There are many reasons (spiritual, health, weight loss, allergies, environmental, ethical, etc.) to stop eating animal products, and this can be a long process. The more you learn about the topic, you will find that your diet changes as well. Here is a list of the most common types of transitional diets and meat-free diets.
Transitional diets
Flexitarian: May choose not to eat meat, fish, poultry, dairy or eggs. But sometimes might eat any of those.
Pescatarian: Chooses not to eat meat, poultry, dairy, or eggs. Eats fish.
Pollotarian: Chooses not to eat meat, dairy, eggs or fish. Eats poultry.
Meat-Free diets
Ovo-Lacto-Vegetarian: Chooses not to eat meat, fish, or poultry. Eats dairy (milk, cheese, butter, ghee, yogurt, creamer, whipped cream, etc.) and eggs (prepared per se, and in baked goods).
Lacto-Vegetarian: Chooses not to eat meat, fish, poultry, or eggs. Eats dairy.
Ovo-Vegetarian: Chooses not to eat meat, fish, poultry, or dairy. Eats eggs.
Vegetarian: Most known meat-free diet. Vegetarians choose to not eat meat (this includes all land animals), fish (this includes all sea animals), or poultry (this includes all birds), and as explained below might exclude or include other animal-based products in their diets. A well-planned vegetarian diet is rich in fruits (fresh, dried, or dehydrated), vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouted or soaked grains and legumes, fermented foods (tempeh, miso, kimchi and sauerkraut), seaweed, spices, and some form of vitamin B12 supplementation. It also tends to be naturally low in highly processed foods, although it may also include the many meat and dairy substitutes (known as transition products) existing on the market nowadays.
Plant-based: Chooses not to eat meat, fish, poultry, dairy or eggs. Eats whole plant-based foods, may avoid highly processed foods and artificial colorings (red #40, yellow #5).
Vegan/Pure Vegetarian: Chooses not to eat meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs, or animal by-products like casein, and gelatin (present on some supplements). Also, many choose to not eat honey. Veganism goes beyond food choices. See below for more on Ethical vegan, and Green vegan. It is very important to point out that vegans choose to follow this diet due to moral and ethical reasons. That is why vegans will never go back to eating animal products. If some say they did, they were never vegan - they might have been plant-based.
Ethical Vegan: Chooses not to eat meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs, or honey. Avoids white sugar (bone char), products tested on animals, by-products in clothing (leather, silk, fur, wool, feathers), in beauty products (retinol, keratin, squalene, collagen, glycerin, lanolin, carmine, shellac, beeswax, stearic acid, oleic acid, lactic acid, guanine, allantoin, ambergris), and in alcoholic drinks (albumen, chitin, isinglass). Do not attend or support events, and industries that use animals as entertainment. Some even choose not to have carnivore animal companions, or any kind of animal companions, even though they may love them.
Green Vegan: Chooses not to eat meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs, or honey. Also avoids single-use plastics, plastics in general, and products linked to pollution (favoring clean energy sources), deforestation (palm oil), and global warming (prefers oat milk to other non-dairy milks). May also shop local and seasonal produce.
Raw Vegan: Chooses not to eat meat, fish, poultry, dairy, or eggs. Also chooses to eat raw and/or prepare meals at temperatures below 104–118°F (40–48°C), and to completely avoid processed foods.
Fruitarian: Chooses not to eat meat, fish, poultry, dairy, or eggs. Also chooses to eat raw fruit, understanding that a fruit is anything produced by a plant and that will naturally fall from the plant when ready to be eaten. Here is a short fruit list to aid in better understanding this diet. Acid fruits: citrus, cranberries, pineapples; Subacid fruits: cherries, raspberries, figs; Sweet fruits: bananas, grapes, melons; Oily fruits: avocados, coconuts, olives; Vegetable fruits: peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash. Plus, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. However, strict fruitarians may eat up to 90% fruit and approximately just 10% nuts and seeds.
Do these “labels” matter? It is good to be aware of the proper lingo, as it will avoid confusion and awkward situations when talking with others.
I sincerely hope you find this helpful. As you progress on your dietary changes, consider surrounding yourself with like-minded people who will support and encourage you in your transition, and strive for constant improvement rather than perfection. Also remember to be kind to yourself if at any point, either by choice or by accident, you stray from the dietary path you’ve chosen.
Your body, the planet and the animals you choose to leave out of your plate thank you.
