Vegetarianism

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Vegetarianism

This article refers to human nutrition and diet. For plant based diets in the animal kingdom see, herbivore.

Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes all animal flesh, including poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustacea, and slaughter by-products. The reasons for choosing vegetarianism may be related to morality, religion, culture, ethics, aesthetics, environment, society, economy, politics, taste, or health.

There are several variants of the diet, some of which also exclude eggs and/or some products produced from animal labor such as dairy products and honey. Veganism, for example, excludes all animal products from diet. By some strict definitions, animal products are not used for attire either, whether or not the production of clothing or items has involved the actual death of an animal (dairy, eggs, honey, wool, silk, down feathers, etc.)   A generic term for both vegetarianism and veganism, as well as for similar diets, is "Plant-based diets".

Vegetarian diets have been found to satisfy the nutritional needs for all stages of life, and large-scale studies have shown vegetarianism to increase longevity, improve health, and significantly lower risks of cancer and other diseases.

Terminology and varieties of vegetarianism

There are a variety of different practices of vegetarianism. The following table summarizes the most common types of vegetarian diet:

Foods in the main vegetarian diets Diet Name Meat, (including Fish and Poultry) Eggs Dairy Honey Lacto-ovo vegetarianism No Yes Yes Yes Lacto vegetarianism No No Yes Yes Ovo vegetarianism No Yes No Yes Veganism No No No No