Not All Vegetarianisms Are the Same

So you've decided to go a little easy on the meat, try a more fruits-and-vegetables-based diet. Voilà, vegetarianism, right? Not so fast.

Will you be giving up dairy? What if you can't let go of the occasional sushi dinner? Vegetarianism doesn't simply mean cutting out the steak—there are many small decisions to make, like choosing the right kind of sugar for your coffee. These little steps and decisions will determine just what kind of an "-ian" you are.

If you're just starting out on your vegetarian diet and are still "phasing out" meat from your diet, you are probably a pescetarian (sometime spelled pescatarian). Pescetarianism comes from the Italian word "pesces" (meaning fish) coined with "vegetarianism." Pescatarians have eliminated all meats from their diet except fish. However, The Vegetarian Society, founded in 1847, does not include the pescatarian diet as a "proper" vegetarian diet.

If you love cheese, yogurt and other dairy products in your life you can be a lacto-ovo vegetarian. "Lacto" refers to all dairy products except eggs, while "ovo" means—you guessed it—eggs.

If the reasons for you foregoing animal products are for moral reasons and you want to avoid using all animal by-products, you can follow a vegan diet. A vegan diet consists of solely plant-based items and cutting all animal by-products, including gelatine, which is made from cows (and used in foods such as Jello), white sugar, some wines, and honey. Another version of the vegan diet is the raw food diet, where all food consumed is heated at no more than 118°F.

Recently, celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow have made another version of vegetarianism popular: the macrobiotic diet. Originating from Japan and popularized by a Japanese-born scientist, Michio Kushi, a macrobiotic diet consists of vegetables, whole grains, as well as many soy products and sea vegetables (such as seaweed). A study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that those on a macrobiotic diet consume almost twice the amount of isoflavonoids than a lacto-ovo vegetarian. Isoflavanoids are plant-derived compounds linked to lowering risks of various cancers in Americans practicing macrobiotic diets, due to a high intake of beans and whole grains.

Considerations

Know your reasons for going vegetarian or vegan. Don't become a vegetarian because you heard it on Oprah or read somewhere that it was good. Whether it's health or moral reasons, knowing why you want to become vegetarian will help you choose the right vegetarianism for you. Books such as Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation and groups like American Society for Nutrition can help you become more informed.

Do your research. Search the internet, read books and seek out science journals for facts about nutritious states of omnivores and vegetarians. Contrary to popular myths, nutrients such as iron and protein will not be lost and deficient in vegetarian diets—you just need to know the right sources for them. A 2001 study from the American Dietetic Association found that vegan children's nutrition intake was just as balanced as their omnivore peers. The scientists stated that even Vitamin B12, which is normally considered an "animal-exclusive" nutrient, could be sufficiently found in "nutritional yeast, wheat germ, soybeans, mushrooms, leafy green vegetables, avocados, almonds, sea vegetables, fortified cereals, and enriched grain." Be sure to familiarize yourself with the benefits of dairy replacements, beans and green vegetables.

Seek out a community of other like-minded people. Starting out on a new lifestyle is a beneficial process, but sometimes the road can be a bit lonely and rocky. Search local newspapers for vegetarian groups and cooking classes. Alternatively, you can also reach many like-minded vegetarians and vegans by checking out vegetarianism groups like PETA and get many healthy ideas for the kitchen with a simple click of a mouse.

When practiced with solid research, vegetarianism can become not only a diet change, but a new lifestyle that opens your eyes to a great diversity of natural resources and ingredients.