PLANT BASED DIET
To fully grasp this diet, you first need to understand its definition. As its name suggests, a plant-based diet primarily focuses on foods derived from plants, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes. You can still consume meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products, but in limited amounts—or you may eliminate animal-based ingredients altogether, depending on the specific dietary approach you follow.
The plant-based diet encompasses several different approaches, which can generally be categorized as follows:
Plant-Based Diet vs. Vegan Diet
When hearing about a plant-based diet, many people mistakenly associate it with a vegan diet due to its emphasis on plant-based foods. However, the plant-based diet is a broader and more flexible approach compared to veganism.
- Vegan Diet: Strictly consists of plant-based foods, excluding all animal products, including honey, eggs, dairy, and their derivatives.
- Lacto-Vegetarian Diet: Includes plant-based foods along with dairy products but excludes eggs, meat, poultry, and seafood.
- Ovo-Vegetarian Diet: Includes plant-based foods and eggs but avoids dairy products and all other animal-based foods.
- Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Diet: Allows both dairy products and eggs while avoiding meat, poultry, and seafood.
- Pescatarian Diet: Includes plant-based foods along with fish and/or shellfish.
- Flexitarian Diet: The most popular plant-based approach, allowing occasional consumption of animal products (such as seafood, poultry, eggs, or dairy) while still prioritizing plant-based foods.