What Does Vegetarian Mean? Vegetarian Nutrition

June 4, 2024

The vegetarian diet, which is not considered a restrictive diet, allows people to eat a wide variety of plant products and legumes. The most common vegetarian diet consists of plant-based foods. While most vegetarians do not consume red meat, fish, chicken or other types of animal protein, as we have mentioned in our other articles; Since there are different types of vegetarian diets, the foods consumed in this diet may vary.

In addition to its ethical and environmental benefits, not including meat in your diet can reduce the risk of chronic disease, support weight loss and increase the quality of your diet if planned well.

People usually choose a vegetarian diet for religious or personal reasons and ethical issues such as animal rights. Some individuals may decide to follow this diet for environmental reasons such as animal production and contributing to climate change (1, 2). In this article, we will try to answer some questions about the difference between vegan and vegetarian diets and vegetarianism. Enjoy reading

Briefly, the Difference Between Vegan and Vegetarian

Both veganism and vegetarianism continue to gain popularity in the world. It is thought that 22% of the global population is vegetarian (1.5 billion). While 39.5% of the population of India, one of the largest countries in the world, is vegetarian, the number of vegetarians in Nigeria has reached 1.4 million. According to research, 6% of the UK population, 5% of the US population, and 9% of the German population are vegetarian. There is a similarly high increase in veganism (3).

The differences between these two diet types, which have been on the agenda more recently in our country - which also have many different subtypes - are a matter of curiosity. In short, vegan and vegetarian individuals do not include meat and meat products in their diets. However, veganism can be defined as a stricter diet. The reason for this is that in veganism, there is no consumption of other products obtained from animal products such as milk, eggs, and honey, which can be included in vegetarian diets. Veganism also prohibits the use of animal products such as silk and leather. In short, veganism can be called a stricter form of vegetarianism (4, 5)

What Do Vegetarians Eat and What They Don't Eat?

As we mentioned in the previous heading, vegetarians stay away from meat products. Instead of meat products, they prefer a plant-based diet. In addition, the use of animal products such as eggs, milk and honey can be found in their diet - unlike veganism. On the other hand, there are many different types of vegetarianism under the umbrella of the vegetarian diet. Therefore, a vegetarian individual must first decide which vegetarian diet they will prefer (1, 2). For more detailed information about the types of vegetarian diets, you can visit our article "Types of Vegetarians".

Many people who are curious about vegetarianism wonder which products can and cannot be eaten within the scope of this diet. Let's try to answer the most curious ones:

Do Vegetarians Consume Dairy Products, Yogurt and Cheese?
Vegetarians can mostly consume milk. For this reason, cheese and yogurt, which are dairy products, can also be included in a vegetarian diet. On the other hand, Ovo-vegetarian and pescatarian individuals do not include dairy products, namely cheese and yogurt, in their diets. If you prefer one of these diets, you should not consume cheese, yogurt and other dairy products (6, 7, 8, 9). Therefore, you should first decide which type of vegetarian you prefer.

Do Vegetarians Eat Eggs?

We can say that the situation is the same with eggs as with dairy products. Although including eggs in the diet is not seen as a problem in most types of vegetarianism, eggs are not included in a lacto-vegetarian diet. Therefore, if you are a lacto-vegetarian individual, you should not include eggs in your diet (9, 10).

Do Vegetarians Eat Fish?

Although meat and fish products are not preferred in these diets, fish and seafood are included in the diets of pescatarian diet preferences. On the other hand, fish products are not included in other types of vegetarianism. The reason for including them in this diet is to eliminate the deficiency of Omega-3 structure that can be obtained from seafood (8, 9).

Can Vegetarians Eat Mussels?

Although any seafood is not allowed in veganism and generally vegetarianism, as in fish consumption, consumption of fish and seafood is possible in the pescatarian diet. For this reason, if you follow pescatarianism, you can add mussels to your diet (8, 9).

Can Vegetarians Eat Jelly?

Jelly is not suitable for vegan/vegetarian diets because it contains gelatin, an animal product. However, gelatin-free jelly beans are produced today and these products are suitable for the consumption of vegan and vegetarian individuals. In addition, attention should be paid to whether the product purchased has a vegan or vegetarian certificate (11)

What to Consider When Choosing Vegan and Vegetarian Products?

Vegan products are products that are completely free of any animal substance. It can be difficult to find vegan/vegetarian products, especially in our country. Since the sector is newly formed in our country and demand has just started to increase, products that are actually vegan are not offered as vegan or products that can be made vegan with very small changes in the production processes cannot be vegan. Manufacturers may not know the vegan feature of the products they produce and may not offer them that way. Even if it is known that vegan production is made (due to the cost of the certificate or other reasons), a vegan certificate is not obtained and this creates distrust in the consumer.

The Vegan Association accepts 3 different types of veganism for products in our country. The first and most reliable of these is the vegan certified product. The second is the product declared as vegan by the manufacturer even if it does not have a vegan certificate. The third is the products that are generally accepted to be vegan by looking at the label information.

At this point, it is important for consumers to check whether the product has a vegan certificate or not, and if it does not have a certificate, to see the vegan declaration by the manufacturer on the product packaging. If none of these are available, the label information should be carefully examined, an attempt should be made to determine whether it contains animal content, and if necessary, support should be sought from various vegan forums and expert organizations such as the Vegan Association.

One of the issues that should be paid attention to when choosing a product is that the products selected for the diet include the components that the body needs. Products rich in vitamin D, vitamin B12 and protein should be selected, and products containing high sodium, added sugar and fat, and high carbohydrates should be avoided. Diets should meet the need for calcium. In addition, getting advice from a physician or expert before choosing such products can help you choose a product (12, 13).

Due to the inappropriateness of manufacturing conditions and lack of inspection, the supply of globally accepted certified products such as V-label, V-Mark and purchasing these products from reliable suppliers should also be a priority

Bikalite Vegan Market for Certified and Declared Vegan Products

It can be difficult to find the nutritional supplement your body needs, and unconscious use of supplements can harm your health. In addition, taking supplements containing additives can also negatively affect your health. It is very important that the product used in supplementary foods and other vegetarian products is safe, certified, and vegan declared.

At Bikalite, the documents belonging to the products and manufacturing companies are meticulously examined. For this reason, you can easily find products with vegan certificates or vegan declarations at Bikalite Vegan Market and meet the daily needs of you and your loved ones.

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