Pescetarian, Lacto Vegetarian and other Vegetarian Diets besides Vegan

In the area of health and fitness, protein is considered as the most important macronutrient. Although animal products are considered best sources of protein, over the past 50 years’ vegetarianism and veganism are on the rise and many people are following a vegetarian diet. Following a vegetarian diet however can put restrictions on your protein intake. In this article we will discuss different types of vegetarian diets and how you can keep up your protein requirements while following a vegetarian diet. Note, we will not talk about veganism in this video, as we think that veganism is severely restricting in terms of animal food that it needs a separate article all together.

Vegetarianism rose in popularity after some scientific studies suggested harmful health effects of eating meat. Many new studies have now come up with counter evidence for such harmful effects, and indicate that the bad effects may be due to processed meats and non-lean cuts rather than the meat itself. In any case the consensus on health benefits of going vegetarian is still quite prevalent in the popular media. Although I am an omnivore and consume every type of meat (except processed and high fat meats) I respect the decision of other to go vegetarian. Scientists are still debating the health effects of meat so it does not hurt in playing it safe. I also understand the moral, religious and environmental reasons for going vegetarian. I still have no intentions of going vegetarian in the near future, however I have no intention of making you change your decision, as this article not about politics, so let’s jump right into the vegetarian diet.

The Vegetarian Diet

Vegetarianism is a very broad and general term and includes a variety of different diets that people follow. In this article we will discuss three types of vegetarian diets commonly followed by the people around the world.

1. Pescetarian Diet: This in my opinion is the best diet for your health. It provides the best of both worlds of vegetarianism and non-vegetarianism. This diet removes meat from your meals, which was shown to be unhealthy in the scientific studies. Eggs, Milk and Fish are retained in your diet. Keeping up your protein intake is easy for this diet as Eggs, Milk and Fish are all great sources of protein. All of three of these are also very good source of good fat, which increases your good cholesterol levels. I personally keep my diet close to this with chicken and 95% lean cuts of beef also included in my diet. The only downside of this diet is the high mercury content of fish. Always make sure to limit fish high in mercury content such as Tuna, Mackerel and Swordfish to only two servings per week.
2. Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian Diet: This diet removes meats and fish from your diet while allowing you to keep Eggs and Milk in your diet. Removing fish and meat from your diet will mean that you will have to increase your dairy and poultry consumption. For dairy you can include milk products such as Cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, Kefir and Whey powder. For poultry we do want you to eat whole eggs but in moderation (2–3 per day). If you want to eat more on eggs, you can include egg whites. To compensate for the lack of fish and meat in your diet, you may also need to increase your plan-based protein by including legumes and peas in your diet. I consider ovo-lacto vegetarian diet to also be quite healthy, though not as much as pescetarian diet.
3. Lacto Vegetarian Diet: This diet is a traditional Hindu diet followed by majority of people in India. Being from India, I have followed this diet for the first 20 years of my life. In this diet you remove all animal based foods from your diet except for the dairy. In such a diet it is very important for you to include dairy in your diet. You should include milk products such as Cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, Kefir and whey powder. It is also very important to include plant-based protein in your diet, so definitely include foods such as sprouts, beans lentils and nuts in your diet. If you are going vegetarian due to health reasons that keep in mind that going to this level of vegetarianism is now decreasing the health benefits. Eggs and Fish from are both very healthy for you as the sources of good fats and protein. Excluding them from your diet may result in lower levels of good cholesterol in your blood. To compensate for the lack of omega3 fats, make sure to include plenty of nuts in your diet. The best nuts for good fat are Walnut, Almonds and Peanuts.

A vegetarian diets discussed in here are not as drastic as veganism, and if you eat a variety of foods then you should not have any deficiencies. Generally, though vegetarians may have iron deficiencies, so make sure that you are eating iron rich vegetarian foods. Your best options are beans such as lima beans, kidney beans and chickpeas. Spinach and Broccoli are also good sources of Iron.

Humans are omnivorous creatures; our body is designed to eat mostly everything including meat. Vegetarianism is only about 2500 years old and is a clear result of civilization and abundance. Generally, the more civilized, enlightened and abundant a society gets, more and more of its members embrace vegetarianism. Pescetarian and ovo-lacto vegetarian diets are healthy and easy to follow, if you are considering following a vegetarian diet only due to health purposes then my recommendation will be to follow one of these.