Vegetarian defined

Vegetarian, vegan, ovo-lacto vegetarian, herbivore... what's the difference?

Vegetarians refer to people who do not eat animal meat. Sometimes they are referred to as ovo-lacto vegetarians (people who still consume egg and milk), or lacto-vegetarians (consumes milk products.) Semi- or pseudo-vegetarians are those who stopped eating red meat (e.g. pork, beef, venison, etc.) but still consumes white meat (e.g. chicken, sea foods.)

Vegans are stricter in the sense that they eliminate consumption or use of animal meat and animal products such as honey, clothing from animals' skin, yeast, and the like.

Herbivores are those who eat mostly plant products but does not necessarily mean that they do not eat meat. For example, my mom is a herbivore. Between a served dish of meat or vegetable, she prefers eating mostly vegetables, but she still eats meat.

Fruitarians are the strictest type of them all. Fruitarians do not consume products from killed plants and animals. This means that a plant must either "die" from a natural death or you have to take a portion or part of the plant without killing it.

Personally, I am an ovo-lacto vegetarian. It is difficult for me to eliminate dairy products such as ice cream, cheese, and breads and pastries in my diet simply because I enjoy eating these. :)

People have a variety of reasons why they chose to be vegetarians. Some say it's for health purposes, others for aesthetics/beauty, animal welfare, environmental concerns, and spiritual or religious reasons.

I started being a semi-vegetarian when I was in 2nd year college at around February 2006, and ovo-lacto vegetarian last May 2008. To tell you the truth, it's hard shifting from a heavy meat diet to a semi-veggie one... and even harder to shift from semi-vegetarian to ovo-lacto vegetarian. Just imagine going to say, McDonald's where mostly chicken is served. Fast food meal choices will surely be limited once you're a vegetarian so you have to be creative and resourceful when dining out. The decision to be a vegetarian is a tough one specially when you're in a household and community where most are meat-eaters. Apart from being bombarded with questions why the change of diet, one must be resourceful in choosing your menus, and committed in your choice (which means you have to fight sumptuous temptations.) :P