What is a “Plant-Based” Diet? & Other Amazing Diets Defined

Hey earth muffins! A couple of years into my eco journey, I decided to stop eating meat during Plastic Free July. When I first made this decision, I wanted to see how it would affect my body and make me feel. After the one year mark, it was obvious that this was going to stick. July 2021 is the two year milestone – crazy to think all of that time has gone by! There are plenty of reasons why you should consider giving up meat as well; but, diet is an individual choice. And, there are many different plant-based diets out there to consider! For today’s post, I wanted to define some of the most popular plant-based diet options. Let’s jump right into it! 🥕

A “Plant-Based” Diet

Surprisingly, there isn’t really one encompassing definition for a “plant-based” diet! If you consider yourself someone who follows a plant-based diet, your meals contain much more plant derived foods than things from animals. The food you eat is often less processed and a “whole food” compared to other diets. I like to think of “plant-based” as an umbrella term that encompasses all of the following terms under it. 😊 It definitely is more inclusive because it includes a spectrum of people from hardcore vegans to omnivores.

Vegetarian

The dictionary defines a vegetarian as someone who “does not eat meat, and sometimes other animal products, especially for moral, religious, or health reasons”. Never fear – you can still get plenty of protein even without meat and fish; there are plenty of non-meat protein options! It seems like this diet is a popular option for reasons outside of helping the environment… But there is lots of evidence that refusing to eat meat helps the planet!

Pescatarian

While I have called myself a vegetarian for the past two years, I really should have been calling myself a “pescatarian”. If you consider yourself this plant-based diet, you allow yourself to still eat fish. I originally decided to become a pescatarian because I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to quit all meats right away. Now that I have two years under my belt, I am slowly moving towards being a full-time vegetarian. The Seaspiracy documentary on Netflix really inspired me to limit my fish consumption as much as possible. It is a great (but sad) documentary I recommend you all watch!

Flexitarian/”Omnivore”

If you are also concerned about giving up meat cold turkey (pun intended), this might be the plant-based diet for you! A flexitarian is someone who centers their diet around plant derived foods, but will occasionally include meat as well. Another term for this is a “semi-vegetarian diet”. The meat and fishing industries are absolutely terrible for the planet, so many eco warriers believe that the vegetarian/vegan diet is the only way to go. But, every small change helps! If you want to eat meat a couple days each week, the flexitarian option is a great way to reduce your meat consumption. 🐄

Vegan

Last but not least, the vegans! The strictest of the plant-based diets, a vegan abstains from consumption of any animal product. This includes things like eggs, milk, and even honey. Some vegans also take this past their diets and refuse animal products in everything from blankets to makeup products. While I haven’t considered a vegan diet yet, I’ve definitely had some delicious vegan food! It used to be much more difficult to be a vegan, but now there are many vegan options on the market. Definitely an awesome plant-based diet choice!

Final Thoughts on Plant-Based Diets

If you want to reduce your impact on the planet in a meaningful way, then a plant-based diet might be for you! Whether you decide to be an omnivore or go all in as a vegan, the way you eat is an individual choice. Do what makes your body feel the best! Just like with any major change, keep tabs on yourself and monitor how you feel. It is important to keep all of your key nutrients and vitamins at good levels through eating healthy and/or taking supplements. From my experience, I’ve loved being on a plant-based diet; there are many great recipes to try (see my favorites here!)! What are your thoughts on plant-based diets?

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