For many people, being a vegetarian means simply avoiding meat. However, there are many variations of the vegetarian diet. Among those is the ovo-vegetarian diet.
You may not have heard the term “ovo-vegetarian”. Don’t worry: In this article, we’ll tell you what this diet consists of, the advantages of it and why it’s a healthy option that you could turn into a lifestyle.
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism is a diet that eliminates the consumption of all or most animal products. However, there are different types of the vegetarian diet.
Here are some of them:
- Strict vegetarians or vegans consume only plant-based foods. They don’t eat any animal based foods such as dairy, eggs or honey from bees.
- Lactovegetarians: As the name suggests, these people consume both plant-based foods and dairy products (like milk and dairy products).
- Ovo-vegetarians have a diet that’s plant and egg based. It’s a nutrient-rich diet that we’ll discuss below.
- Ovo-lactovegetarians are people who eat plant, eggs and milk derivatives. As with the previous diet, they abstain from eating meat or fish. This is the variation most commonly practiced in the West.
What is Ovo-vegetarianism?
The ovo-vegetarian diet is a type of vegetarianism that excludes the consumption of meat, fish and dairy products. However, it allows the individual to eat eggs.
If you follow an ovo-vegetarian diet, you’ll continue to consume all foods present in vegetarianism, such as grains, mushrooms, legumes, fruits and vegetables. In addition, you can also add eggs and their derivatives to your recipes.
What Are the Advantages of the Ovo-Vegetarian Diet?
Vegetarianism is known to provide a number of health benefits, including cholesterol reduction. Most of these dishes are made with legumes, vegetables and fruits.
The vegetarian diet has considerably less calories and is less harmful to our body than the typical Western diet, which consists of many processed foods. However, if not well planned, it can lead to protein deficiency. An advantage of including eggs in the vegetarian diet is that eggs are a good source of protein.
Strict vegetarians should also supplement with vitamin B12, a vitamin that’s only present in animal products. However, ovo-vegetarians can obtain B12 from eggs in their diet.
The Benefits of Eggs
Eggs are one of the most nutrient-rich foods that exist. They’re loaded with vitamins, minerals, high-quality protein, essential fatty acids and other nutrients. Almost all of these are concentrated in the yolk.
Some of the nutrients that eggs contain are iron, zinc and vitamins A, D and B12. Fortunately, they’re also easily absorbed by the body. This allows ovo-vegetarians to get these nutrients easily without having to supplement or eat a specific diet.
Ethics Also Play a Role in the Ovo-vegetarian Diet
The majority of ovo-vegetarians follow this lifestyle for health reasons, but also for ethical and moral reasons. By no longer consuming meat, fish and dairy products, they defend animal rights.
In addition, they have a positive influence on the environment because they don’t contribute as much to the negative impact industrial livestock has on it.
Ovo-vegetarian Dishes
Here are some dishes to help you include eggs in your diet. They go well with recipes made with legumes, mushrooms, vegetables and fruits.
- Cooked eggs
- Poached eggs
- Carrot pudding
- Scrambled eggs with potatoes
- Eggs and spinach
- Potato croquettes
- Dough for noodles
- Potatoes with cream
Via: TheSpruceEats
