You're a WHAT?

I thought I'd post a little something on what all these terms floating around mean - you know, what's the differences between a Vegan vs. Vegetarian vs. ??? I have heard a lot of these terms lately, but didn't know until recently what they all meant. My guess is there might be a few people like myself out there that don't know exactly what they mean either. Is a Vegetarian the same as a Vegan? Let's clear it all up with some simple definitions:

Vegetarian: Is someone who eats no meat (beef, poultry, pork, fish) or no meat by-products (including gelatin, soup made with meat stock).

Lacto Ovo Vegetarian: Is someone who still doesn’t eat meat like a vegetarian but will eat eggs and dairy products.

Semi-Vegetarian: Is someone who cuts back on their meat intake on a daily basis.

Pesco Vegetarian: This is someone who eats fish but no other meat.

Pollo Vegetarian: Is a person who will eat poultry but no other meat.

Vegan: This is a strict vegetarian, who also has no dairy - NOTHING that has come from an animal. Vegans typically also avoid all animal products, including wool, silk, leather and any other item made from an animal.

So as you can see, there are MANY definitions, for many types of eaters. I'm a believer that you don't have be a vegetarian to make a huge difference in this world and the environment. Be a meat eater! But if you can, try to select meat that has no added antibiotics or growth hormones. Even better, buy meat from a local farmer you trust. It's easy to build those relationships. Most towns have Farmer's Markets, so grab yourself a coffee or tea to go, and strike up a conversation on Saturday Morning with a local farmer! Bottom line is, if you simply eat one less meal with meat each week, you too can have a huge impact on your health, our water, our soil and pollution as a whole. After all, it really does matter!