I was raised vegetarian.
This means that in my household, we grew up eating no animal flesh—meat, poultry, or fish—or food products that contained any of these animal proteins.
Although back when I was growing up in the early 90s, a vegetarian diet was quite rare, but plant-based eating is extremely popular these days.
However, with all of the various iterations of plant-based diets, it can be confusing to understand the nuanced differences between vegetarian vs vegan diets, vegetarian vs plant-based diets, etc.
So, what is a vegetarian diet? What are the differences between vegan and vegetarian diets? What is an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet? Is a plant-based diet vegetarian?
In this guide, we will discuss what a vegetarian diet means, the differences between a vegetarian diet vs vegan diet and other plant-based diets, benefits, and what you can eat on a vegetarian diet plan.
Let’s dive in!
What Is a Vegetarian Diet?
As mentioned, there is a fair amount of confusion about the terminology surrounding plant-based diets vs vegetarian diets, etc.
The term “vegetarian diet“ is rather loose, but generally refers to a style of eating that includes no animal flesh.
This means that a vegetarian does not eat beef, pork, lamb, bison, fish, shellfish, chicken, turkey, other poultry, etc. (Note that a vegetarian is someone who follows a vegetarian diet plan.)
Vegetarians would also not eat food products that contain ingredients from animals.For example, gelatin is often made from the hooves of cows, and collagen protein powder is often made from fish bones or chicken bones.
However, most vegetarians do consume eggs and dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt.
For this reason, you may hear the vegetarian diet referred to as an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet, with the ovo- prefix referring to eggs and the lacto prefix referring to lactose, or dairy-based foods.
Of course, some vegetarians eat eggs but not dairy while some vegetarians eat dairy but not eggs, so there can also be some variation in the types of vegetarian diets and vegetarian eating patterns.
What is the Difference Between Vegetarian and Vegan Diets?
The vegan diet eliminates all animal products and animal-derived food products of every type.
This includes eggs, dairy products like milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese, etc., as well as food products like honey, which may contain components of bees.
The vegan diet may also extend beyond dietary habits to lifestyle practices as well, such as not wearing leather, not supporting or using products from companies that do testing on animals, etc.
What is the Difference Between a Vegetarian Diet and a Plant-Based Diet?
The term “plant-based diet“ is an umbrella term to describe a category of eating in which plant-based foods are the focal point of the diet.
The vegetarian diet, the ovo-lacto vegetarian diet, vegetarians that don’t eat eggs but do eat dairy (lacto vegetarian diet), vegetarians that eat eggs but don’t eat dairy (ovo vegetarian diet), the vegan diet, and even flexitarians would all fall under plant-based diets.
You can sort of equate the relationship between a plant-based diet vs a vegetarian diet to that of a dog vs a poodle. A poodle is a type of dog just as a vegetarian diet is a type of plant-based diet.
Some people also just use the term “plant-based diet plan“ to describe a dietary eating style that centers around eating plants but does include occasional meat, poultry, fish, seafood, or animal products.
This is sometimes also called a flexitarian diet, with the flex prefix indicating that the “diet rules“ are less strict regarding eating meat.
What Can You Eat On a Vegetarian Diet?
For a standard ovo-lacto vegetarian diet plan, you can eat all foods except animal flesh and animal products.
This means that the diet should focus on the following:
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Legumes: Beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas, soy (tofu, tempeh)
- Whole grains
- Nuts and nut butters
- Seeds
- Eggs
- Dairy: Milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream, frozen yogurt
You do not need to count calories to follow the vegetarian diet, though if you are trying to lose or gain weight, it can be helpful to count calories.
However, the goal of a healthy vegetarian diet plan should be to focus on consuming the most natural, unprocessed foods and minimizing processed foods, foods with added sugar, refined grains, hydrogenated oils, excess salt, artificial and chemical ingredients, etc.
What Can’t You Eat On a Vegetarian Diet?
Here are the types of foods to avoid on a vegetarian diet plan:
- Beef: Steak, hamburger, roast beef, ground beef, etc.
- Pork: Ham, bacon, pork chops, ribs
- Poultry: Chicken, turkey, duck, quail, capon, goose, squab, chicken nuggets, turkey bacon, etc.
- Lamb, mutton, goat, bison, antelope, alligator, rabbit, game meats
- Fish: Salmon, tuna, trout, halibut, anchovies, bass, sardines, mackerel, cod, sushi, fish sticks, etc.
- Seafood: Clams, mussels, shrimp, lobsters, scallops, eel, crab, etc.
- Foods With Animal Ingredients: Canned soups made with beef stock, chicken stock, etc.; split pea soup with ham, jello (or products with gelatin derived from animal hooves), Worcestershire sauce or sauces with anchovy paste, pizza with pepperoni or meat, pasta with meat sauce, etc.
What Are the Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet?
There are several potential health benefits of the vegetarian diet.1Oussalah, A., Levy, J., Berthezène, C., Alpers, D. H., & Guéant, J.-L. (2020). Health Outcomes Associated with Vegetarian Diets: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Clinical Nutrition, 39(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2020.02.037 However, it is also possible to follow an unhealthy vegetarian diet by eating lots of processed vegan foods high in sugar, unhealthy fats, and sodium.
Just because you are avoiding animal products does not mean2Satija, A., Bhupathiraju, S. N., Spiegelman, D., Chiuve, S. E., Manson, J. E., Willett, W., Rexrode, K. M., Rimm, E. B., & Hu, F. B. (2017). Healthful and Unhealthful Plant-Based Diets and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in U.S. Adults. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 70(4), 411–422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2017.05.047 that your diet is going to be healthy; you still need to make nutritious choices and minimize processed and refined foods.
To reap the vegetarian diet health benefits, the emphasis of your diet should be on eating plant-based whole foods, such as legumes, soy, whole grains, vegetables, nuts, seeds, nutritional yeast, and seitan, along with some eggs and dairy.
Here are some of the potential benefits:
Some of the benefits of a vegetarian meal plan with plenty of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, and other high-fiber, antioxidant-rich foods include:
- Reducing blood pressure and cholesterol3Lee, K. W., Loh, H. C., Ching, S. M., Devaraj, N. K., & Hoo, F. K. (2020). Effects of Vegetarian Diets on Blood Pressure Lowering: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis. Nutrients, 12(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12061604 two of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.
- Reducing the risk of heart disease.4Tong, T. Y. N., Appleby, P. N., Bradbury, K. E., Perez-Cornago, A., Travis, R. C., Clarke, R., & Key, T. J. (2019). Risks of ischaemic heart disease and stroke in meat eaters, fish eaters, and vegetarians over 18 years of follow-up: results from the prospective EPIC-Oxford study. BMJ, 366(8212), l4897. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l4897.
- Reducing the risk of diabetes by about 20%.
- Decreasing HbA1c levels (3-month average of blood sugar readings) more than when eating an omnivorous diet in people who have type 2 diabetes.5Yokoyama, Y., Barnard, N. D., Levin, S. M., & Watanabe, M. (2014). Vegetarian diets and glycemic control in diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy, 4(5), 373–382. https://doi.org/10.3978/j.issn.2223-3652.2014.10.04
- Reducing the risk of several types of cancer, particularly colorectal cancer.6Orlich, M. J., Singh, P. N., Sabaté, J., Fan, J., Sveen, L., Bennett, H., Knutsen, S. F., Beeson, W. L., Jaceldo-Siegl, K., Butler, T. L., Herring, R. P., & Fraser, G. E. (2015). Vegetarian Dietary Patterns and the Risk of Colorectal Cancers. JAMA Internal Medicine, 175(5), 767. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.59
- Decreasing the environmental impact due to the lower carbon emissions7Sabaté, J., & Soret, S. (2014). Sustainability of plant-based diets: back to the future. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 100(suppl_1), 476S482S. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.113.071522 necessary to raise plants for consumption relative to livestock. (This is not a health benefit per se, but still a benefit of vegetarian diets!)
Is a Vegetarian Diet Good for Weight Loss?
Many plant-based foods are lower in calories yet quite filling due to the high water and high fiber content of vegetables, legumes, and plant-based proteins.
This can make it possible to feel satiated on fewer calories so that you can lose weight.
There have been several research studies8Huang, R.-Y., Huang, C.-C., Hu, F. B., & Chavarro, J. E. (2016). Vegetarian Diets and Weight Reduction: a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 31(1), 109–116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-015-3390-7 that have found that people who follow a plant-based diet may lose more weight than those following an omnivorous diet.
However, as with any diet, you have to create a caloric deficit (eating fewer calories than you are burning) to lose weight.
Adherence to a weight loss diet9Gibson, A., & Sainsbury, A. (2017). Strategies to Improve Adherence to Dietary Weight Loss Interventions in Research and Real-World Settings. Behavioral Sciences, 7(4), 44. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs7030044 or healthy dietary approach generally decreases if the diet is too restrictive and causes people to feel like they have to give up some or all of their favorite foods permanently.
For this reason, sticking with a vegetarian diet for health and weight loss will be easier than a vegan diet, but if you love meat, the vegetarian diet may still feel overly restrictive.
Plus, there can be some nutritional benefits of eating eggs and dairy products, whereas nutritional deficiencies, particularly iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids, are especially common in vegans.
This is not to say that vegetarians are “immune” from these nutritional deficiencies,10 P., Sj, P., S, R., D, C.-D., & D, L. (2013, February 1). How prevalent is vitamin B(12) deficiency among vegetarians? Nutrition Reviews.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23356638/ depending on what you eat on your plant-based meal plan and any other health conditions you might have.
Overall, the goal of the foods you should eat on a vegetarian meal plan follows the principles of a healthy lifestyle dietary approach rather than a restrictive weight loss diet.
Consider working with a registered dietician or nutritionist to develop the best meal plan for your needs.
For more ideas about what to eat on a plant-based diet, check out our plant-based diet guide here.
