VEGAN, VEGETARIAN, PESCATARIAN & EVERYTHING ELSE …. WHAT’S THE DIFF?

As human beings, we are pretty blessed to be able to select the foods we consume.  With plant-based diets on the rise, there has been an ever-growing development of titles that cater for certain diets – and understandably, this can be quite confusing at times! 😌

Call us a plant-based dictionary, cos we got chu with allllll the definitions baby! 🤓 🤓 🤓 

With this gem, you’ll be spit-balling dietary names A$AP Rocky!!

Vegan

Being vegan, or plant-based, means you don’t consume ANY meats or products that come from animals – this includes fish! Vegans don’t consume dairy products ( standard ice creams, yoghurts, cheeses ), eggs and honey.  Hence, if living a plant-based lifestyle, it’s important to check the ingredients in baked goods, smoothies and sweets (so that dairy or eggs aren’t accidentally consumed!).

Vegetarian

Vegetarians do not consume meat or fish.  They still however eat dairy products, eggs and honey!

Pescatarian

Pescatarians are like vegetarians, except they DO eat fish. Hence, they essentially don’t eat meat from land-animals.

Paleotarian

More commonly known as a Paleo diet, this consists of fresh fruits, vegetables and lean meats only. They do not consume gluten, grains, legumes, dairy, starchy vegetables ( like potatoes ), excessive carbs and processed foods.

Ketogenic

The Keto lifestyle is essentially known as the “low carb” diet, which aims to cut back the calories from sugar, soft drinks, pastries and white bread.  The idea is to consume 20-50g of carbs per day, and obtain protein from wholesome products such as seafood, non-starchy vegetables ( like kale & broccoli ), cheese, avocados, lean meats & poultry!  

Flexitarian

A flexitarian diet encourages a plant-based diet, however, it permits you to eat animal products ( like meat, eggs and dairy ) in moderation. It’s pretty much the ‘flexible’ version of a vegetarian or vegan diet – flexible… flexi…flexitarian…. geddit? 😜  So, if you’re trying out a plant-based lifestyle, this is an awesome place to start!  

Fruitarian

This one is pretty self explanatory – it’s a diet where people only eat fruit.  However, some fruitarians consume seeds (and occasional nuts) to get dat extra protein ya-know.

Macrobiotic

According to Medical author Melissa Conrad Stoppler, “macrobiotic diets combine the concepts of Buddhist spirituality and certain dietary principles with the goal of balancing spiritual and physical wellness. Macrobiotic diets aim to avoid the “toxins” that come from eating dairy products, meats, and oily foods. A macrobiotic diet consists largely of whole grains, cereals, and cooked vegetables.”

Stoppleralso states that “A macrobiotic diet also recommends consumption of locally-grown produce and avoidance of fruits that do not grow locally, such as bananas, pineapples and other tropical fruits.”

Beegan

‘Beegan’ – sounds like a Walmart version of vegan hey?  Well, it’s actually the exact same as veganism, except you are allowed to eat honey! This was allegedly derived from a movement to promote beekeepers (because roughly 33% of food we consume relies on the pollination process!).  

Raw Foodie

The raw food diet (aka raw foodism & raw veganism) is a diet whereby consumers eat mostly, or completely raw and unprocessed foods.  

Like veganism, the raw food diet is generally plant-based; consisting of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.  Some people also consume raw eggs, dairy, raw fish and sometimes raw meat! 

Freakin’ Awesome:

That’s you 😉 

We hope this helps you understand the many plant-based diets that are prevalent today!

Do any of these diets apply to you? Have we missed any the you’d like to know more about?! Chuck us a comment if you learned something new today 🥰🤘🏽