제 15 호 7 Types of Vegetarians, How Well Do You Know about Them?
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7 Types of Vegetarians, How Well Do You Know about Them?
by Da-hwee Kim, Cub-reporter
Credit: Photo: Shutterstock; Design: the Kitchn
Unless you’ve been living in the 21st century, I bet that you’ve heard of vegetarians at least once. A lot of people are interested in vegetarianism these days and you can easily find various content or articles about it. But can you really know the notion difference between vegan and vegetarian? Did you know that several types of vegetarians exist? There actually exist seven different types of vegetarians(There could be more but this is the most common version). It is totally fine that you didn’t know about them. Because this article would help you to broaden your eyes on the world of vegetarianism.
1. Vegetarian (lacto-ovo vegetarians)
Vegetarians do not eat meat, poultry, seafood, or fish. It is because they do not condone the killing of animals for food. But it is acceptable for them to consume dairy products, eggs, and honey since these are animal by-products. However, one condition is that the animals producing them should be well treated.
2. Flexitarian
Flexitarianism is well known as ‘casual vegetarianism’ and its popularity is increasing more and more these days. The word Flexitarian is a combination of the words “flexible” and “vegetarian”. This is a plant-based diet that completely eliminates meat. It is between full vegan and vegetarian so while you are focusing on having fruits, vegetables, etc… you can still enjoy animal products occasionally. Flextitarianism emphasizes which foods that you can consume, not what you must restrict. Limiting added sugar, prioritizing fruits and vegetables and aiming to reduce the consumption of processed foods can be some examples of rules for flexitarians.
3. Pescatarian
Pescatarians do not eat meat or poultry. However, they do include fish and other seafood along with dairy products and eggs. Likewise, in addition to seafood, they prioritize plant foods such as nuts, fruits, vegetables and grains. Therefore it would be a great choice if you want to supplement extra protein in your diet.
4. Lacto-vegetarian
Lacto-vegetarians exclude all meat, poultry, seafood, and fish in their diet. Unlike some other vegetarian diets, they eat certain dairy products such as cheese, milk, butter, and milk. People often adopt a lacto-vegetarian diet for environmental or ethical reasons
5. Ovo-vegetarian
Ovo-vegetarians do not eat dairy products or other animal proteins such as meat, poultry, seafood, and fish. In this sense, they are quite similar to vegans. But the different point is that they still consume egg and egg-containing products, unlike vegans. For this reason, many vegetarians who suffer from lactose-intolerant may choose to eat this kind of way.
6. Vegan
A vegan does not consume all animal products. This means that they don’t eat honey, eggs, and dairy products. One thing all vegans have in common is a plant-based diet that eliminates all products of animal origin from their diet- as well as avoiding products tested on animals and animal-derived materials like leather or fur. You might think that there wouldn’t be anything to eat but a vegan diet is richly diverse. Even though vegans can not consume animal-related products, they can eat all kinds of fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds and pulses*.
* Pulse: the edible seed from a legume plant. Pulses include beans, lentils, and peas. For example, a pea pod is a legume, but the pea inside the pod is the pulse.
7. Raw Vegan
Raw vegans exclude all kinds of foods that originated from animals like vegans. Furthermore, this would be the strictest form of a vegetarian diet. The most crucial specialty of the raw vegan diet is that it adds the concept of raw foodism which means that food should be eaten completely raw or heated at temperatures below 40-48°C. For this reason, it is normally rich in vegetables, fruits, and nuts more nutritious than cooked ones.
https://www.goodhealth.co.nz/health-articles/article/vegan-and-vegetarianism-what-its-all-about
What Are Some Advantages of Going Veggie Then?
There are quite a few advantages. First, global warming can be reduced. In a 2006 report by the United Nations, livestock produced more greenhouse gases than all cars and trucks in the world combined. It can be seen that most come from the carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide gases produced by manure. Therefore, the most important step you can take on a personal level to reduce global warming is to adopt a vegetarian diet.
Second, you can stay away from disease and live longer. Vegetarian diets tend to be naturally low in saturated fat and cholesterol and contain more phytonutrients than most meat-based diets. Vegetarians were found to have a 24% lower risk of dying from heart disease than non-vegetarians.
In addition, consuming a diet that includes fruits and vegetables on a regular basis has been linked to a reduced risk of some cancers. There is evidence that vegetarians tend to have a lower overall cancer risk compared to the general population. This is because red and processed meat consumption is consistently associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Therefore, eating a vegetarian diet may help reduce the risk of cancer.
According to an Oxford study, vegetarians live six years longer than meat eaters. This is because plant-based diets are usually rich in fiber, antioxidants, and minerals, which strengthen the immune system and slow the aging process.
Thirdly, we can think about animal rights. Unfortunately, animals on factory farms these days are not legally protected in general. However, domesticated animals can feel just as much pain as the dogs and cats we cherish as companions. A vegetarian lifestyle awakens a spirit of compassion and can lead us to a kinder, more enlightened society where we exercise moral choices to protect our animals from exploitation.
Finally, it can help end world famine. According to United Nations statistics, 25,000 people die every day from hunger and related causes, including more than 10,000 children. This means that every 10 to 15 seconds a person dies of hunger. An estimated 854 million people worldwide are undernourished, and it is estimated that 100 million people may fall into poverty and starvation due to high food prices. On average, 40% of global grain production is used to feed livestock, but in wealthy countries, only about 70% of grain is used for animal feed. If the proportion of vegetarians increases, more food will be added to the world supply, feeding an additional 4 billion people.
Sources:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/what-flexitarian-diet
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-the-flexitarian-diet/#:~:text=In%20its%20simplest%20definition%2C%20the,animal%20products%20every%20so%20often.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/lacto-vegetarian-diet#what-it-is
https://thebitingtruth.com/6-types-of-vegetarian-diets-explained/
https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/definition-veganism
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/raw-vegan-diet#the-diet
https://www.downtoearth.org/go-veggie/top-10-reasons
https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/losing-25000-hunger-every-day#:~:text=Each%20day%2C%2025%2C000%20people%2C%20including,million%20into%20poverty%20and%20hunger.
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/legumes-pulses/#:~:text=A%20pulse%20is%20the%20edible,the%20pod%20is%20the%20pulse.
