Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian or flexitarian – what’s the best diet for you?

Hetty McKinnon's vegetarian menu item at Veda in Ovolo Hong Kong: Toppings with halloumi, chives, honey / preserved lemon, labneh / harissa, goat’s cheese / pickled carrot, feta, Aleppo / five spice shiitake, scallions, shaved Parmesan / broken eggs, dukkah. Photo: Instagram @arthursstreetkitchen

Vegetarian, pescatarian, flexitarian and vegan – all are no- or limited-meat diets, so what’s the difference? And why do we need all of them?

They all revolve around eating a plant-based diet, but there are notable differences when it comes to what specific food groups each includes.

Even though only 3 per cent of Americans identified as vegan and 5 per cent said they were vegetarian in a recent Gallup Poll, Nielsen reports that 39 per cent of Americans in 2017 were actively trying to eat more plant-based foods.

A 2018 report by food consultants Baum and Whiteman showed that more than 30 per cent of Americans have meat-free days, more than 50 per cent of adults drink non-dairy milk and about 83 per cent are adding more plant-based foods to their diets.

 

While being on a plant-based diet has been shown to help people lose weight, that is not the only reason some people choose to go down that route. Some people refrain from eating meat on ethical grounds because they believe eating animals is morally wrong. Other people decide to lead a plant-based lifestyle to reduce their carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions.

It’s important to note that just because you are a vegetarian or vegan does not automatically mean you eat a “healthy” diet.

Check out the differences between these diets below, so you don’t accidentally offer a vegan a mozzarella stick instead of turkey meatballs because they “don’t eat meat”.

Vegetarian

 

Probably the most familiar of them all: the vegetarian.

A vegetarian is someone who refrains from eating all types of meat, whether it be poultry, red meat or fish (including shellfish). They don’t eat anything that has been made from the body of a living or dead animal.

Their diet consists mostly of grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, dairy and practically anything else that does not involve the body parts of an animal.

Pescatarian

A pescatarian follows the same dietary guidelines as a vegetarian, except they eat fish.

The word pescatarian comes from combining “pesce”, which means “fish” in Italian and “vegetarian”.

Why fish? It depends on the person’s preference. It could be for environmental or health reasons. Some pescatarians allow fish and seafood in their diet so that they can add more protein and other nutrients they might be missing from eating an all-round plant-based diet.

Even though only 3 per cent of Americans identified as vegan and 5 per cent said they were vegetarian in a recent Gallup Poll, Nielsen reports that 39 per cent of Americans in 2017 were actively trying to eat more plant-based foods.
Rasha Ali

Flexitarian

A flexitarian is someone who is a part-time vegetarian. What?

Flexitarians eat a vegetarian diet without completely removing meat. Their diet consists of more plant-based foods while eating things like red meat and poultry sparingly.

It’s the most flexible of diets (ha, get it? Flexitarian = flexible). You get the best of both worlds, and there are no hard rules about what you’re allowed to eat and what you can’t.

It was made popular by Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian, who wrote The Flexitarian Diet. The diet adds healthy foods to your diet, rather than taking food away.

Vegan

 

A vegan is someone who refrains from eating all animal products. So while some vegetarians eat things such as eggs, cheese and yogurt, vegans do not eat dairy or any animal by-products, such as gelatin.

Sometimes veganism extends beyond the person’s diet and into their lifestyle, with some choosing not to wear leather or silk and even feeding their pets a vegan diet. It just depends on the individual.

Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Wellness

Just because you are a vegetarian or vegan does not necessarily mean you eat a ‘healthy’ diet