Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian

Enjoy health benefits of a plant based diet that allows dairy and eggs; plan diet to ensure adequate nutrients

Recommended For

Animal rights, ethical, Arthritis, Blood sugar, high, Cancer, prevention, Carbon footprint reduction, Cholesterol, high, Environmental, Heart disease prevention, treatment, Weight loss.

Diet Goals

Allows dairy and eggs, omits meat

  • Get proteins from plant sources, dairy and eggs
  • Monitor food intake for nutritional deficiencies
  • Ensure complete amino acids without animal proteins
The greatest benefit of adding dairy and eggs to a vegetarian diet is the additional nutrients they afford the plant based eater.

Food Recommendations

Foods to Eat

Nuts, Seeds: Chia seeds, flax, pepitas, almonds, walnuts
Plant based proteins: Tofu, tempeh, edamame, quinoa, nuts
Fruits, Vegetables: Berries, avocado, leafy greens, carrots
Whole grains: Whole wheat bread & pasta, oatmeal, popcorn, quinoa, brown rice
Eggs: Whole eggs, egg yolks, egg whites
Low fat dairy: Skim, 1% milk, yogurt, cheeses, buttermilk

Foods to Avoid

Meat: Beef, poultry, fish, pork, sausage, lamb, deli meat
Seafood: Fish, shellfish, crab, lobster, shrimp, clams, oysters
Hidden beef, pork fat: Twinkies, BBQ potato chips, cake mix, soups
Hidden animal source: Gelatin, starburst, gummy worms, dramamine, vitamins, jello, lard
Processed meats: Sausage, hot dogs, jerky, deli meat, bacon
Hidden animal rennet: Parmesan, manchego, gorgonzola, pecorino, romano

Diet Rules

Additional Information

Research

Studies show this diet has been linked to health benefits including a lower risk of obesity, heart disease, T2 diabetes and some cancers.
Studies showed lacto-ovo vegetarians had significantly lower BP & lower risk of hypertension than meat eaters.
Several studies have shown that vegetarians tend to have lower BMIs than those who eat meat.

Caveats

Monitor food intake; ensure adequate nutrients without meat, poultry, eggs.
Vegetarian prepackaged foods & meat substitutes can be high in sugar, salt, fat; check label.
Plant sources of iron not absorbed like meat sources; add vitamin C foods to enhance.
Milk, eggs are complete proteins (all 9 essential amino acids); Vegetarian sources: Quinoa, hemp, chia seeds, buckwheat, spirulina.

References

Alexander, S., Ostfeld, R., Allen, K., & Williams, K. (2017). A plant-based diet and hypertension. NIH, National Library of Medicine, Journal of Geriatric Cardiology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466938/
Houghton, T. (2019). Thyroid Health & Plant-Based Diets – Your Questions Answered. T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. https://nutritionstudies.org/thyroid-health-plant-based-diets-your-questions-answered/
Kelikani, P., Reeves MD, M., & Orlich MD, M. (2023). Episode 10: Vegetarian Diet. Loma Linda University Health. https://lluh.org/patients-visitors/health-wellness/live-it/online-health-show/episode-10-vegetarian-diet
Kim, H., Caulfield, L., Garcia-Larsen, V., Steffen, L., Coresh, J., & Rebholz, C. (2019). Plant‐Based Diets Are Associated With a Lower Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Disease Mortality, and All‐Cause Mortality in a General Population of Middle‐Aged Adults. Journal of the American Heart Association. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.119.012865
Le, L., & Sabaté, J. (2014). Beyond Meatless, the Health Effects of Vegan Diets: Findings from the Adventist Cohorts. NIH, National Library of Medicine, Nutrients. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4073139/
Malik, N. (2021). 23 Foods Vegetarians Can’t Eat (But Don’t Know It!). Oh My Veggies. https://ohmyveggies.com/foods-vegetarians-cant-eat-but-dont-know-it/
Vegetarian Diet. (n.d.). Medline Plus/NIH. https://medlineplus.gov/vegetariandiet.html
MedlinePlus. (2015). Vegetarian Diet. National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/vegetariandiet.html
23 Foods Vegetarians Can’t Eat (But Don’t Know It!). (2017). Oh My Veggies. https://ohmyveggies.com/foods-vegetarians-cant-eat-but-dont-know-it/
Patino, E. (2021). 5 Diets That Can Help Lower Cholesterol. Everyday Health. https://www.everydayhealth.com/heart-health/special-diets-that-help-lower-cholesterol/
Pawlak, R. (2017). Vegetarian Diets in the Prevention and Management of Diabetes and Its Complications. Diabetes Spectrum. https://diabetesjournals.org/spectrum/article/30/2/82/32272/Vegetarian-Diets-in-the-Prevention-and-Management
Reeves MD, M. (2022). Want to decrease your chances for chronic disease? Researchers found that a vegetarian diet does just that. Loma Linda University Health. https://lipidworld.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12944-019-0972-0#citeas
Tonstad, S., Nathan, E., Oda, K., & Fraser, G. (2019). Prevalence of hyperthyroidism according to type of vegetarian diet. NIH, National Library of Medicine, Cambridge University Press. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4377303/
Tonstad, S., Nathan, E. N., Oda, K., & Fraser, G. (2013). Vegan Diets and Hypothyroidism. NIH, National Library of Medicine, Nutrients. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3847753/
Tuso MD, P., Ismail MD, M., Ha MD, B., & Bartolotto MA, C., RD. (2013). Nutritional Update for Physicians: Plant-Based Diets. NIH, National Library of Medicine, The Permanente Journal. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662288/
Yamut RN, T. (2022). What is the Vegetarian Keto Diet? Benefits, Drawbacks, Food List, and Meal Plan. Perfect Keto. https://perfectketo.com/vegetarian-keto/