It wasn’t until the early 1990’s that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) stressed the importance of plant foods in the diet in their Food Guide Pyramid. Special guidance for plant based diets was finally mentioned in a 1993 publication by the USDA on the background and development of their food guide, “further analysis would be needed to ensure that nutrient goals are met before the food guide is adapted for subpopulations with distinctly different eating practices.” The American Dietetic Association recognizes four main types of vegetarian diets: semi-vegetarian, lacto-ovo vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian and vegan.
What’s a Vegetarian?
A vegetarian is someone who doesn’t eat meat, fish, poultry and animal byproducts. Vegetarian often is used as an all encompassing term to describe every form of meatless diets but there are several forms of vegetarianism:
- The Lacto-Vegetarian – this form of vegetarianism includes dairy products but no eggs
- The Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian – this includes both dairy and eggs
- The Ovo Vegetarian – this diet includes eggs but excludes dairy
The Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian is the most common in this category according to The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom in their Definitions hand out.
What’s a Vegan?
Veganism consists of dietary practices and lifestyle commitments. According to Vegan Action a vegan “chooses to avoid using or consuming animal products.” This reaches beyond vegetarianism to exclude fur and leather from a vegan lifestyle as well as avoiding products that use animal testing. Examples include cosmetics and skincare products that routinely test ingredients on animals.
Other Plant-Based Diets
There exists many different kinds of diets that are primarily made up of plant-based foods, here is a sampling:
- Fruitarian – according to The Fruitarian Foundation this diet consists of eating fruit in raw or dried forms – such as nuts, pineapples, avocados and sprouted seeds.
- Pescetarian – often confused with vegetarians, a Pescetarian excludes mammals and fowls from the diet but does eat fish and seafood. Vegetarian societies and organizations draw a clear line that Pescetarianism is not a form of vegetarianism and many vegans and vegetarians will become offended if this is implied. For example – when dinning out and asking for a listing of vegetarian meal choices from the wait staff many hear options that include fish and seafood, which are not included in a vegetarian diet.
- Raw Foodist – mostly a plant based diet, especially the Raw Vegan, this type believes that food is better for the body in its raw or uncooked state. Raw food restaurants are popping up around the country, for example Boston’s Grezzo.
References:
- Welsh SO, Davis C, Shaw A. USDA's Food Guide: Background and Development Hyattsville, MD: United States Department of Agriculture, Human Nutrition Information Service; 1993. Publication Number 1514, pg. 18, accessed online 2008.
- Vegetarian Eating Plans Contain Health Benefits, American Dietetic Association, accessed online 2008.
- Vegetarian Diets position paper by American Dietetic Association, June 2003, accessed online 2008.
- Definitions, The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom, accessed online 2008.
- What is a Vegan?, About Veganism, Vegan Action, accessed online 2008.
- What is Fruitarianism?, The Fruitarian Foundation, accessed online 2008.
- Pescetarian Life, accessed online 2008.
Amy Kreydin - Amy Kreydin, NBCRT, CCAP, BD is a Board Certified Reflexologist and Clinical Aromatherapist.
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