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Which foods are excluded from vegetarian diets?

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Illustration of a vegan food pyramid divided into four sections: whole grains at the base, followed by vegetables, then fruit, and legumes at the top, with recommended daily servings and images of representative foods in each group. — vegetarianism A vegan food pyramid, which excludes meat and animal products.

All forms of flesh, including meat, fowl, and seafood, are excluded from all vegetarian diets.12

Beyond this core exclusion, the specific foods avoided can vary depending on the type of vegetarianism practiced:

Vegans: Exclude all animal products, including meat, eggs, milk and other dairy products, and honey.312
Lacto-vegetarians: Exclude meat, fowl, seafood, and eggs, but consume milk and milk products.1
Lacto-ovo vegetarians: Exclude meat, fowl, and seafood, but include both milk products and eggs in their diet.1

While some individuals who consume fish and shellfish but avoid land-based meats are sometimes referred to as pescatarians, they are distinct from those following a strictly fleshless vegetarian diet.1