Lacto Vegetarian

Enjoy health benefits of a plant based diet that allows dairy; 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

Omit meat and eggs

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

Food Recommendations

Foods to Eat

Plant based proteins: Tofu, tempeh, edamame, quinoa, nuts
Low fat dairy: Skim, 1% milk, yogurt, cheeses, buttermilk
Fruits, Vegetables: Berries, avocado, leafy greens, carrots
Nuts, Seeds: Chia seeds, flax, pepitas, almonds, walnuts
Whole grains: Whole wheat bread & pasta, oatmeal, popcorn, quinoa, brown rice
Beans, Legumes: Lentils, soy, black beans, peas, chickpeas

Foods to Avoid

Meat: Beef, poultry, fish, pork, sausage, lamb, deli meat
Poultry: Chicken, turkey, duck, goose
Seafood: Fish, shellfish, crab, lobster, shrimp, clams, oysters
Eggs: Whole eggs, egg yolks, egg whites
Hidden animal rennet: Parmesan, manchego, gorgonzola, pecorino, romano
Gelatin: Starburst, gummy worms, dramamine, vitamins, jello

Diet Rules

Additional Information

Research

Studies show that a balanced lacto vegetarian diet can help improve heart health, promote blood sugar control, aid weight loss, reduce risk of certain types of cancer.
Lacto vegetarian diet can help lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol, which can contribute to heart disease.
Vegetarians tend to have a lower BMI; consume fewer calories and eat more fiber than meat eaters.

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 is a complete protein (all 9 essential amino acids); Plant sources: quinoa, hemp, chia seeds, buckwheat, spirulina, soy.

References

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
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
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/