Diet is the only way we get our daily calorie intake which thus, releases energy and helps us to perform our daily routines.
Many people consume all kinds of edible items available while some restrict themselves to certain specific food items. On the same basis, a few different diet patterns have been identified, one of them is Vegetarian Diet.
A vegetarian Diet is a diet comprising of plant and Lacto based edible products which include all parts of the plant like root, shoot, stem, leaves, legumes, buds, and flowers along with milk and other dairy products. The only exception being consumption of any living being in any form.
Many people in the world today have taken vegetarianism as a way of life for various reasons. They have also adapted some changes in this definition by making the diet more suitable to them, their taste and their needs.
Thus, a variety has arisen within the vegetarian form of diet.
The various types of Vegetarian Diets are:
• Lacto Vegetarians
Lacto vegetarians follow a plant-based diet along with consumption of milk and other dairy products such as cheese, butter, cottage cheese, etc. This form of diet just prohibits the use of red meat, white meat, fowl or fish for eating while their byproducts can still be used and consumed.
• Ovo Vegetarian
Ovo Vegetarians consume a rich diet including various plant-based products, i.e., vegetable, legumes, and eggs. This type of diet schedule does not include the use of any kind of dairy product whatsoever.
• Lacto-Ovo Vegetarians
This diet offers a wider range of options. One can consume vegetables or plant-based products, eggs and also dairy products. The person following a Lacto-Ovo vegetarian diet does not consume any red or white meat neither do they consume any fish or fowl.
• Low-Fat Vegetarian
Low-Fat vegetarian diet refers to any normal vegetarian diet from either of the mentioned types, but the overall diet should contain less than 10% of its calories.
• Pollotarian
Well, not a typical vegetarian diet as a person who is a Pollotarian consumes white meat and fowl along with the vegetable and plant-based diet.
• Pescatarian
Again, this diet is not exactly a vegetarian diet as pescatarians consume fish and other seafood along with the strict vegetarian diet including the consumption of Dairy products as well.
• Flexitarian
The flexitarians are people who try their best to cut on their meat consumption in all forms. They mainly rely on the vegetarian diet along with the consumption of dairy products but, they do consume all forms of meat though only on rare occasions.
• Vegans
This particular form of diet is the strictest diet schedule. In my opinion, this is the exact vegetarian diet as a vegan consumes only plant products. They do not consume any meat neither red nor white or fowl.
Furthermore, they do not consume any animal by-products or ingredients, i.e., no milk, no hones, no beeswax, no gelatin, etc.
Lastly, vegan is not just a diet, but a way of life as while following Veganism one is expected to give up the use of all kinds of animal products which includes leather, wool or even silk.
• Raw Vegan/Raw Food Diet
When your diet consists of unprocessed vegetarian or vegan food, i.e., food item which have not been heated beyond 115 Fahrenheit. This diet is specifically for people who keep the belief that all food which is cooked or heated beyond this temperature loses most of its essential nutrients.
• Macrobiotic
This diet is generally consumed for its healing qualities. This diet includes all unprocessed food grains, fruits, vegetables and occasional consumption of fish and some seaweeds.
Along with healthy food consumption, people on a Macrobiotic diet also avoid oils and sugar. Consumption of Asian veggies is stressed on.
• Fruitarian
This is another strict diet. The people following a fruitarian diet consume only fruits. They rely only on fruits for their daily requirement of calorie.
• Organic Only
Though highly healthy, a difficult to follow the diet. In this diet, you are only supposed to consume products grown organically.
Many people in the world are also following a certain regime wherein due to specified diets they cannot consume certain food items which in turn leads to a vegetarian diet like in certain religions like Jainism and Buddhism, prefer if their devotees follow a strict vegetarian diet.
Sometimes also due to varied medical conditions, the diet is restricted to a pure vegetarian form. Thus, a vegetarian diet can be as delectable as any other form of diet and has its benefits on our body.
Health Benefits
• It is a popular belief that a vegetarian diet lowers the risk of Cancer.
• This diet promotes good cholesterol and helps in managing cholesterol levels of our body.
• Vegetarians are usually known to be fit that is a vegetarian diet can promote weight loss.
• A vegetarian diet is known to promote heart health and decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
• Apart from being healthy for us, being a vegetarian is healthy for the environment as a whole
• Vegetarian food has antioxidant content along with a good amount of water which further delays the process of aging helping us to maintain beautiful skin for a longer time.
• Non-Vegetarian food contains processed fats which are not good for our body which in turn shows that vegetarians have a healthier lifespan.
Conclusion
Lastly, I will conclude by saying that being a vegetarian is a choice. Though not always as sometimes some religions impose certain restrictions on our diet which have been mentioned above. But, mostly the aim is to eat healthily and stay fit.
The world has a lot of options for all kinds of diets. The most important part of our well-being is our diet. We are all recommended to have a balanced diet.
A specific calorie intake for a day is essential for our overall development and health. Thus, we should all consume the right food whether or not we follow a vegetarian diet.