Vegan or Vegetarian?

During these critical times, healthy foods are scarce and lack vitamins and minerals. As the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease overwhelms households and limit routes to go to the grocery store and local farmer markets, it's a great time to think about our food habits and choices.

When I was much younger, I enjoyed being a vegetarian. The diet regimen was suitable for my athletic schedule involving track and field, tennis and basketball. To this day, I like discovering different foods and meal ideas, though I didn't resource where to get my proteins and nutrients from when I was practicing vegetarianism.

After losing pounds due to poor food practices, I decided to research foods and vegetarianism a little further. Learning from my past mistakes with different diet lifestyles, I'd explored vegetarianism and was shocked to know more than what I thought!

There's three different types of vegetarians - lacto, ovo and pesco.

Lacto vegetarians eat dairy products, but not eggs, meat and seafood.

Lacto vegetarian diets can to improve heart health. Studies show lacto vegetarian diets may help lower bad cholesterol. This specialty vegetarian diet can lower risks of high blood pressure which causes heart disease and stroke.

Studies show participants on a lacto vegetarian diet has reduced blood sugar with participants with type 2 diabetes.

Ovo vegetarians eat eggs, but not dairy products, meat or seafood. An ovo vegetarian diet is ideal for ones that are lactose intolerant, like myself.

Ovo vegetarian diets include rice, quinoa, barley, herbs, vegetables, mayonnaise and egg noodles to name a few. Ovo vegetarian diets omit all animal milks like cow and goat milk.

Pesco vegetarians, also known as pescatarians are considered as semi-vegetarian. Pesco vegetarians mainly eat foods such as tofu, beans, vegetables, fruits, dairy and grains. Pesco diets are high in Omega-3 fatty acids in fish, shrimp and scallops.

Pesco vegetarian diets are good for ones with high cholesterol and want to omit meat from their food regimen.

Semi-vegetarians eat fish and other seafood, but not meat. Part time vegetarians are also known as flexitarians.

Vegetarian diets contain nutrient packed foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains and seeds.

According to Healthline, studies show to have low cholesterol and saturated fat with vegetarian diets and lifestyle practices. Vegetarian diets are high in vitamins, minerals, fiber and plant compounds.

Vegetarian alternatives like flaxseed oil and hemp foods are good substitutes.

Then there's vegans.

Veganism is a stern form of vegetarianism.

Vegans do not eat nor wear animal products. Vegan diets are plant based including soy products like tofu and tempeh, vegetables and fruits. Because of vegans strict diet lifestyle, vegans have a lower body mass than vegetarians.

A few studies show vegans have lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, various cancers and cardiovascular diseases.

Vegans avoid wearing animal materials like leather and suede and byproducts like cosmetics.

Foods like honey, chocolate and gelatin are a few foods vegans typically avoid due to possible animal byproducts.

New to veganism? Take it slow ...

Research the diet lifestyles that you're interested in trying. Note nutrition supplements are different when you're omitting meat as your [main] source of protein.

Vegetarian diets resources legumes and grains to supplement for vitamins and minerals.

For starters, transform a few of your favorite dishes. For example, I love lasagna. When I discovered and explored eggplant, I began to substitute my ground beef [or ground turkey] with eggplant. I found lasagna to be flavorful with eggplant and a few dashes of Stella Bistro Foods Rustic Italian Sultry Spice. The balance of flavors makes for a robust combination with my pasta sauce.

You can also try new plant based foods. For starters, you can substitute your chicken nuggets with plant based chicken nuggets or burger patties. You can find a few of my favorite plant based foods below.

Take a tasteful leap and read different vegetarian cookbooks that can help expand your palette and excite your next trip to your local grocery store or farmer's market!

As the seasons are becoming warmer, take this time to begin your garden! I chose to garden my own fruits and vegetables because I like different greens like arugula and broccolini. The spring time is the best season to begin your gardening because the ground is warming, which is needed for seeds to grow and sprout.

Happy eating!

Interested in learning more about veganism and vegetarian diets? I would love to learn more with you! Leave a comment and a tip down below!