Vegetarianism: Why Are There So Many Different Types of

Vegetarian Diets?
There are many different versions of vegetarianism, and a wide range of benefits from
adop8ng a more plant-rich diet.

Increasing numbers of U.S. consumers are trying plant-rich diets such as

vegetarianism. The dietary practice of abstaining from eating meat has ties to a
wide range of social movements and ethical positions. But this worldwide trend
also has varied roots in Asia, Africa and Indigenous cultures — something that
can be easy to miss as we browse recipes online or order takeout food.

What Is Vegetarianism?
Vegetarianism is a dietary practice of eating foods that are made of plants: beans,
legumes, fruits, grains and — most importantly — no animal flesh. People who
follow a vegetarian diet may eat animal products like honey, eggs and milk-based
products. Some vegetarians eat dairy products but not eggs. Some vegetarians
exclude all animal products from their diet, as vegans do. There are even people
who call themselves vegetarian despite eating fish.

Some adhere to a vegetarian lifestyle because of ethical beliefs about reducing

harm toward animals. Health is another value that many vegetarians share. Some
vegetarians are private about their diet, and others are more public.
Vegetarianism can also be a social identity: vegetarians can find each other and
form communities based on their shared experiences.
The vegetarian standards of individuals and groups can vary and also evolve,
resulting in complexities in the vegan and vegetarian experience. For example,
PETA used not to oppose the eating of eggs from companion birds if they were
well-cared for and not purchased from hatcheries, but now omits that exception
to their position.

History of Vegetarianism

Vegetable-based diets that avoid the consumption of meat are often tied to belief
systems that have roots in ancient history. Diets that abstain from meat and avoid
harm to living beings were first documented in religious texts dating back to fifth
century B.C. in India. When the British colonized India in the 17th and 18th
centuries, they observed vegetarianism in practice and went on to popularize the
practice back home to other Europeans, according to one British historian.
Many peoples indigenous to the Americas had plant-based diets that preceded
contemporary vegetarianism. The Choctaws of present-day Mississippi and
Oklahoma were farmers whose diet was primarily plant-based, with infrequent
consumption of game meat. A corn, pumpkin and bean stew was a staple food of
Choctaws, who also wore plant-based clothing and who revered corn as a
divinity. Aztecs and Mayan people are reported to have raised their children as
vegetarians. Many other grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables in today’s
domestic pantries, particularly those of vegans, are the result of agricultural
advancements of Indigenous peoples, including tomatoes, potatoes and paprika.

Indigenous and diasporic Africans also have plant-based traditions that sustain
today’s vegan movements. In Africa, Ethiopian food traditions have catered to
semi-vegan diets since antiquity as a result of many Ethiopians’ adherence to the
Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s fasting practices.
In the 1930s in Jamaica, Rastafarians developed a movement of Black
vegetarians who opposed systems of oppression under British colonial rule and
neo-imperialism. Rastafarians saw spiritual divinity embodied in Ethiopian
leader Haile Selassie, who was referred to as Ras Tafari until he became emperor
in 1930. Ras means chief in Amharic, the language spoken in Ethiopia. Since the
18th century, Black people active in U.S. social and religious movements have
often identified with Ethiopia due to its central presence in the Bible, as
explained in Horace Campbell’s Rasta and Resistance.
The Ethiopianism movement solidified in South Africa in the 1870s, Campbell
writes, spread throughout Africa, and contributed to the formation of the
Rastafarian religion.
Ethiopian vegan dishes, like Rastafarian “Ital” foods, also have distinct histories
tied to anticolonialism. Ethiopia’s victory against Italian invasion in 1896 was a
significant sign of resistance, giving hope to Africans and Black people around
the world organizing against white supremacists. Each year on March 2,
Ethiopians celebrate that their country was the only African nation
to successfully resist the European partition of Africa.

Why Choose a Vegetarian Diet?

Health is a commonly cited reason for people to pursue a vegetarian diet.
Reducing harm toward the environment and to animals are also popular reasons
for going vegetarian.

In India about one-third of the population is vegetarian, partly the result of social
taboos around eating meat. These social stigmas can make it difficult to measure
people’s fidelity to their self-described diets. Not eating meat in India can also be
a matter of having little disposable income, living in rural areas and living in
cultural isolation. These latter reasons for following a vegetarian diet reveal some
of the diverse socioeconomic factors that complicate researchers’ understandings
of dietary trends.

What Is a True Vegetarian?

There is no such thing as a “true vegetarian” in any generally accepted sense.
However, academic researchers have used this term to describe people who
choose to abstain from eating meat, poultry and fish. The term can be useful for
researchers studying human behavior since a significant number of self-described
vegetarians do eat some meat, according to nutrition surveys in the United States.
Researchers also describe vegetarians who eat meat as semi-vegetarians or part-
time vegetarians. Pesco-vegetarians eat fish, dairy products and eggs, but no
other types of meat.

Are Vegetarians Hypocrites?

Some vegans regard vegetarianism as inconsistent, even characterizing
vegetarians as hypocritical for consuming animal-derived products like dairy and
eggs. But the characterization of vegetarians as hypocritical ignores the reality
that there are many different reasons why some people choose to be vegetarian,
according to the Vegetarian Resource Group. These include economics, health,
the environment, disliking the taste of meat, compassion for animals and a range
of other ethical principles. Vegetarians are simply people who do not eat meat,
which includes fish and poultry.
To make matters more complicated however, because some self-described
vegetarians do sometimes eat meat, discussions about the term can become
challenging. When vegetarians are motivated by moral ideals such as not wanting
to harm animals and then still eat meat, they may feel a tension between their
beliefs and their behaviors.

The discrepancy between someone’s attitudes and their actions can be described
as a form of hypocrisy — though the term has negative connotations and assigns
unpleasant qualities to a person or organization. To deal with the difficult
feelings that arise from consistently living out of alignment with one’s values,
people develop coping mechanisms such as avoiding thinking about farmed
animals or eating meat products that do not resemble the original animal.

Animal advocates who are interested in changing consumer habits have found
that focusing on moral hypocrisy, however, is not necessarily helpful in
achieving their goal of reducing meat consumption. In a 2021 survey of British
respondents, the Humane League UK found that people were more likely to
be swayed to sign a petition for farmed fish when they were told about the
disgusting health of farmed fish, compared to when they heard messages about
the corporate hypocrisy of supermarkets. The message about corporate hypocrisy
did, however, resonate with anti-corporate vegans in the study.

Types of Vegetarians
While food and nutrition researchers classify vegetarian diets into different
categories, two of which are listed below, there is significant heterogeneity of
diet within each grouping of vegetarians. It all boils down to the individual
experience of someone who is trying to eat in a certain way.

Ovo-Lacto Vegetarianism

Ovo-lacto (or lacto-ovo) vegetarians do not eat meat, but do eat dairy products
and eggs. Dairy products include milk, cheese and whey. Lacto-vegetarians allow
themselves to eat dairy products, but no meat and no eggs.

Vegan Diet

Vegans exclude all animal products from their diet — and lifestyle — to the
extent that is practical and possible. Vegan diets typically exclude meat, eggs,
honey, dairy and other animal-derived food ingredients.

What Do Vegetarians Eat?

Vegetarians eat fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, nuts, beans, legumes, grains and
food products that are derived from these ingredients. Vegetarians can make
simple meals quickly at home or they can purchase ready-made food from the
supermarket or restaurants.

How Do Vegetarians Get Protein?

Vegetarians can get protein simply by eating a variety of foods. Some popular
sources of protein include beans and legumes — like chickpeas, peanuts, black
beans and soy.

What Foods Do Vegetarians Not Eat?

Vegetarians do not eat foods that have meat or animal products in them,
including ham, chicken, or beef, or a soup with bone broth.
What Are the Benefits of Vegetarianism?
Many people adopt the vegetarian diet because it is associated with lowered risk
of chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. People who
value animal welfare and animal rights can also feel better eating vegetarian
foods, knowing that their diet will exclude their animal friends. Another benefit
of vegetarianism is that it is considered better for the planet, and a way to
mitigate climate change.

Vegetarian and vegan eating throughout life

Well-planned vegan and vegetarian diets can be appropriate for all stages of a
person’s life. However, special care needs to be taken for vegetarian diets during
pregnancy and breastfeeding, and infancy and childhood. This especially applies
to those who follow a vegan diet.

Strict vegan diets are not recommended for very young children.

Vegetarian and vegan eating during pregnancy

A vegetarian diet can be safely followed during pregnancy provided you eat
regularly to ensure you have enough energy. Include a variety of foods from the
five food groups each day to meet your nutrient needs.

Most women will need supplements of nutrients that are difficult to obtain just
from food (such as folic acid and iodine). Vitamin B12 supplements will also be
needed for women following vegan diets for optimal brain development in their
baby.

Vegetarian and vegan eating while breastfeeding

If you are breastfeeding and on a vegetarian diet, you can obtain all the nutrients
and energy you need as long as you include a wide range of foods from the five
food groups each day. Depending on your individual circumstances,
supplements may be recommended by your health professional.

If you are breastfeeding and on a vegan diet, a vitamin or mineral supplement

may be required. This is particularly the case with vitamin B12. A severe lack of
vitamin B12 in breastmilk can interfere with a baby’s brain development and can
also cause anaemia in the mother.
If you are breastfeeding and on a vegan diet you are recommended to continue to
breastfeed – ideally for 2 years or longer.

Vegetarian and vegan eating for babies and young children

Up to the age of 6 months, babies only need breastmilk or infant formula.

From around 6 months, most babies are ready to be introduced to solids –

although breastmilk or infant formula are still their main source of nutrition until
12 months.

Vegetarian and vegan foods can be safely introduced to babies and young
children, provided all their energy and nutrient needs are met. This requires
careful planning.

For some babies – especially those being introduced to vegan eating,

supplements may be recommended to ensure some essential nutrients typically
provided by animal-based foods are supplied in adequate amounts (such as iron
and vitamin B12).

As children grow, they need loads of nutrients – a vegetarian diet should include:

• protein alternatives (such as nuts, eggs, legumes and tofu)

• energy for growth and development
• iron to prevent anaemia
• vitamin B12
• vitamin D and calcium to prevent bone disease
• suitable fats from non-meat sources
• food in the correct form and combination to make sure nutrients can be
digested and absorbed (such as foods high in vitamin C alongside iron-rich
plant foods).

From around 6 months, solids from all 5 food groups should be introduced
gradually, with first foods being rich in iron, protein and energy for growth.

Iron is important for babies and children

Iron is an important nutrient for growth and is vital for babies and young
children. By 6 months of age, the stores of iron a baby has built up during
pregnancy are usually depleted, which is why their first foods need to be iron-
rich.
This is important for babies following vegetarian and vegan diets because
vegetarian sources of iron tend not to be as easily absorbed by the body as animal
sources of iron.

Non-animal sources of iron include:

• plain cooked tofu and legumes (such as baked beans, lentils, chickpeas,
red kidney beans, butter beans, cannellini beans, borlotti beans)
• dark green vegetables (such as spinach, broccoli, green peas and kale)
• ground seeds and nuts (such as almond meal or smooth nut butters to
reduce the risk of choking)
• dried fruits (such as figs, apricots and prunes) – offer with meals rather
than on their own as they can stick to budding teeth and promote tooth
decay)
• baby cereals fortified with iron.