What are you: Vegetarian, meatatarian, flexitarian, sustainitarian, reducetarian?

Have you ever felt that your dietary preferences don't necessarily fit into the usual categories of a non-vegetarian and a vegetarian? Well, it's because your diet is not categorised among them. 

Whenever I go out with friends to eat, I find it difficult to explain my dietary choices. I usually prefer to eat "vegetarian" food, but I'm not exactly a "vegetarian". So, I coined a term for myself - "pseudo-vegetarian". But I learned that it is not really the right term for my diet - it should be either semi-vegetarian or flexitarian. 

V: "Yeah, I'm a vegetarian, but I eat fish."
J: "Well, then you're not a vegetarian." V: "What am I, then?"
J: "Officially, you're a lacto-ovo-vega-vegavore. But you can call yourself a pescaterian."
V: "Terrific!"

— Papi J 𓃵 (@jon__ohio) January 28, 2021

What are all these terms? The words to describe someone's dietary choices - meatatarian or non-vegetarian, vegetarian and vegan - were not necessarily defining all kinds of dietary preferences there were. 

So, in 2014, American author Brian Kateman coined the term "reducetarian" and started the Reducetarian Movement on food choices. These new terms for dietary choices are based on more than what we eat. They are based on how our dietary preferences affect the environment, our health and our identity. 

We packed some lunch boxes today and tried explaining our choices. We have completed lots of work this week on food choices and balanced diets. @PowysFp #outcome5 #psd pic.twitter.com/GSHGPn0JJa

— Dosbarth Gwyrdd (@DGArchdeaconG) October 19, 2018

In a nutshell, we can say there are currently 6 terms that describe various dietary choices: 

1. Reducetarian
2. Flexitarian
3. Pescatarian
4. Eggitarian
5. Vegetarian
6. Meatatarian 

This list is not set in stone, because anyone with a quirky mind and typing skills can come up with a new word and a meaning and make it go viral on social media. 

But let's understand what these terms mean and why you should know about them. 

Reducetarian encourages cutting down on meat consumption but not completely eliminating it from the diet. It is more relevant in Western societies whose diet is usually meat-heavy. So, for example, if a person used to eat meat every day, as a reducetarian they might decide to limit meat consumption to 1-2 days a week. 

As always, trying to be a reducetarian and seeking at least one veg / vegan meal a day…

All this was under ₹750 and I couldn’t finish it!#Vietnam #Hanoi pic.twitter.com/p5CHgLtART

— Kaushal Karkhanis (@kaushal) July 18, 2022

American author Brian Kateman is largely credited for coining and popularising the term reducetarian in 2014 and also starting a movement on it. Kateman, who grew up used to the meat-heavy American diet, switched to being vegetarian later in his life. But when he ate meat once in a while, he would be referred to as a lazy vegan, a cheater etc. Kateman was against the negative-sounding words and so coined the term reducetarian, which allowed him to reduce meat from his diet without completely cutting it out. 

Dear vegans: please don’t gaslight omnivores, please don’t be detached from reality—don’t tell folks cutting out all animal products is “easy.” That doesn’t mean it’s not doable or that there aren’t a million good reasons to do it. But keep it real.

— Brian Kateman (@BrianKateman) July 15, 2022

The Reducetarian Movement is focused on the environment and health-friendly diets. Meat production is environmentally taxing, cruel to animals, and is not good for health in frequent consumption. So, people usually switching to this form of diet have either of the one reasons and are not made to feel guilty for "cheating" once in a while. 

1/4 Did you say sparing 70 billion factory farmed land animals from a lifetime of torture annually? A sharp reduction in land use, freshwater, and greenhouse gases? Oh wait, never mind—first I’d like to know the nutritional profile of these alternative proteins. 😂

— Brian Kateman (@BrianKateman) July 13, 2022

Flexitarians are those who largely have a plant-based or "vegetarian" diet and sometimes also indulge in meat. But unlike reducetarians, flexitarians don't primarily have a meat-based diet. 

Pescatarians are those who are like flexitarians and have a largely plant-based diet, but whenever they eat meat, it is limited to non-red and non-poultry meat like fish and seafood. Pescatarian is a type of flexitarian diet. 

Eggetarian is not generally known worldwide, but it is a commonly used term in India. Eggitarians have plant-based diets, but also consume eggs as part of their diet. They do not consume any other kind of meat.

Vegetarians are popularly known for their plant-based diet. They do not consume meat at all. But, unlike "vegans", the vegetarian diet includes dairy products like milk and other milk products. In India, the term "vegetarian" often has more to its meaning than just dietary preferences. Vegetarians in India are also associated with their religion and culture. 

Meatatarians are those whose diet mostly involves the consumption of meat on an everyday basis. 

These are not the only terms to describe dietary choices. There is sustainitarian, climatarian, vegavore or carnesparsian, etc. You are also free to coin your own term based on your unique eating choices. 

As they say, you are what you eat; what are you?