Vegetarian diets may be divided into several subcategories, with the vegan diet being the most extreme in its restrictions. Vegetarians and vegans may abstain from eating animal products for some of the same reasons, but to different degrees.
Main points
- What are the prevailing types of diets today and which one suits you the most;
- Vegetarian diet
- Vegan diet
- Pescatarian diet
- Nutritional aspects of vegan and vegetarian, including pescatarian diets
- Eating habits
- Other Diet types
Highlights
Vegetarian diets may be divided into several subcategories, with the vegan diet being the most extreme in its restrictions.
Vegetarians and vegans may abstain from eating animal products for some of the same reasons, but to different degrees.
A vegetarian diet consumes no meat, poultry, game, fish, or shellfish. The vegan diet also dictates abstaining from dairy, eggs, and other animal products or by-products.
Both vegetarian and vegan diets can be considered healthy and safe diets for all ages, but vegan diets may provide more health advantages.
Vegans and vegetarians have different perspectives on how humans should use animals. Some vegetarians may eat products derived from animals, while vegans do not.
Generally, the amounts of most nutrients consumed by vegetarians and vegans are comparable. However, poorly planned diets, in either case, may lead to low intakes of several vital nutrients.
However, all vegetarians, including pescatarians and vegans, should carefully manage their diets to prevent long-term health issues.
Introduction
People who adopt a vegetarian diet exclude all forms of red meat, poultry, game, fish, and shellfish from their daily menus. A vegan diet is a specialized form of vegetarianism where any food produced from animal sources or derived from animal sources (dairy, eggs, honey, and all animal by-products used as food additives) is excluded. Increasingly, those concerned about the future of planet Earth support shifting from an animal product-based diet to a plant-based one since the latter is closely associated with a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. It is thus a great contributor to the effort to mitigate climate change.
According to some sources, there is evidence of vegetarian diets dating back to 700 B.C. The vegan diet, however, has come into the spotlight relatively recently. Because of the vegan diet’s estimated contribution to combating climate change and its lower impact on the depletion of the planet’s resources, many environmentalists now promote this diet.
Vegetarian diet
Photograph: Karolina Grabowska
What does a vegetarian diet include?
According to the U.K.-based Vegetarian Society, a vegetarian is someone who refrains from eating red meat, poultry, game, fish, seafood, or by-products of animal slaughter, according to the U.K.-based Vegetarian Society.
Different amounts of fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes, nuts, and seeds are included in vegetarian diets. Depending on your diet, you may or may not include foods that animals produce, such as dairy, eggs, or honey.
Vegetarians who are the most prevalent include:
- Vegetarians who abstain from all animal and animal-derived products are called vegans.
- Lacto-Ovo vegetarians are those who abstain from eating any animal products but do consume dairy and eggs. Lacto vegetarians eat dairy products but refrain from eating meat and eggs. Vegetarians who consume eggs but not dairy are known as Ovo vegetarians.
Other categories include pescatarians, who occasionally eat fish or seafood but refrain from eating meat or fowl, and flexitarians, which can be classified as part-time vegetarians. Even though they are sometimes regarded as vegetarians, pescatarians and flexitarians do consume animal flesh, and, therefore, they do not meet the root criteria for vegetarianism.
Are there any nutritional concerns about adopting a vegetarian diet?
Eating natural, unprocessed, or minimally processed foods and sticking to a plant-based diet rarely has unexpected side effects. On the contrary, it is considered one of the most excellent methods to maintain a healthy diet since it improves bone health, lowers blood pressure, the risk of cancer, and more.
Vegan diet
Photo: Karolina Grabowska
Describing the vegan diet
The vegan diet is characterized as the strictest type of vegetarianism.
The Vegan Society describes veganism as a way of life that makes every possible effort to avoid animal cruelty and mistreatment, including animals being exploited for food or any other reason. A vegan diet forgoes not only eating animal meat but also what animals produce, such as dairy and eggs. This diet also excludes food additives derived from animal or animal products and are therefore known as animal by-products. Some of these by-products include albumin, whey, casein, honey, pepsin, carmine, shellac, and some forms of vitamin D3.
Vegans, therefore, try to avoid animal products or by-products, regardless of how the animals are raised or housed. Vegans prefer to eliminate dairy and eggs from their diet, which many vegetarians have no trouble consuming since they do not consider that these food products constitute animal exploitation.
The ethical dimension for vegetarians and vegans
Vegetarians and vegans frequently have similar ethical justifications for avoiding animal-based foods. Their level of acceptance of animal products is where they diverge most. For instance, vegetarians and vegans may abstain from eating meat due to environmental or health concerns; however, vegans exclude all animal products and by-products from their diet.
Vegetarians believe it is permissible to ingest animal products like milk and eggs as long as the animals are kept in proper conditions. It is the practice of killing animals for human sustenance that vegetarians are opposed to. In contrast, vegans believe that humans should not exploit animals and animal products in any way, including for food, clothing, research, or entertainment.
Other dimensions of the decision to become vegan
Even though vegetarians and vegans may opt to forgo animal products for similar reasons, the vegan’s decision frequently embraces more than diet alone. Veganism is viewed by many as a strongly pro-animal rights way of life. Due to this, many vegans refrain from buying garments made of silk, wool, leather, or suede. Additionally, they boycott animal testing businesses and buy cosmetics devoid of animal by-products exclusively.
Furthermore, those who avoid circuses, zoos, rodeos, horse races, and other events where animals are used for entertainment identify as “ethical vegans.”
The final reason why a vegan diet is highly regarded among environmentalists is its benefits in combating climate change and its lower impact on the planet’s resources (18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source).
Pescatarian diet
Photo: Алекке Блажин
While predominantly plant-based, a pescatarian diet also includes eating fish and seafood. The word “pescatarian” is coined from the Italian word for “fish”, “pesce”, and the word vegetarian in English.
While on a pescatarian diet, someone combines two different eating patterns by consuming fish and other seafood as their primary sources of protein and vegetables and other plant-based meals. It is a tasty and enjoyable method to get more protein in the daily diet by excluding animal meat in favor of fish and other aquatic creatures. The traditional Mediterranean and Japanese diets, two of the healthiest ones in the world, are built around this philosophy.
Are pescatarians allowed to consume grains such as rice?
Indeed, a pescatarian can consume rice since its diet is based on various vegetables, grains (rice included), fruits, legumes, nuts, fish, and seafood. Therefore, rice is not a problem. The distinctive characteristic of a pescatarian diet is fish and seafood consumption.
In this context, what is the value of following a pescatarian diet? Someone’s adopting a pescatarian diet further enhances health by combining a diet high in plant-based foods with the health advantages of consuming omega-3 fatty acids included in fish and seafood; while simultaneously demonstrating the individual’s apparent disapproval of animal cruelty.
Vegan and pescatarian diet types: differences
A strict plant-based diet and abstinence from all animal food or products are required for a vegan diet, which is a more extreme type of vegetarianism. Veganism is a way of life that abstains from all animal products and by-products to minimize animal cruelty. On the other side, a pescatarian is a vegetarian diet that includes fish and seafood, which is a tasty and enjoyable method to increase your protein intake.
Veganism vs. pescetarianism: which has more significant health benefits?
Vegetables, grains, and fruits are the basis of a vegan diet. All forms of meat, fish, poultry, and dairy products, including eggs, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, and so on, and all food additives derived from animals, are not permitted. There are various reasons why someone would decide to go entirely vegan.
A pescatarian is more adaptable and has a lower chance of dietary shortages due to consuming fish and seafood’s high omega-3 fatty acids, which protect against heart disease. Since a pescatarian diet combines two of the tastiest and healthiest eating habits, that is, consuming both plant-based foods and fish and seafood – which is an excellent source of protein and can help a person maintain healthy body weight – it is a diet that offers more significant prolonged health advantages.
Are there drawbacks to being a pescatarian?
Pescatarians combine fish and seafood with their vegetarian diet, thus benefiting from the advantages of both eating patterns. Consequently, following a pescatarian diet is not at all disadvantageous and shares many traits with other forms of vegetarian eating.
Nutritional aspects of vegan and vegetarian, including pescatarian diets
According to research, vegan and vegetarian diets typically include less cholesterol and saturated fat than other diets. They usually have high concentrations of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other plant components (3Trusted Source). Both diets include a high proportion of items that are nutrient-dense foods. Fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and soy products are among them. (3Trusted Source).
However, poorly planned vegan and vegetarian diets may lead to insufficient intakes of some minerals, especially iron, calcium, zinc, and vitamin D (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source). Both diets often have low long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12 levels. However, they are typically lower in vegans than vegetarians (3Trusted Source).
While fruits, legumes, and vegetables typically make up the majority of a vegetarian or vegan diet, some of these food products may be meat- and dairy-free, but be:
- highly processed
- loaded with added sugars
- prepared using techniques that might add too much fat.
Even though they may be considered vegetarian or vegan, cookies, french fries, sweets, and even ice cream made with nuts can contain refined carbohydrates, have undergone extensive processing, have a lot of added sugar, or have been deep fried. Thus, the consumption of these foods is advised to be in moderation.
Eating habits
For similar reasons, vegetarians and vegans abstain from eating food and items obtained from animals. In addition to rigorously avoiding meat, vegans also choose to strictly refrain from animal products and by-products, such as eggs, dairy products, honey, and anything else derived from animals, for health or the environment. On the other hand, Pescatarians combine two different eating patterns; they eat fish and other seafood as their primary source of protein in addition to vegetables and other plant-based meals.
A pescatarian diet is similar to a vegetarian diet but allows fish and seafood. A pescatarian combines two types of diets, consuming fish and seafood in addition to vegetables, fruits, eggs, and dairy products. A pescatarian avoids all meat-based items and exclusively consumes fish or seafood as the primary source of protein. Conversely, a rigorous vegan diet forbids consuming meat, fish, or poultry. It does not condone any other animal products, such as dairy, eggs, honey, or other product derived from animals.
Which diet is more beneficial for you?
As long as the diet is well planned, both vegetarian, including pescatarian, and vegan diets can be regarded as appropriate from childhood through old age, according to a report from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and other various scientific reviews (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).
Lack of nutrients, including calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins D and B12, can harm the body’s physical and mental health. (7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source). Both vegetarians and vegans may consume fewer of these nutrients overall. However, research indicates that compared to vegans, vegetarians tend to ingest somewhat more calcium and vitamin B12 (11Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source).
Vegetarians and vegans should pay close attention to specific nutrition techniques to boost their body’s ability to absorb nutrients from plant foods (4Trusted Source).
Additionally, fortified foods and supplements may be necessary, particularly for nutrients such as iron, calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins D and B12 (3Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source).
Vegans and vegetarians should think about:
- reviewing their daily nutrient intake
- measuring the levels of nutrients in their blood
- adding the appropriate supplements to their diets.
According to available studies that directly compare vegetarian with vegan diets, vegans may be slightly less likely than vegetarians to acquire type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and various types of cancers (14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source). However, most of the research so far has been primarily observational in nature. It may be difficult to pinpoint exactly which part of the vegan diet causes these effects and to establish that food alone is the only determining factor.
Other Diet types
Photo: Mikhail Nilov
General Health
This is an option for active people who want to maintain their current level of health, energy, and body composition.
High carb
This is an option for people looking to add mass or body build and need additional energy for weight lifts and workout programs. It helps with power, growth, and body recomposition.
Moderate Carb paleo
This diet is grain and processed-food-free. It focuses on meat, fish, fruits, nuts, seeds, and veggies. It regulates hunger, fat storage, and burning hormones and helps stabilize blood sugar levels.
Ketotarian
The Ketotarian diet eliminates meat and dairy and focuses on plant-centric sources of fats. It is a high-fat, moderate protein, and low-carb diet.
Fat loss
This diet is geared towards protein and increases metabolism, fitness, and strength.
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