What types of vegetarianism are there?
Regarding vegetarian nutrition, four main types are distinguished, which are distinguished by the consumption of milk and dairy products and eggs. The ovo-lacto-vegetarian diet is limited to abstaining from meat and fish, while dairy products and eggs are still consumed. In contrast, followers of the ovo-vegetarian diet abstain from meat and fish as well as dairy products, while the lacto-vegetarian diet is limited to dairy products and does not include eggs.
The strictly vegetarian diet is today mostly called vegan and excludes all animal foods, such as fish, meat, milk, eggs and honey.If the renouncement of animal products goes beyond the nutrition, thus for instance also leather or wool are not consumed, one speaks instead of vegan or strictly vegetarian food of Veganismus. Besides there are ways of nutrition, whose allocation to vegetarianism is considered as controversial. Pescetarians for example do not consume meat, but eat fish. With the artificial word “Flexitarismus” the nourishing way of humans is described, who want to eat as little as possible meat and fish, but do not want or cannot do completely without their consumption. Flexitarier are called therefore also, sometimes somewhat despektierlich, as “part-time vegetarians”.
What effects does vegetarianism have on my body?
The decision for a vegetarian diet has both positive and negative effects on the body. The positive effects include a reduction in the risk of high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes mellitus or heart attack. The fact that vegetarians less frequently get a heart attack is due to a lowering of the cholesterol values in the blood, in addition to the lowered blood pressure.
Beyond that a conversion to a vegetarian nutrition affects usually positively (thus lowering) the body weight. On the contrary, vegetarianism can also have some undesirable effects. In particular if the vegetarian food is too one-sidedly arranged as well as with strictly vegetarian (veganer) exists the risk of a lack of iron, proteins, Vitamin B12 and further mineral materials and trace elements.
Such deficiency states can in turn provoke various deficiency symptoms, such as increased susceptibility to infections, anaemia or water retention (edema). In summary, from a medical point of view, it is not possible to say that one of the two diets is superior to the other – but the possible negative effects of vegetarianism can be minimized by a conscious and balanced diet. You can read more detailed information on this topic here: Vegetarian diet
