Like everyone else, I am used to such things as; people eating Vegan, or Vegetarian, and honestly, I only had a vague idea what the difference was.

Myself? Well, my head isn’t stuck in a bucket of sand all of the time. Even I occasionally, I will read and follow information about my health and how to improve it. And, one of the things I do, is eat a lot more vegetables and a lot less meat.

Its not really hard to do and to tell the truth, after you have purposely changed your diet for a while, those time you do eat a big juicy steak or even a cheeseburger, you notice that your body is kind of thrown out of whack for a few days until it has passed the meat.

I still do it though, eat red meat, that is. But, I do it only maybe once a month or more. Oh, I still eat Fish and Fowl but even when I eat these, it is grilled or baked or broiled, and never fried.

Will I live longer? I really don’t know, but I do know that I feel better on my present diet, and from what I read, I am on a better and more healthy path than before I changed it.

Are You a Vegetarian? Or what?

Anyway, as my interest in what I eat and how it affects my health increased, I started to see even more names for people who claim to be Vegetarians.

At one time, it was simple. A vegetarian ate vegetables and fruits as their main diet and avoided meats, poultry and even fish.

It seems that the Vegetarians of the world have evolved to grouping themselves with titles that better define what they consider acceptable eating standards.

From what I have read, the list below includes a number of the most popular; Factions? Sects? Groupings? of vegetarianism.

Types of Vegetarianism

Vegetarianism is the practice of eating fruits and vegetables and not eating meat, fish, or poultry. Some vegetarians include dairy products (milk and cheese) and eggs in their diet. Others do not.

There are many types of vegetarianism. The table below explains them.

Type of Vegetarianism
Description
Flexitarianism
A flexitarian is someone who follows a flexible vegetarian diet. The person follows a vegetarian diet most of the time, but will eat animal products at special occasion meals or business dinners.
Fruitarianism
A fruitarian is a person who only eats food which can be gathered or picked without harming the plant on which it grows. Examples of the type of food that a fruitarian will eat are nuts, apples, peaches, pears, and plums. Most vegetables are excluded from the diet because the plants dies after all the vegetables are picked.
Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarianism
A lacto-ovo vegetarian is a vegetarian who includes dairy products (milk, cheese, and yogurt) and eggs in their diet.
Lacto-Vegetarianism
A lacto-vegetarian is vegetarian who eats dairy products (milk, cheese, and yogurt), but does not include eggs in their diet.
Lessetarianism
A lessetarian attempts to eat less animal products without completely eliminating such food from their diet.
Macrobiotic Diet
A person on a macrobiotic diet eats whole grains, beans, vegetables, and seaweed. Some people on this type of diet eat fish and don’t eat most types of fruit.
Ovo-Vegetarianism
An ovo-vegetarian eats eggs, but does not include dairy products (milk, cheese, and yogurt) in their diet.
Pesco-Vegetarianism
A pesco-vegetarian eats seafood and sea animals, but not sea mammals. Dairy products (milk, cheese, and yogurt) are sometimes included in the diet.
Pollotarianism
A pollotarian is a vegetarian who eats poultry, but not meat or fish.
Raw Veganism
People on a raw vegan diet only eat raw food. Some people on this type of diet consider raw foods to be those which have not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius).
Semi-Vegetarianism
A semi-vegetarian is a person who eats some meats, but not others.
Su Vegetarianism
A su vegetarian is a person who does not eat garlic, leeks, onions, scallions, or shallots. This type of vegetarianism originated from Hinduism.
Veganism
Vegans do not eat any animal products or animal bi-products. They do not eat dairy products (milk, cheese, or yogurt), eggs, honey, or food which contains gelatin.