2018-02-09Staff Report 2 Beauty Ndapanda Becoming a vegetarian is a lifestyle choice that can be prompted by health reasons or concern for animals and the environment. There are different types of vegetarians, each group is classified according to the animal products that are excluded or included in the diet. Vegan This diet is the strictest when it comes to vegetarians because it eliminates all animal products and animal by-products. Vegans do not consume meat, fish, poultry, eggs or dairy products such as milk, butter, cheese and they also avoid honey. Some vegans take their lifestyle decision a step further by rejecting any cosmetic products that have been tested on animals. Ovo Vegetarian This diet does not permit meat, fish, poultry or dairy products for consumption. However, ovo vegetarians consume eggs and products that contain eggs. The benefit of this regimen is the protein nutrition from eggs that is not available to most types of vegetarians. Adversely, eggs contain cholesterol and should be eaten in moderation. Lacto Vegetarian This diet excludes meat, fish, poultry and eggs, but dairy products such as milk, yogurt and ice-cream are allowed. By reducing their consumption of meat, lacto vegetarians experience an improvement in their health, while their calcium intake is obtained from dairy products. Lacto-ovo Vegetarian This diet does not include meat, fish or poultry. However, lacto-ovo vegetarians are allowed to eat dairy products and eggs. These vegetarians have a wider variety of options when it comes to selecting food products and they require less additional vitamin supplements. Pescatarian This diet excludes meat, dairy and eggs but includes fish and seafood. Pescatarians have reduced risk of heart disease by avoiding saturated fats in meat. Although, some varieties of seafood are polluted with mercury which can lead to health issues, so caution is required. Flexitarian This diet is for the flexible type of vegetarian, meaning that flexitarians primarily avoid eating animal products, but they do allow themselves to eat meat occasionally. Removing meat from the menu frequently can have a positive impact on a person’s health and the environment. Sources: www.happydieter.net, www.care2.com, www.beautyndapanda.com 2018-02-09Staff Report 2
