Diet habits

About 5% of the UK population consider themselves to be vegetarian, according to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey. That's about 3 million people, with women more likely to call themselves vegetarian than men. The figure for vegans is smaller - consumer surveys suggest they make up about 1% of the UK population.

Vegetarianism - a diet  that includes only cereal products, nuts, seeds, and fruit and vegetables, and may or may not include the use of dairy products and eggs. Vegetarians do not eat meat, poultry, fish, shellfish or foods containing meat products.

Veganism - will not eat dairy products, eggs or any other food derived from animals.


Ovo vegetarianism - a type of vegetarian diet which allows the consumption of eggs


Lacto vegetarianis - a vegetarian diet which includes dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, cream, and kefir, but excludes eggs.

Probably the most common type in the UK are lacto-ovo vegetarians, who include eggs and dairy products in their diet. Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy products but not eggs.

Pescetarianism -  those who abstain from eating all meat and animal flesh with the exception of seafood. Pescetarians often believe that moderate consumption of fish or fish oils, which are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, is necessary for optimum health. 

**Additional information

Paleolithic diet

• a.k.a. paleo diet, the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet
• A modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era—a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture. 
• The "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.

Source: BBC, Wikipedia and About.com