There are several forms of vegetarianism—a vegan diet is just one of them. According to most sources, there are 6 types of vegetarian diets. All vegetarian diets are plant-based and most (except “flexitarians”) exclude meat and poultry. Vegetarian diets tend to be very healthy, but often require extra sources of protein, vitamin B12, riboflavin, calcium, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Introduction: The Varied Nature of Vegetarianism
The 6 types of vegetarianism are:
- Vegan: This is the most restrictive of vegetarian diets and excludes all animal and seafood products – including meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, and eggs, as well as products such as honey, animal-based gelatins, animal-based whey, and other sources of protein. The concerns about vegan diets include the need to supplement with high-quality protein, vitamin B12, calcium, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids.
- A note about omega-3 fatty acids.
- Plants serve as a source of omega-3 fatty acids, but they are generally short-chain fatty acids such as α-linolenic acid (ALA). Plants contain omega-6 fatty acids such as linoleic acid as well. Theoretically, humans can use ALA to synthesize long-chain fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), but with low efficiency(1). Because of this low efficiency, any diet restricting seafood can tend to be deficient in long-chain fatty acids—ie. They can be deficient in EPA and DHA. Including a source of ALA can improve that deficiency. The best sources(1) of ALA include flaxseed and flaxseed oil, chia seeds, English walnuts, and oil from soybeans, canola, and mustard.1
- Ovo-vegetarian: Ovo-vegetarians exclude the same foods as vegans but accept eggs and egg-containing foods. The eggs can supply high-quality protein, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12, but ovo-vegetarian diets still often require sources for these and the other nutrients of concern for vegetarians.
- Lacto-vegetarian: Like other vegetarians, lacto-vegetarians exclude meats of any kind—but they include dairy products like milk, yogurt, cheese, and butter. Dairy products are a good source of protein, calcium, and vitamin B12, but lack iron.
- Lacto-ovo-vegetarians: This is probably among the most practiced type of vegetarianism—lacto-ovo-vegetarians exclude all meats but include eggs and dairy products. These types of vegetarians should be aware of their vitamin B12 intake as well as omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, and iron, but tend to have a smaller risk of deficiency in these nutrients.
- Pescatarians: Pescatarians include fish and other seafood in their diets, and some may include dairy. Pescatarians may need additional sources of iron, calcium, and vitamin B12.
- Flexitarians: Flexitarian diets emphasize what you CAN eat rather than what you CAN’T eat. They will occasionally have meat or poultry as well as seafood, but their diets consist mainly of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds.
- A note about omega-3 fatty acids.
Some also consider another type of vegetarianism is the raw vegans—these vegans do not cook any of their plant foods and eat everything raw as found in nature.
Why Go Vegetarian of Any Type?
There can be many reasons to become a vegetarian. For some, it is for moral reasons—they do not believe animals of any kind should be killed so people can eat. They may also not use leather or any animal products for the same reason. Others may choose vegetarianism for environmental reasons—animal farming methods destroy many habitats, add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, and animal waste pollutes water, among other issues. Some vegetarians are concerned about the antibiotics or hormones used in many commercial animal products, while others base the decision on religious values. More and more people turn to a vegetarian diet because of its health benefits.
Health Benefits of Vegetarianism
Are there health benefits to avoiding animal products? While we don’t yet know the whole story, there DO seem to be significant benefits from any type of vegetarian diet. Overall, according to a recent paper in the IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, vegetarians tend to have significantly lower levels (2) of serum cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides, and higher levels of HDL. These measures indicate that vegetarianism tends to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. In the same article, it states that vegetarians tend to weigh less, have less risk of obesity and diabetes, and tend to have a longer life than meat-eaters.2 The rates of cancer in vegetarians seem to be reduced as well. Other studies(3) suggest vegetarianism is associated with a perception of a better quality of life, overall. According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA)(4), “appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”
In fact, the health benefits of a vegetarian diet plan have become so much clearer, and more and more research on the benefits of vegetarian diets is happening. The main concern is that unless taken up by a nutritionally knowledgeable person, the phrase “appropriately planned” can be an important drawback to adopting a vegetarian lifestyle. In other words, you have to understand your basic nutritional needs to be a successful, healthy vegetarian. The other side of the coin is true as well, though. The average person who consumes meat must understand that while meat-eating isn’t necessarily unhealthy, they, too, need to ensure a balanced, nutritionally complete diet. It isn’t automatic—we ALL must plan our diets so whatever diet you choose DOES benefit your health!
What do You Need to Know to "Appropriately Plan" a Vegetarian Diet?
The main concern for Healthy Vegetarian Diets is to include sufficient quality, complete proteins, vitamins B12, riboflavin, and D, the minerals calcium iron and zinc, and ALA. Here are some “tips” to ensure all these important nutritional components are included in your vegetarian diet.
Quality Complete Protein
A complete protein is a protein that contains all the amino acids the body needs. There are 20 amino acids used by the body to synthesize needed proteins. Eight of these are considered essential because the body cannot make them and must obtain them in their diets—these are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. The non-essential amino acids CAN be made by the body though they are also found in foods. The non-essential amino acids are alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and serine. Other groups that are non-essential but on a conditional basis are arginine, cysteine, glutamine, glycine, proline, and tyrosine. To ensure you include complete proteins in your diet, use foods from this list every day:
- Seitan: a gluten-based protein source. This is not an option for gluten-sensitive individuals.
- Tofu, Tempeh, Edamame: soy-based protein sources
- Tofu is made from pressed bean curds.
- Tempeh is fermented soybeans and has a mild, nutty flavor.
- Edamame is immature soybeans.
- Lentils
- Beans—including black, pinto, kidney, adzuki, and lima
- Nutritional yeast
- This is also a great source of vitamin B12 and riboflavin.
- Ancient grains
- Spelt, teff, quinoa, amaranth
- Oats
- Wild rice
- Ezekial bread and breads made from sprouted grains
- Nuts and Seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Chia seeds
- Any nuts or nut butters
- Spirulina—a form of blue-green algae
Minerals
- Iron: cereals, prunes/plums, apricots, nuts, beans, lentils, grains, and spinach
- Calcium: leafy green vegetables, calcium-enriched tofu, and plant milks
Vitamins and Short Chain Fatty Acids
- Vitamin B12:nutritional yeast, plant milk, yogurt (soy-based), tempeh, natto, and shitake mushrooms
- Riboflavin: yeast extracts (vegemite/marmite), nutritional yeast, cereals, avocado, wild rice, and mushrooms
- Vitamin D: soymilk, cereals, almond milk, mushrooms, spinach, and plant milks
- ALA: flax seeds, flaxseed oils, canola oils, chia and hemp seeds, soybean products, walnuts, seaweed, and algae.
Takeaways
Vegetarian diets tend to be healthier, and vegetarians tend to live longer, healthier lives. If you choose any type of vegetarian diet, just make sure you understand the additional nutritional needs—needs for quality, complete protein, minerals such as calcium and iron, vitamins such as vitamin B12, riboflavin, and vitamin D, as well as a source of omega-3 fatty acids. You CAN find these nutrients in your plant-based foods or, if needed, as supplements. Becoming vegetarian is a personal decision that CAN work for you and for the planet—you may just need to take some extra time and effort to make certain you get every nutrient you (and your family) need for a healthy, long life.
Resources:
- https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/other-nutrients/essential-fatty-acids
- Wanlin Sun 2021 IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 714 022004. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/714/2/022004/pdf
- Hargreaves SM, Raposo A, Saraiva A, Zandonadi RP. Vegetarian diet: an overview through the perspective of quality of life domains. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2021 Apr 12;18(8):4067. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/8/4067/pdf
- Craig WJ, Mangels AR; American Dietetic Association. Position of the American Dietetic Association: vegetarian diets. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 Jul;109(7):1266-82. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2009.05.027. PMID: 19562864. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19562864/#:~:text=It%20is%20the%20position%20of,and%20treatment%20of%20certain%20diseases.