Have you ever tried or thought about a vegetarian diet? I have tried to go veggie several times in my life but have found a happy medium of cutting back on my meat consumption and increasing my vegetable & fruit consumption. But for those of you who are actually considering making the switch, here is a breakdown of the types of vegetarian diets you can choose from:
- Vegan: The "total" vegetarian, vegans only eat foods from plant sources, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds, and nuts. They don’t eat any animal products or byproducts, including dairy products and eggs. This group is at the greatest risk for nutritional deficiencies, including protein, calcium, vitamin B12, and iron.
- Lacto-vegetarian: This plan is a vegan diet that also includes dairy products. Choose non- or low-fat dairy products for best health, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt. Dairy foods provide much needed protein and calcium.
- Lacto-ovo vegetarian: The most familiar of the vegetarian plans, this diet excludes beef, chicken, and fish, but includes both dairy products and eggs. This is one of the easiest vegetarian plans to follow, with minimal risk of nutritional deficiencies.
- Semi-vegetarian: This is a catch-all term for those who don’t eat red meat, but may eat some chicken and/or fish in addition to dairy and eggs.
If you choose any type of vegetarian diet, it's important to be sure that you include the vitamins/minerals that are the most commonly deficient in these types of diets. These include: protein, iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, and zinc. For a detailed description of how to incorporate these vitamins into a vegetarian diet, check out the source of this post below:
Make sure your vegetarian diet is healthy
[tags]vegetarian, vegan, vitamins, vegetarian diet, lacto-vegetarian, lacto-ovo vegetarian, semi-vegetarian[/tags]
