Types of Vegetarians

When deciding what type of vegetarian you want to be, think about what you want to include or avoid. You don’t need to fit into one of these categories, but understanding them will help you think about your health objectives and the kind of lifestyle you want to pursue. Whatever type of vegetarian diet you may choose, regard it as a "lifestyle choice subject to change".

Do not regard people with a different diet to yours as somehow being in the wrong (a 'live and let live' approach is much better). If you sometimes stray from your diet do not feel guilty - you've done nothing wrong and it's not a test of your perseverance. You are not being judged on how well you stick to your diet.

There are different types of vegetarians depending on what foods are included or not included in the diet. Examples of this are pescatarian, lacto-ovo vegetarian, flexitarian, and several others. Most people do not know or care what these terms mean. It would sound pompous and pretentious for you to say at a dinner-party (for example) that you are "ovo-vegetarian". It would be much better to simply say that you like to avoid meat (assuming you are offered meat). If you wish to see a list of the different types of vegetarians, simply enter "types of vegetarians" in Google and you will get lots of results. Please do see "The Vegetarian Paradox" below, a free book that explodes the myth that a vegetarian diet is best for health. This book will surprise you - it's not what you think.