Various Types of Vegetarianism

Also known as: Egg and milk vegetarianism

Description: When vegetarianism comes to mind, most people think of this category. Ovo-lacto vegetarians do not eat the flesh of any animal, including fish. They do, however, eat eggs (usually only chicken eggs) and milk products including cheese, butter, and yogurt.

Facts: "Ovo" refers to the Latin word for eggs. "Lacto" refers to the Latin word for milk.

Also known as: Total vegetarianism

Description: Vegans do not ingest animal-derived products of any kind into their bodies. This includes animal flesh of any kind, eggs or egg-derived foods, milk and milk-derived foods (including cheese, butter, and yogurt), or other animal-derived ingredients such as gelatin (often derived from the connective tissue of animals). In addition, many vegans will not eat products that involved the use of animals or animal parts in their making, such as honey, processed sugar (the manufacture of which sometimes uses the charred bones of animals) and some wines (the manufacture of which may involve gelatin, egg whites, and caseins [milk protein]).

Vegans often extend their dietary preferences to other areas of their lives, and do not purchase or use animal products of any kind. For example, vegans may abstain from the purchase or use of animal skins and hides (leather and furs, including wool), silk, and beeswax candles.

Also known as: Raw vegan diet

Description: Raw foodists eat vegan food with the additional qualification that it has not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius). They believe that foods that have been processed or cooked above this temperature have lost most of their nutritional value and are less beneficial or even harmful to the body compared with raw foods.

Description: The macrobiotic diet is centered around whole foods that have not been processed in any significant way. However, these foods may be fully cooked. This type of diet includes unprocessed vegan foods, especially whole grains/cereals, vegetables, beans, and fruits, and often includes Asian vegetables (such as daikon) and seaweed.

Description: Lacto-vegetarians do not eat the flesh of any animal, including fish. Nor do they eat eggs. The only animal-derived products lacto-vegetarians consume are milk products, including cheese, butter, and yogurt.

Facts: "Lacto" refers to the Latin word for milk.

Description: Ovo vegetarians do not eat the flesh of any animal, including fish. They do, however, eat eggs (usually only chicken eggs). They do not consume milk products (including cheese, butter, and yogurt).

Facts: "Ovo" refers to the Latin word for eggs.

Description: Pesco-vegetarians do not eat the flesh of any animal except fish. They also generally eat eggs and milk products. Some people do not consider this to be true vegetarianism.

Description: Pollo-vegetarians do not eat the flesh of any animal except poultry (chicken, turkey, and duck). They also generally eat eggs and milk products. Some people do not consider this to be true vegetarianism.

Also known as: Part-time vegetarian

Description: Flexitarians are individuals who partake in a vegetarian diet some or most of the time, but are also willing to eat meat. The reasons for becoming flexitarian are many and varied. Some people do so for social purposes (perhaps their relatives are not understanding of a vegetarian diet, or meat-based food may be all that is available in some situations) while others may do so in the belief that occasional meat consumption is beneficial for the intake of complete proteins but regular meat consumption is unhealthful, and still others may only wish to consume meat from animals that were raised under certain conditions (such as organic or free-range [not kept in cages]).