Healthy Body & Soul

For the new vegetarian and the new vegetarian's family and friends what to serve can be a little confusing.

The term Vegetarian covers a broad range of diets, which leaves its definition open for interpretation.

Some vegetarians eat fish, others drink milk and vegan's don't eat anything that comes from an animal; not even honey.

To help distinguish the differences, vegetarians have been divided into four different categories; pecto, lacto-ovo, lacto and vegan.

The pecto vegetarian is a vegetarian who does not eat any red meat but will consume fish, poultry, eggs and dairy. This category is controversial as most vegetarians consider poultry and fish to be meat.

The lacto-ovo vegetarian will not consume any meat products but will consume eggs and dairy. Eggs have long been considered liquid meat.

The lacto vegetarian will not consume any meat products or eggs but will consume dairy.

The vegan will not eat any products derived from animals this includes eggs, dairy and even honey. The vegan is often considered a pure vegetarian.

But no matter what category you fall into, today it is easier then ever to make the transition between meat eater to vegetarian. Most supermarkets carry a variety of vegetarian alternatives including tofu, soymilk, veggie burgers, veggie dogs and soy cheese.

Even fast food chains are now offering vegetarian alternatives. Veggie burgers can be found at Burger King and Harvey's, salads at Wendy's and cheeseless pizza anywhere you go. (You just have to ask!) It is even common to see a street vendor offering veggie dogs.

Also, almost all traditional recipes can be altered to fit a vegetarian lifestyle. No more just eating cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving.