What Do Ovo Vegetarians Actually Eat?

Those who are not meat can be ovo-vegetarians, but also ovo-lacto-vegetarians or even vegans. Who is what? We solve the confusion!

Those who eat meat can not understand ovo vegetarians, because meat consumption is important for many people. Therefore, they are not familiar with the differences between different forms of meat-free diet and confuse vegans with vegetarians – and vice versa.

Ovo vegetarians do not eat meat

Ovo- vegetarians, ovo-lacto-vegetarians, lacto-vegetarians and vegans all do not eat meat. But there are sometimes big differences between these forms of nutrition that are hardly known – except among people who forego meat themselves.

We explain what ovo vegetarians (and all other forms of veganism) are.

If a friend or acquaintance soon says to you that he is an ovo vegetarian, then you will know in the future that he is not a vegan, but still does not consume any dairy products. Complicated? Not really, once you’ve understood it. And we explain it to you today.

Vegetarianism is not always veganism!

Oh, such complicated words for an inherently traditional diet! Anyone who has learned Latin can cope with all these terms without thinking, everyone else understands “station”. We explain the forms of meat-free nutrition:

• Vegans : eat a purely plant-based diet without any animal products or foods that involve animals. Honey, for example, is also forbidden.
• Ovo vegetarians: eat a vegan diet, but supplement with eggs and products that contain eggs. Honey is allowed.
• Lacto-vegetarians: eat vegan, but supplement with animal dairy products of all kinds, but sometimes animal rennet is dispensed with for cheese production.

• Ovo-lacto-vegetarians: eat a meatless diet, but eat eggs and dairy products as well as other foods such as honey that are produced by animals or animal components.

It’s actually quite simple, because the name says what is eaten: “Ovo” means “egg” and “Lacto” means “dairy products”. How strictly this is handled is determined by anyone who does not eat meat. There are no laws on this.

Which diet is particularly healthy?

Basically, a balanced ovo-lacto-vegetarian diet is the most uncomplicated form of nutrition for beginners who do not want to eat meat and who do not want to risk malnutrition.

But it is also possible as a lacto-vegetarian, ovo-vegetarian or vegan to get all the necessary nutrients. You just have to be well informed.

A vegan diet is particularly healthy for our climate, because it is not traffic, but animal husbandry that produces a particularly large number of climate-damaging gases. However, if you want to follow a vegan diet, you should do your research well so as not to provoke malnutrition.

Doctors know that vegetarians have a longer life expectancy, are less likely to develop cancer and are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases. A diet without meat and with little or no animal fats is particularly healthy from a medical point of view.

When does it get unhealthy?

Those who do without meat do not necessarily have a healthier diet than their meat-eating neighbors. Because even dairy products contain animal fats, which are bad for the cholesterol level, a dairy product also contains animal protein, which promotes inflammatory processes in the body and a vegan cake also contains unhealthy sugar.

Those who do without meat and have not informed themselves beforehand can suffer from malnutrition, in particular protein, calcium, iron and vitamin B12 are “wobbly candidates” of a vegetarian or vegan diet, so you should be particularly careful with the composition of your food at the beginning.

It is true that people who do without meat are usually less overweight, but plant-based foods also contain fat and sugar.

Vegetable fats are healthier than animal fats, but both types of fat have the same high calorie density and “too much” is quickly too much and ends up on the stomach or hips. A meatless diet can also be unhealthy!

How strictly do you avoid animal products?

Anyone who eats meat cannot imagine how many “purely vegetable” products for them contain “animal”. Some juices are clearly “filtered” with gelatine, some types of cheese use animal rennet from calf stomachs, and some baked goods are fried in lard. If you want to do without animal products entirely, you have to be very knowledgeable.

There are also “pescarians” who generally do not eat meat, but include fish and seafood in their diet. This has nothing to do with vegetarianism in the strict sense of the word, although some Pescarier still count themselves among them.

If you start to do without animal products, we recommend, in accordance with the DGE (German Society for Nutrition), to join as an ovo-lacto vegetarian and then to find out more if you want to do without more animal foods. For you, our environment and the global climate!