What Do Lacto-ovo Vegetarians Eat?

There are several types of vegetarianism and it can be a little confusing to the uninitiated to tell the difference. Of primary importance is that all vegetarians abstain from eating flesh foods like meat, poultry and fish. Most people who call themselves "vegetarian" fall into the lacto-ovo vegetarian category. Unlike vegans, lacto-ovo vegetarians merely abstain from eating foods made from the animal itself, rather than from animal products altogether.

Animal Byproducts

The "lacto" portion their title indicates that lacto-ovo vegetarians eat dairy products, and "ovo" refers to eggs. Milk, cheese, yogurt and eggs are all acceptable on the lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. An often overlooked animal byproduct that is acceptable to lacto-ovo vegetarians --- but not most vegans --- is honey.

Protein

Vegetarians are often asked how they get enough protein. There is no need to eat special protein foods to replace meat, fish and poultry. Vegetarians, like most Americans, are more likely to get too much protein than too little. Moderately active adults only need between 0.8 and 1 g of protein per kilogram of body weight. Using that figure, a 180-lb. person would need between 65 and 82 g of protein per day. Even if you leave out high protein foods like beans, nuts, milk and eggs and your entire calorie supply is coming from vegetables like broccoli and carrots, you would fulfill your protein requirements in less than 1,500 calories. That said, the protein in a vegetarian diet comes from a variety of sources like beans, tofu, nuts, milk, yogurt, whole grains and vegetables.

Exclusions

The lacto-ovo vegetarian diet is not complicated or difficult to understand. With the exception of meat, poultry and fish, vegetarians eat everything on the food pyramid. Any individual person's diet will be based on his tastes and preferences just like any omnivore's diet. Grain foods, dairy, eggs, vegetables, fruit and beans are all chosen from the same foods available to people who eat meat, although vegetarians are likely to eat more of these foods because they are not eating meat. The most significant aspect of the diet as far as defining it are not the things that lacto-ovo vegetarians do eat, but the things that they do not. In addition to not eating actual pieces of meat, poultry or fish, lacto-ovo vegetarians do not use beef or chicken stock and they do not eat foods fried in rendered animal fat like lard or beef tallow.

Benefits

The Adventist Health Study, which Loma Linda University began in 1958 and continues to monitor today, has shown that lacto-ovo vegetarians enjoy lower incidence of heart disease, diabetes and nearly every type of cancer than their omnivore counterparts. There are a number of possible explanations for the lower rates of disease. Vegetarians have lower rates of overweight and obesity, which is a major risk factor for many diseases. It is also possible that vegetarians consume higher amounts of fruits and vegetables and the antioxidants that those foods contain. Since vegetarians are likely to replace foods like meat, poultry and fish with high-fiber foods like beans, they tend to eat a diet that is significantly higher in fiber. High-fiber diets are correlated to lower risk of both heart disease and colon cancer.