The second question everyone asks when they learn I am trying vegetarianism for a month is what I will be eating. (The first question is "Why??!??!")
For the past few months, I have been looking at vegetarian practices and found a surprising amount of variation.
At one end of the spectrum is the vegan, who eats no animal products at all, including dairy, eggs, and honey. Many avoid lesser-known animal derivatives such as gelatine and rennet (used for some cheeses and puddings). Some even decline to wear wool or leather.
An ovo-vegetarian diet includes eggs but not dairy products. A lacto-vegetarian diet includes dairy products but not eggs. An ovo-lacto vegetarian diet includes both eggs and dairy products.
Within the meat category are some more questions? Fish? Shellfish, like clams and shrimp? One friend eats chicken, fish, and shellfish but still considers herself a vegetarian. She is actually a "pollo-pescetarian" and if she skipped the fish, she'd be a "pollotarian". "Pescetarians" eat fish but no meat or poultry.
Some vegetarians won't eat anything that "had a mother." Some won't eat anything that "had a face."
And then there are the vegtarians who will eat bacon. Don't laugh, I know several. One calls bacon the "gateway drug."
Wow. Nice to have choices. I once knew someone who called himself a flexetarian.
To answer the question: Technically, I am an ovo-lacto vegetarian this month: No meat, fish, shellfish; yes on dairy and eggs.
And no bacon!
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