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6 Types of Vegetarian Diets: A Dietitian Explains

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This article reviews 6 variations of the vegetarian diet, including which foods to include and avoid in each. It also explores a few common reasons why people choose a vegetarian diet.

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6 Types of Vegetarian Diets Explained | The Biting Truth

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Vegetarian diets take many forms. In this article, we breakdown the differences between the most popular vegetarian diets.

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For vegetarians who eat dairy products and eggs, a healthy diet is the same as for anyone else, but without meat or fish.

Healthy eating as a vegetarian

The Eatwell Guide shows the different types of food we should eat to have a healthy, balanced diet, and in what proportions.

You don't need to achieve this balance with every meal, but try to get the balance right over a day, or even a week. Choose options low in fat, salt and sugar whenever you can.

As outlined in the Eatwell Guide:

Eat a variety of fruit and vegetables every day

Try to eat at least 5 80g portions of fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced fruit and vegetables a day. As well as vitamins and minerals, fruit and vegetables provide fibre, which can help digestion and prevent constipation.

Find out more in 5 A Day: what counts?

Base meals on starchy carbohydrates

Starchy foods such as potatoes, bread, cereals, rice and pasta should make up just over a third of the food you eat. Where possible, choose wholegrain varieties.

You should eat some starchy foods every day as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Starchy foods are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet. As well as starch, they contain fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins.

Dairy or dairy alternatives are needed for calcium

Milk and dairy products, such as cheese and yoghurt, are good sources of protein, calcium and vitamins A and B12.

This food group includes milk and dairy alternatives, such as fortified unsweetened soya, rice and oat drinks, which also contain calcium. Other sources of calcium include green, leafy vegetables, calcium-set tofu and bread.

To make healthier choices, go for lower fat milk and dairy foods. Also choose lower sugar options.

Eat beans, pulses, eggs and other sources of protein

Pulses include beans, peas and lentils. They're a low-fat source of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals, and count as a portion of vegetables. Nuts and seeds are also a source of protein and other nutrients.

Pulses are particularly important for people who don't get protein by eating meat, fish or dairy products.

Other non-dairy sources of protein include eggs and meat alternatives, such as tofu, mycoprotein (such as Quorn), textured vegetable protein and tempeh.

You need to eat a variety of different sources of protein to get the right mixture of amino acids, which are used to build and repair the body's cells.

Choose unsaturated oils and spreads

Unsaturated fats, including vegetable, rapeseed, olive and sunflower oils, are healthier than saturated fats, such as butter, lard and ghee. But all types of fat are high in energy and should be eaten sparingly.

Limit foods high in fat, salt and sugar

Foods high in salt, fat and sugar, such as cream, chocolate, crisps, biscuits, pastries, ice cream, cakes and puddings, should be eaten less often and in small amounts.

Foods in this group mainly provide energy in the form of fats and sugars, but may only provide a very small amount of other nutrients.

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A guide to help vegetarians eat a balanced diet with plenty of nutrients, including sources of iron, vitamin B12 and omega-3.

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How to eat a balanced vegetarian diet | safefood

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How to plan for a healthy plant based diet so that you don’t miss out on essential ntrients.

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What are the health benefits of a vegetarian diet?

A carefully planned, plant-based diet that supplies all the essential nutrients you need may be a healthier way to eat, with fewer reported cases of obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Typically, a varied vegetarian diet contains less saturated fat and more folate, fibre and protective antioxidants, plus as a vegetarian you're more likely to meet and exceed your 5-a-day intake of fruit and vegetables.

What is a balanced diet?

In the UK, the Eatwell Guide defines the different types of foods we should be eating and in what proportions. The guide explains some simple rules to follow, such as getting a minimum 5-a-day of fruit and vegetables, including wholegrains, choosing more beans and pulses, and opting for lower fat, lower sugar or dairy-free alternatives.

What are Reference Intakes (RI) and what part do they play in a balanced diet?

RIs are benchmark figures that provide a guide for the amount of energy (kilocalories), fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugar, protein and salt that an average, moderately active adult should consume each day. Of these the figures for fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt are maximum daily amounts.

Reference intakes for a moderately active female aged 19-64 years:

Energy - 2000 kcals

Protein - 50g

Carbohydrates - 260g

Sugar - 90g

Fat - 70g

Saturates - 20g

Salt - 6g

There is no RI for fibre, although as part of a balanced, healthy diet experts recommend that an average adult reach a fibre intake of 30g per day. Unfortunately, most of us fall short of this amount. To eat more fibre, it's helpful to eat fresh and dried fruit, vegetables, beans and pulses, nuts, seeds and wholegrain cereals.

What is a healthy portion size?

Numbers and figures are all very well, but how does this relate to you? Keeping the Eatwell Guide in mind, you can personalise your portions as follows:
Carbs, like cereal, rice, pasta and potatoes

Portion size: Your clenched fist

Include 1 portion at each main meal and ensure it fills no more than ¼ of your plate

Protein, like tofu, beans and pulses

Portion size: Palm of your hand

Aim to have a portion at each meal

Cheese

Portion size: 2 of your thumbs

Enjoy as a snack or part of a meal

Nuts and seeds

Portion size: 1 of your cupped hands

Enjoy as a snack or part of a meal

Butter, spreads and nut butter

Portion size: The tip of your thumb

Eat no more than 2 or 3 times a day

Savouries, like popcorn and crisps

Portion size: 2 of your cupped hands

Enjoy as a snack or treat

Bakes, like brownies and flapjacks

Portion size: 2 of your fingers

Enjoy as an occasional treat

A healthy vegetarian breakfast

A protein-based breakfast is an ideal choice. It's a filling and sustaining way to start the day and shouldn't take any longer to prepare than toast or cereal. Scrambled eggs are a great choice or, on days when you have a little more time, enjoy vegetarian tofu kedgeree. Eggs provide a good balance of quality protein combined with fat, plus the yolks are a useful source of vitamin D, which we need for strong bones and teeth.

Protein slows stomach emptying, keeping you fuller for longer, so you'll eat fewer calories during the rest of the day. If you prefer a sweet start to the day, pack your porridge or cereal with a selection of nuts and seeds, and finish with a generous dollop of natural yogurt.

Many people think vegetarians are at risk of being low in iron, but there are plenty of plant foods that are good sources along with fortified breakfast cereals, muesli, wholemeal bread, and pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Enjoy any of these with a small glass of vitamin C-rich fruit juice, as it helps optimise your body's iron uptake. For those who avoid dairy, choose a plant alternative that is fortified with vitamins and minerals, including vitamins B12 and D as well as the mineral calcium.

Whatever you do, don't skip breakfast - this sets your blood sugar off on a roller-coaster and you'll end up choosing the wrong foods later in the day. Remember that breakfast makes an important contribution towards your daily intake and plays a key role in helping to maintain a healthy weight.

Breakfast recipes
Spinach protein pancakes
Healthy porridge bowl
Tofu scramble Peanut butter & banana on toast
Healthy flapjacks
Date & peanut butter dip Red lentil, chickpea & chilli soup
Black bean tortilla soup
Ponzu tofu poke bowl
Sweet potato toasts with curried chickpeas
Italian-style veggie cottage pie
What is the planetary health diet? This article was last reviewed on 21 December 2023 by Kerry Torrens. Kerry Torrens is a qualified Nutritionist (MBANT) with a post graduate diploma in Personalised Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy. She is a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and a member of the Guild of Food Writers. Over the last 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including BBC Good Food. All health content on bbcgoodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information. Do you follow a vegetarian diet? We have lots more vegetarian recipes, but would love to hear your tips for staying healthy as a vegetarian in the comments below...
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Mid-morning snacks

Make every snack count with nourishing options that help top up your 5-a-day and deliver key nutrients, like iron or vitamin D. Why not swap your biscuits for toast topped with slices of banana, bake a batch of fruit-packed muffins, or blend up a fruit smoothie?

Snack recipes

Vegetarian lunch ideas

At lunch, aim for a mix of protein - this might be from beans, peas, nuts, grains or dairy or dairy-free alternatives, combined with starchy carbs. Without carb-rich foods, you're more likely to suffer from a mid-afternoon slump. The key is to choose carbs that produce a steady rise in blood sugar, which means passing on the sugary 'white' foods and going for high-fibre wholegrains.

We all need fats in our diet, but it's important we don't eat too much and the focus should be on the right type of fat. Fat is not only a source of energy, it helps us absorb fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E and K. Vegetarian diets tend to be lower in saturated fat but keep in mind that some plant foods, like coconut and palm oils, are high in these saturates. Heart-friendly mono-unsaturated fats are found in plant foods like avocado, olive and cold-pressed rapeseed oils, whilst nuts and seeds supply heart-friendly polyunsaturated fats, including essential omega-3s.

Lunch recipes

Mid-afternoon snack

Swap sugary snacks and salty crisps for a spiced seed mix, savoury popcorn, or enjoy low-fat cream cheese on crackers or a crunchy, colourful salad.

Snack suggestions

How to have a healthy vegetarian dinner

A word to the wise: don't cut out carbs. They're rich in fibre and filling, which means they'll keep you going until breakfast. Combine carbs with healthy essential fats, such as those found in walnuts and pumpkin seeds, as well as protein-rich tofu, eggs and dairy. During the night, your body uses protein and healthy fats for regeneration and repair, which is important for maintaining healthy skin and hair.

Dinner recipes

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How to eat a balanced diet if you're vegetarian

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If you're vegetarian or looking to cut back on your meat consumption, make sure you're getting all the nutrients you need with our expert guide to eating a healthy, balanced meat-free diet.

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Good for meal planning guidelines!

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The Irish Nutrition & Dietetic Institute (INDI) is the professional organisation for clinical nutritionists/dietitians in Ireland. Founded in 1968, the Institut