Types of "Veggie Folk"

Clearly, I'm not discovering anything new in my veggie quest.  All the information is out there, written about ad naseum.  I think there are probably about as many types of 'veggies' as there are crayons in the BIG box!  So, to make things a little easier, I've compiled some basic information because we all love labels, right? on the most common types :


1. Pescatarian (pesky people who wanna eat healthy...  In other words, ME!)
The word “pescatarian” is occasionally used to describe those who abstain from eating all meat and animal flesh with the exception of fish. Although the word is not commonly used, more and more people are adopting this kind of diet, usually for health reasons or as a stepping stone to a fully vegetarian diet.

2. Flexitarian/Semi-vegetarian (that would be my BF; she's on board with the healthy thing, bless her heart)
You don’t have to be vegetarian to love vegetarian food! “Flexitarian” is a term recently coined to describe those who eat a mostly vegetarian diet, but occasionally eat meat.

3. Vegetarian [Lacto-ovo- vegetarian] (what a mouthful, huh?  I guess I'm actually closer to this...)
When most people think of vegetarians, they think of lacto-ovo-vegetarians. People who do not eat beef, pork, poultry, fish, shellfish or animal flesh of any kind, but do eat eggs and dairy products are lacto-ovo vegetarians (“lacto” comes from the Latin for milk, and “ovo” for egg). So, to further confuse you:
Lacto-vegetarian is used to describe a vegetarian who does not eat eggs, but does eat dairy products.
Ovo-vegetarian refers to people who do not eat meat or dairy products but do eat eggs. (Ok, when you call an egg "ovo", I don't want to eat it either!  Human egg cells are called "ovum".  Ewwww.)

4. Vegan (my friends daughter is a vegan - awkward when we went to the movies and she passed on the buttered popcorn!)
Vegans do not eat meat of any kind and also do not eat eggs, dairy products, or processed foods containing these or other animal-derived ingredients such as gelatin and butter. Many vegans also refrain from eating foods that are made using animal products that may not contain animal products in the finished process, such as sugar and some wines. There is some debate as to whether certain foods, such as honey, fit into a vegan diet.

5. Raw vegan/Raw food diet (in theory, very nutritious...but in practice, ewww.  I like carrot sticks, but c'mon!)
A raw vegan diet consists of unprocessed vegan foods that have not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius). “Raw foodists” believe that foods cooked above this temperature have lost a significant amount of their nutritional value and are harmful to the body.

6. Macrobiotic (I don't even get this one...)
The macrobiotic diet, revered by some for its healthy and healing qualities, includes unprocessed vegan foods, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and allows the occasional consumption of fish. Sugar and refined oils are avoided. Perhaps the most unique qualifier of the macrobiotic diet is its emphasis on the consumption of Asian vegetables, such as daikon, and sea vegetables, such as seaweed.
 
 
So, to sum things up, I'd like to leave you with the following thought:
 
“I’m a level 5 vegan—I don’t eat anything that casts a shadow.” –Character on The Simpsons