"Go Vegetarian
Facts you should know about vegetarian"

8 types of vegetarian

My friend, Ann, was baffled when I told her I'm a vegetarian but I eat eggs. She exclaimed :"But my vegetarian friend, Scott, doesn't take eggs." As you can see, the general perception most people have of us is we do not consume animal meat or animal products.

This is partially true. Vegetarians are characterized by the choices they made, that is, the extent they want to consume animals or animal products. To help you understand better, we explain below the different types of vegetarian and their characteristics.

If you are planning to become a vegetarian, they serve as a guide to help you think about what you would like to achieve in the short and long run.

1. Pescetarian

   Avoid :Red meat, poultry
   Include:Fish, eggs, vegetarian cheese, milk-based products

2. Demi-vegetarian / Semi-vegetarian

   Avoid :Most meat
   Include: Fish, eggs, vegetarian cheese, milk-based products

   The difference between pescetarian and demi-vegetarian is the amount of meat consumption. As a beginner, it is easier to adjust your diet by slowing phasing out meat and eating mostly fish.

   Once you feel it is time to stop eating fish, you are ready to advance to the next level of vegetarianism.

3. Lacto Ovo Vegetarian

   Avoid :Meat, Fish, poultry, products that contain animal-based ingredients eg gelatine, non-food products made from animals eg leather, fur, wool

   Include:Eggs, eggs-based products eg cakes, milk, milk-based products eg yoghurt, vegetarian cheese and ice-creams.

   Although eggs and dairy products are good sources of proteins, vitamins and minerals, they nevertheless are also high in cholesterol and saturated fat.

   Adopting this diet may not benefit some vegetarians who are already suffering from high cholesterol levels. Therefore, we recommend that you use eggs and low-fat dairy products sparingly to supplement a diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes.

4. Lacto Vegetarian

   Avoid : Meat, Fish, poultry, eggs, ice-creams, pastries
   Include: Dairy products, milk, ice cream (eggless), yoghurt and vegetarian cheese

   Lacto vegetarians avoid eggs but consume dairy products. One reason could be due to eggs containing high amount of cholesterol.

   The other reason is the potential risk of killing unborn/unhatched animal since half of the time we do not know if the store-bought eggs are unfertilized or not.

   Consuming dairy products does not involve killing animals. When managed properly the calves are not denied an adequate supply of their mother's milk, and the human can still consume the excess milk for essential nutrients and vitamins.

5. Macrobiotics

   Avoid :Meat, eggs, dairy products, some vegetables eg potato, pepper, eggplant, refined sugar, tropical fruits.

   This diet focus on a more traditional way of living and eating with nature and the environment we live in and living naturally in harmony with all things around us.

   It studies the Chinese principle of Yin and Yang in foods and how balance is maintained in our body systems by the adequate consumption of such foods.

   Choosing from a variety of grains, beans or bean products and assorted seasonal vegetables from land and sea are some of the key ingredients that will compose this diet.

   Some common Asian foods that can be found in this diet are miso soup, daikon and lotus, seaweed, kelp and arame.

6. Vegan

   Avoid :Fish, meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, honey, white granulated sugar, margarine, products that contain any of the dairy products, non-food products made from animals eg leather, fur, wool.

   Among all the vegetarians, a vegan is the most careful in choosing what to eat and wear so as to minimize the harm that could be done to animals.

   • Vegans do not eat honey as bees may be killed while harvesting it.
   • They also do not take margarine which contains casein, a milk product.
   • White granulated sugar is avoided because it is often processed by using char derived from animal bones to whiten the sugar.
   • They also ensure the cosmetics they used are not tested on animals.
   
   

7. Raw or Living Food diet (vegetarian)

   Avoid : Cooking fruits and vegetarians, prefer eating them raw
   Include : Uncooked fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains, seaweeds,

   Raw vegans / vegetarians believe that prehistoric humans were largely vegetarians, and thus human digestive systems are designed for raw vegetarianism.

   They also believe raw food prevents and/or heals many sickness and chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, migraine, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and many more. It is an effective way to lose that extra pounds which give them a healthy, fit body and youthful appearance.

   That's because raw food supplies more enzymes to our body and keep the acid-alkaline balance in check. When we chew raw food, enzymes from the raw food are released in the mouth which actually aid in the digestion of that same food. This will free our bodies enzymes to work on other metabolic processes.

   What are enzymes ? Why are they important ?

   We need enzymes for the functioning of our bodies - talk, move, breathe. Thus, enzymes must always be present so as to break down the food into nutrients absorbed by our bodies.

   Although our bodies continue to produce natural enzymes, we are using up the enzymes reserve faster than we can produce them.

   It gets worse as we age.

   If we do not replenish this natural source by eating raw food and we continue to eat cooked foods, then we eventually begin to deplete our enzyme supply.

   The result : we become more vulnerable to aging, disease and premature death.

   You have heard of how cooking destroys the nutrients in food. What you may not know is that the heat degrades or destroys the enzymes in the food, making it harder for our bodies to break up and digest the foods we eat. This food then get stored in our bodies as toxins, leading to diseases and illness.

   Cooking also changes the molecular structure of the food and renders it more acidic. Our typical diet already consist too much acid forming foods - eggs, white sugars, flour products, pasta, breads, cooked beans and nuts, soda, coffee, alcohol, tobacco, chemical additives, preservatives, drugs.

   Cooking the fruits and vegetables only adds to the list.

   When we lose the acid-alkaline balance in our bodies, our organs have to work doubly hard to maintain the balance. This is detrimental to our heath in the long run.

   As a result, we will suffer from illness such as arthritis, depression, headaches, lethargy and ultimately cancer diseases.

   But some debates cooking on the other hand makes food easier to digest, especially for elders and kids.

8. Fruitarian

   Avoid : all living things that will be killed to be served as food.
   Include : 75% raw fruits by weight, the remaining foods vegan and raw

   

   Fruitarians eat fruits only. Eating fruits involves neither killing or maiming.

   Fruitarians believe they are working with the trees and plants in acts of mutual cooperation and benefit. It is part of the nature system meant to be.

   Here's how it works : Trees and plants need to spread their seeds by producing fruits. When the fruits ripen, they turn into attractive colours with all the fiber and nutrients needed by us. The fruit trees now offer us the ripened fruits. We in turn serve the fruit trees by spreading and implanting the seeds which are enclosed within the fruits.

   Fruitarians believe raw fruit diet will free them from all undesired effects of eating dead animals. It is a fact that dead animals contain too much toxins. The toxins get transferred to our systems when we eat them.

   Raw fruits actually give us the strength and protection to enjoy longer life with a more joyful and healthy body.

   If they can help it, fruitarians prefer to eat only raw fruits grown locally. By doing so, they are saving the environment from pollutants as the shipping, refrigerating, pesticides treatments and further processing of fruits are causing some level of violence to the environment.

   Fruitarians include root vegetables like tomatoes, cucumber, squash and many other plant fruits in their diet.

Beware of these ingredients

When buying processed foods, be sure to read their labels for any animal products ingredients.

Here are some common but often overlooked animal-derived ingredients, their customary sources, their function in processed foods, and where they most frequently are used. (You can know more from "Raising Vegetarian Children")

If you have questions about a specific product or ingredient source, you may want to contact the manufacturer directly.

• Gelatin / gelatine
  
  Functions:
  To thicken or gel
  
  Source :
  Protein extracted from the bones, cartilage, tendons and bones of animals.
  
  Where it is found :
  Frozen desserts, yoghurts, sweets, marshmallows, chocolates, puddings, cheese spreads, capsules of pills and supplements



• Rennet
  
  Functions:
  To curdle milk
  
  Source :
  A mixture containing rennin; stomach lining of slaughtered newly born calves.
  
  Where it is found :
  Used in cheese making.



• Rennin
  
  Functions:
  To coagulate milk
  
  Source :
  an enzyme principally derived from the mucous membrane of stomachs of young calves
  
  Where it is found :
  Used in cheese making.



• Lard
  
  Functions:
  To add flavour and enhance texture
  
  Source :
  fat from around the internal organs of pigs
  
  Where it is found :
  Refried beans, chewing gum, baked goods, processed foods, soaps, chinese style cooking



• Lipase
  
  Functions:
  Break down fats
  
  Source :
  enzymes usually derived from pigs or cows
  
  Where it is found :
  Cheese and cheese products, cream, margarine, ice cream



• Oleic Acid
  
  Functions:
  To flavour or bind ingredients
  
  Source :
  components of fat from pigs or cows
  
  Where it is found :
  baked goods, beverages, ice cream, confections





• Palmitic acid
  
  Functions:
  To emulsify
  
  Source :
  most is from fat of pigs or cows, some is from soy
  
  Where it is found :
  butter, baked goods, cheese flavoring



• Pancreatin and Pancreatic Extract
  
  Functions:
  To faciliate digestion
  
  Source :
  enzymes from pigs or cows
  
  Where it is found :
  digestive aids



• Pepsin
  
  Functions:
  To break down proteins
  
  Source :
  enzymes from pigs or cows
  
  Where it is found :
  cheese and cheese products, digestive aids



• Casein
  
  Functions:
  To whiten,bind, or fluff
  
  Source :
  the principal protein in animal milk
  
  Where it is found :
  cereals, breads, cheese analogs,ice ream, fruit sherbets, nondairy whipped toppings, coffee whiteners, egg substitutes



• Cochineal (E120) and Carmine
  
  Functions:
  To color food
  
  Source :
  dried and ground bodies of female beetles
  
  Where it is found :
  juices, sweets, beverages, confectionery,fruit fillings, puddings, yoghurts, ice cream, baked goods.



• Cochineal (E120) and Carmine
  
  Functions:
  To color food
  
  Source :
  dried and ground bodies of female beetles
  
  Where it is found :
  juices, sweets, beverages, confectionery,fruit fillings, puddings, yoghurts, ice cream, baked goods.



• Royal Jelly
  
  Functions:
  To fortify with B vitamins, minerals, and amino acids
  
  Source :
  a substance produced by glands of bees
  
  Where it is found :
  nutritional supplements



• Tallow
  
  Functions:
  To moisturize, lighten or fluff
  
  Source :
  fat from sheep or cows
  
  Where it is found :
  baked goods, cake mixes, shortening and cooking oil



• Whey
  
  Functions:
  To add protein and improve texture
  
  Source :
  watery liquid that remains after most of the fat and most valuable proteins have been removed from animal milk
  
  Where it is found :
  baked goods, ice cream, dry mixes, sports supplements and processed foods



• Albumen, Albumin
  
  Functions:
  to bind ingredients
  
  Source :
  principal protein in egg white, also present in animal milk, animal blood or tissue
  
  Where it is found :
  pastries, baked goods, soups, stews and meat analogs