with animal foods and the environment, religious beliefs, and the desire to protect and respect animals are some of the reasons for the increase in vegetarian diets. Many people express an interest in consuming a vegetarian diet but don't do so because they are unsure of how to do it or are not ready to give up meat. Fortunately, there are options and lots of great resources available to help. The key to making this diet work for you is to understand what nutrients you are missing from the foods that you are not consuming and to learn how to balance your meals without these foods.

What types of vegetarian diets are there?

Type of vegetarian diet	Foods that you do consume	Foods that are not consumed
Vegan	Only plant-based foods	Meat Poultry Fish Milk Eggs Cheese Honey *Also avoid: leather, fur, silk, wool, soaps and cosmetics derived from animal product
Lacto-vegetarian	Plant-based foods Milk Milk products Cheese Yogurt	Meat Poultry Fish Eggs
Lacto-ovo vegetarian	Plant-based foods Milk Milk products Cheese Yogurt Eggs	Meat Poultry Fish
Flexitarian (semi-vegetarian)	Plant-based foods Occasionally consume or consume in limited quantity any or all of the following: Meat Poultry Fish	Animals foods consumed in limited quantity and/or frequency