Flexitarian and Other Variations of a Vegetarian Diet (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between vegetarian and flexitarian? ›

What is a flexitarian diet? A flexitarian diet refers to someone who is a “flexible vegetarian.” It does not encourage completely removing animal-based foods. Instead, it encourages eating plenty of whole plant-based foods, while having the option to add meat in small quantities as desired.

Lacto-ovo vegetarian diets exclude meat, fish and poultry, but allow dairy products and eggs. Pescatarian diets exclude meat and poultry, dairy, and eggs, but allow fish. Vegan diets exclude meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products, as well as foods that contain these products.

The flexitarian diet is essentially a flexible alternative to being a vegetarian. So you're still focusing on fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes and nuts, but you occasionally still enjoy meat.

The Flexitarian Diet encourages limiting not only meat and animal products but also highly processed foods, refined grains, and added sugar. Foods to minimize include: Processed meats: bacon, sausage, bologna. Refined carbs: white bread, white rice, bagels, croissants.

Beegan: vegan, with honey included in diet. Flexitarian: eat mostly plant foods, but include small amounts of meat in the diet.

A flexitarian or semi-vegetarian diet (SVD) is one that is primarily vegetarian with the occasional inclusion of meat or fish. Of late, there appears to be an increasing movement toward this practice. There has not been a recent update on these diets from a health perspective.

Ovo-vegetarian refers to people who do not eat meat or dairy products but do eat eggs.

Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Diet

For most people, this is a healthy diet. Advantages of the lacto-ovo vegetarian diet include: A wide array of options for consuming protein, including cheese, milk and yogurt. Less risk of low intake of vitamin B12, vitamin D and iron intake compared to some other vegetarian diet options.

There are approximately seven types of vegetarian diets: flexitarian, pescatarian, lacto-ovo vegetarian, lacto vegetarian, ovo vegetarian, pollo vegetarian and vegan.

Although eggs are nutritious, the egg diet doesn't have enough variety or calories to be considered a healthy or sustainable way of eating. With such restriction, weight regain is likely. You'll also miss out on fiber, calcium, and other essential nutrients by sticking to the egg diet for more than a few days.

What qualifies as flexitarian? ›

With its name a play on two words – flexible and vegetarian – and no strict definitions, a flexitarian diet is one that focuses on whole, plant-based proteins and other minimally processed foods, while enjoying meat, dairy, eggs and fish in moderation.

The ethos is pretty straightforward: Fill your plate with nutrient-rich foods (such as garden fresh vegetables; be it raw or organic or sourced from the farmers' market) 80 per cent of the time, and enjoy your favourite, slightly less nutritious foods, the other 20 per cent.

However, being a semi-vegetarian—also known as a "flexitarian" (or "flexible vegetarian")—often means you mostly eat plant-based foods and occasionally eat chicken, fish, dairy products, and eggs, and rarely (if ever) eat red meat.

What is an ovo-vegetarian diet? An ovo-vegetarian diet excludes all animal-based foods except for eggs. Meat, poultry, fish, or dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese are eliminated, but whole eggs, egg whites, and egg-containing foods like mayonnaise, egg noodles, and certain baked goods are permitted.

Quasi-vegan diets refer to diets that, although primarily plant-based, may include the occasional consumption of poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products—but typically avoid red meat.

Unlike strict vegetarians, flexitarians eat meat sometimes. There aren't any rigid guidelines about how often a flexitarian can eat meat. Some light flexitarians may eat meat every day of the week except one, while heavy flexitarians might have red meat, poultry, or seafood just once or twice a week.

There are many reasons people choose to forgo red meat and poultry, but still eat fish. Some people choose to add fish to a vegetarian diet so they can get the health benefits of a plant-based diet plus heart-healthy fish. Others might be trying to curb the environmental impact of their diet.

Pescatarians have a lot in common with vegetarians. They eat fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, eggs, and dairy, and stay away from meat and poultry. But there's one way they part company from vegetarians: Pescatarians eat fish and other seafood.