Dietary Dictionary

The perceived dietary binary is gone: It is no longer you eat meat or you don’t. Many people today are customizing their eating style to fit their needs, interests, beliefs and tastes, creating a litany of new lingo and labels. However, it all gets pretty confusing quickly with so many titles!

Plant-forward diets and the current plant-forward trend were put under the microscope in the June/July article “Lettuce Celebrate Plants,” but let’s take a deep dive down into the many lifestyle choices people are taking when to comes to their daily eating habits. While some dietary choices indeed have become more of a marketing tactic or fad, people are finding autonomy and creativity in creating an eating style that is right for them. And you may meet a student customer who follows one of the below.

On a personal note, if one of these eating styles intrigues you, research it thoroughly first. These are not one-size-fits-all approaches as everybody is different. If you’re interested in changing your current eating style or have further questions, consult a doctor or dietitian.

From plant heavy to meat centric, here are the words and phrases you need to know when it comes to dietary choices.

 

• Climatarian: At its core, this style’s aim is to reverse climate change through eating “land-efficient” foods (preferably organic and local produce, beans, grains) and cut down on food waste
• Flexitarian: A very flexible style of eating in which a person eats meat sparingly; not very strict and considered “semi-vegetarian”
• Fruitarianism: A subset of veganism, emphasis is put primarily on fruits, with small amounts of nuts and seeds—about 25%
• Halal: Translated as “permissible” in Arabic, these are foods that are allowed under Islamic law and guidelines are provided as to what kinds and cuts of meat are allowed
• Keto: Consumption of carbohydrates is extremely limited, and focus is put instead on fats
• Kosher: These are foods prepared in accordance to Jewish dietary laws and does provide guidance on kinds of meats allowed
• Macrobiotics: Derived from ancient Asian philosophies that applies the principles of yin and yang energies to food
• Meatless Monday: An international movement in which on every Monday, a person eats meat-free the entire day, or chooses to eat a meat-free meal
• Omnivorous Diet: A diet that emphasizes animal foods as the primary source of protein
• Paleo: Removes grains in all forms (including corn), soy, sugars (except honey and maple syrup), beans/legumes and dairy and puts primary emphasis on meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, nuts, seeds and fruits
• Pescatarian: Fish is included in addition to eggs and dairy products
• Pollotarian: This “semi-vegetarian” eating style limits meat consumption to poultry only with no consumption of red meat or fish/seafood
• Primal: Similar to paleo, but does include raw, full-fat dairy (and some individuals do eat certain grains like quinoa)
• Raw Vegan: Based off a vegan diet, emphasis is placed on raw, plant-based foods like produce, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains and healthy fats, and there is no consumption of animal products or foods cooked at high temperatures
• Reducetarian: Similar to “flexitarian,” this ideology inspired a nonprofit organization and champions eating less meat overall for the benefit of health, animals and environment
• Vegan: A dietary lifestyle where one does not eat any animal products, and includes items like eggs, honey and cheese.
• Vegan Before Six (VB6): Follow a vegan-style of eating until 6 p.m. and after that, meat and other animal products can be introduced
• Vegetarian: In addition to vegetables, fruits, grains and other plant-based foods, this also includes eggs and dairy (Can also be referred to as lacto-ovo vegetarian)
  • Lacto-vegetarian: A sub-category of vegetarianism that eats dairy but not eggs
  • Ovo-vegetarian: A sub-category of vegetarianism that eats eggs but not dairy
• Whole30: A strict 30-day paleo plan, but with limitations on the consumption of fruits and certain carbohydrates

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