There are several types of vegetarian diets and here we will show you the main four. They are: ovovegetarian, lactovegetarian, ovolactovegetarian and strict vegetarian or vegan.
Keep reading to understand how each of these diets works and learn that a vegetarian diet is not just about eating vegetables, there is a very rich cuisine with a focus on a single goal: The Veganism.
We are going to focus on the strict vegetarian or vegan diet, because that is the vegan diet and, to help you, we have prepared two tips to help you in the process of transitioning from lighter diets to the vegan diet, follow until the end to see the tips.
Ovovegetarian Diet
The ovovegetarian diet is a vegetarian diet because it does not involve the consumption of animal meat, but it is not a strict vegetarian or vegan diet, as we usually call it.
In the ovovegetarian diet, the person can consume egg or egg based products and, within the vegan lifestyle, it is a diet that we can join first in a smooth transition to our goal, which is the vegetarian diet. After all, switching abruptly from a carnivore to a strict vegetarian diet can be a very drastic process, and we usually give up within a few days or weeks.
Lactovegetarian Diet
The lactovegetarian diet has the prefix lacto which means milk or lactose. Therefore, this diet is vegetarian, but includes recipes based on milk and its derivatives. It is a diet that can also be used as a way to make a smooth transition towards veganism.
It is important to pay attention to problems of lactose intolerance, as this diet can pose risks if you have this type of intolerance. If you are looking for vegan or vegetarian recipes without lactose, we teach you several in our App.
Ovolactovegetarian Diet
Now that we have already introduced both ovo and lactovegetarian diet, it is easier to understand the ovo-lactovegetarian diet, which is an addition of the other two.
In the ovolactovegetarian diet, which is also vegetarian, the person does not consume any type of animal meat, so he is vegetarian, but he still consumes milk, eggs and their derivatives. This diet also works as a smooth transition to veganism.
Strict Vegetarian or Vegan Diet
Now that you know the three smooth transition vegetarian diets, it's time to introduce you to the strict vegetarian or vegan diet. Within the vegan lifestyle this diet is the biggest and hardest goal to achieve.
This is a very restrictive and difficult diet to stick to without studying or knowing some recipes, but know that it is not impossible and we can help you with that.
The strict vegetarian diet is the veganism diet because in it we not only stop consuming animal meat, but also stop consuming egg products, milk or any other product from animal origin.
The result is that we have a healthy diet, free of animal suffering and that also helps the environment. There are several studies that measure the impact of a vegan diet in just one day, so it's worth a try.
How to switch from an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet to a vegan diet?
After joining the vegan lifestyle, we begin to understand that it is necessary to push ourselves to the vegan diet, giving up to the consumption of any product that involves animal suffering. Thinking about it, we've come up with two tips to help you.
First Tip: Find vegan egg and milk substitutes
There are a variety of egg and milk based recipes that works just well once we replace the eggs and milk by vegan options. For example, egg can be substituted for peanut butter in vegan cake recipes.
Besides, there is a huge variety of vegan milks available for you to learn. Those can be made from soy, oats, rice, coconut, and much more. Learn how to make your own homemade vegan milk in our app.
Second Tip: Make a smooth transition
The path to veganism needs to be slow because changing our lifestyle is a long process. Therefore, make a slow transition, learn to make vegan recipes first and study more about the vegan lifestyle.
Understand that it's a process, so avoid pushing yourself too hard. Only then it will be possible for you to succeed in this journey and the results are even more lasting.
Thinking about this difficulty, we've created the 12 weeks vegan challenge, which consists of a challenge of daily and weekly tasks for you to become vegan without pressure in an easy and gradual way.