Vegetarians may come from any walk of life, from any educational background, from any culture, and from any age group. So the word “vegetarian” really describes a diverse group of people.

Vegetarian Diets

Eating plants as food is basic to all vegetarians, but over time people have devised many different vegetarian categories to suit their various beliefs and lifestyles. For beginners, the distinctions may seem bewildering.

• Lacto-Ovó: Perhaps the largest group, these vegetarians eat both dairy products and eggs, but no meat of any kind. Their food plan is broad and offers substantial choices to include greens, grains, fruits, and legumes, plus moderate amounts of nuts, dairy products, eggs, and plant oils, and in the smallest quantities, sweets.

• Lacto: This group omits eggs but does include all dairy products in a diet that otherwise resembles the lacto-ovó food plan.

• Ovó: These vegetarians include eggs but omit all dairy products in a diet that otherwise resembles the typical vegetarian one.

• Vegan: Following the strictest plant-based diet, a vegan excludes eating or using all animal meats or products, including all dairy, eggs, and honey. And a strict vegan will not wear anything made from silk, leather, or wool. They are careful to avoid eating any processed foods that may have required animal products in their manufacture, such as refined sugar. While the eating plan sounds restrictive, careful vegans plan their meals to include a wide range of nutrient-dense foods.

• Flexitarian: Whether you call this group flexitarian or semi-vegetarian, these people do include some meat in their diet. Some people may eat fish (pescatarian) but no red meat or poultry; for health reasons, this particular form of vegetarianism is increasingly popular. Some may eat poultry, but no red meat or fish. And others may limit their meat intake to an occasional meal. But to the active vegetarian community, flexitarians are just vegetarians in the making.

• Macrobiotic: While a macrobiotic diet is not strictly all vegetarian all the time—it may include seafood—it is plant-based, and prohibits the use of refined sugars, dairy products, and nightshade plants such as potatoes and tomatoes. The diet may have Greek roots, but it has an Asian pedigree: its founder, a Japanese doctor, turned to Buddhist and Chinese principles to create a diet that includes many Asian foodstuffs, such as miso, tofu, tempeh, Asian greens, and sea vegetables.

• Fruitarians: As the word implies, this group eats mainly fresh raw fruit and nuts and seeds, including sprouts. Believers claim that their diet promotes good health, but because it lacks substantial protein sources, it is not suitable for youngsters. Note that long-term fruitarians may lose a dramatic amount of weight.

• Raw Foodists: Most raw foodists are vegans, eating only fruits and vegetables—preferably organic—as they are found in their natural state. But occasionally, some raw foodists eat raw meat and eggs and drink certified raw milk and other certified raw dairy products.