Vegetarian Awareness Month is celebrated in October of every year and serves to promote awareness of vegetarianism and its associated benefits. With the growing popularity of plant-based diets, there’s a natural curiosity among individuals about vegetarianism, the different types of vegetarian diets, and the numerous health benefits they offer. Below, you can explore the various vegetarian dietary patterns and the specific foods linked to each pattern.

• Vegetarian: This type of eating pattern typically includes plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits and grains, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds. It does not include meat, poultry, or seafood.
• Lacto-vegetarian: This diet normally contains milk and other dairy products, grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds. It does not include eggs, meat, poultry, or seafood.
• Lacto-ovo vegetarian: This eating pattern consists of milk and other dairy products, eggs, grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds. It does not include meat, poultry, or seafood.
• Semi- or partial vegetarian: This pattern usually includes plant foods such as vegetables, fruit, grains, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and may include chicken or fish, dairy products, and eggs. It does not include red meat.
• Pescatarian: This eating pattern typically includes grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and seafood. It does not include meat or poultry.
• Vegan: This dietary pattern normally consists of only plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and plant-based alternatives to dairy and meat products . This pattern includes no animal proteins or animal by-products such as eggs, milk, or honey.

A plant-based eating pattern can be high in fiber, vitamins and minerals while keeping calories and saturated fat low. These combined benefits may be responsible for some of the health benefits associated with the vegetarian diet. These benefits may include a lower incidence of obesity, lower blood pressure, lower risk for type 2 diabetes, and reduced risk for heart disease. When considering a vegetarian diet, be sure to plan and maintain a well-balanced eating pattern to ensure that you receive all the necessary nutrients to meet your nutritional needs.

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