Monday, December 10, 2007

General Info: Types of Vegetarians

One of the interesting aspects of vegetarianism that I've experienced involves the assignment of labels with regard to vegetarian type. There is a lot of controversy regarding some of the labels and whether or not they should even be considered vegetarian and further, there is sometimes animosity between the people who fall within these pre-assigned categories. This controversy most often stems from the 'are you doing enough' debate with regard to animal activism.

I'm going to avoid moral judgements in this discussion of vegetarian types, because I feel as though vegetarians have gotten a bit of a bad wrap as a result of this internal animosity between the various categories. There is always "more" that we can be doing, regardless of what aspect of life we're talking about, but that doesn't mean that the small changes and accomplishments we make are not worth acknowledging and celebrating. The point is not to penalize those who may not be as extreme as others; instead, it is to applaud those who have taken whatever steps they feel they can toward making compassionate decisions.

I provide this description of the various 'types' of vegetarianism not because I necessarily buy into these pre-established divisions, or because I think certain categories are better than others. I provide this as an information tool, as many veg websites make common reference to these terms and it is important to understand what they mean and where you feel you fit within them.

Semi Vegetarian
People who are considered semi vegetarian are those who have all kinds of food in their diets, including meat. However, they are conscious of the amount of meat they intake and the types of animal products they use. This category is extremely controversial, and some aruge that it should not be considered vegetarian.

Pescatarian
People considered pescatarian have eliminated from their diet all animal meat except fish and fish products. Many people adopt this kind of diet for health or religious reasons, rather than animal activism, although it is common for this to be a stepping stone toward other types of vegetarianism. Like 'semi-vegetarian', this category is also highly controversial. However, the term 'pescatarian' is embraced by many, because it does not contain the term 'vegetarian' and does not imply an entirely meatless diet.

Lacto Ovo Vegetarian
This category includes people who have eliminated all meat from their diet, and usually includes the elimination of rennet and gelatin as well. These vegetarians do still consume dairy products as well as eggs.

Lacto Vegetarian
This category is similar to the one found above, however eggs are eliminated from the diet, while dairy produts remain.

Vegan
Vegans eliminate all meat from their diet, as well as all animal products, including all dairy, eggs and honey. This extends to non-food items as well, as vegans do not use products that originate from animal sources; however, this is not exclusive to vegans, as many vegatarians participate in this type of product abstinence as well.

This is a very limited overview of the categories, and you can find out more information by searching the web. I wanted to provide a quick outline, however, as I often use these terms, particularly when posting recipes. It is important for vegetarians (and the meat-eaters in their lives) to understand which general category they fall into, in order to fully grasp vegetarian literature and to avoid slips in what food is consumed.

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