Do Vegetarians Eat Eggs? The answer is really weird!
Simplest answer: it usually depends where you are. Most vegetarians in the US, UK, Europe and Australia will eat eggs. In India, many will not.
To find out why, read on!
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Are eggs vegetarian?
Eggs have long been a topic of debate among vegetarians.
In fact, on this very site we have had HUNDREDS of comments (and bickering) between readers and so I would like to clear the argument up.
See for yourself:
Vegetarians don’t eat eggs. Infact animals in any form.
– Datta
Hi there,
– Devika
Eggs in a dish is not vegetarian.
Eggs are not vegetarian they are chicken embroys that arent
– Carrots
fully devolped.
Carrots- eggs are not “embryos that aren’t fully developed”.
– Brigid
Egg laying hens aren’t exposed to roosters, therefore the
eggs produced are not fertilized and will never become an
animal. Just like human females have to pass the eggs that
aren’t fertilized, so do hens.
Hey, some good ideas but not sure why eggs are considered
– Carol
vegetarian they don’t grow on trees…
Nice ideas. But egg is not vegetarian! Why do you guy always use egg
– Rachael
in vegetarian meals are beyond me. Would be nice to see some
Ideas without egg.
This is misguiding and clearly author have no idea what vegetarian
– Shrey J
means. Highly dissapointed. For your knowledge Vegetarian doesn’t
eat eggs but eats dairy products.
Eggetarian doesn’t eat meat but eggs and dairy products.
Vegan doesn’t eat meat or dairy.
In what world are eggs vegetarian? Where do I find these eggs that
– Poul Hansen
seem to be growing on trees?
I dont like this sight vegetarian means you dont eat animal products
– I came here for breakfast idea
that inclueds egg.
Eggs are not vegetarian.
– Kay
You can do your ovo lacto all you want, it’s a biological creation – not
organic. Even if you don’t care about animal cruelty, eggs are not
vegetarian by any means.
No eggs are not vegetarian if someone just eats eggs and
– NOTNEEDED
continues a veg diet he/she is an eggetarian and this meal is
probably for them vegetarians are the ones who just drinks
milk from the cow and milk products
Since when are eggs a vegetable?
– Flergen
Vegetarian does not include egg buddy!
– Laksh
Vegeterians dont eat meat and fish…..vegans dont eat any
– Jannaet
animal products like eggs and cheese. thats the difference.
While some vegetarians do include eggs in their diet, others choose to abstain from consuming them.
The decision largely depends on cultural and personal beliefs, and it often comes down to the ‘Western World’ version of vegetarianism and the Indian/Hindi version. I personally do eat eggs and I am a vegetarian.
West vs East
The exclusion of eggs in India is usually due to religious and ethical reasons. In Hinduism, for example, eggs are often considered non-vegetarian because they are seen as a form of potential life.
However, even that is pretty well debated as you can see on this Quora post on eggs.
Many of the anti-egg readers on our site call themselves ‘pure’ vegetarian (as opposed to ‘regular’ vegetarian) and this difference is what sets them apart from egg-eaters.
This type of vegetarian is also often known as ‘lacto-vegetarian’. That means they dairy products but no eggs.
The counter argument in favour of eating eggs from Americans, Brits, Europeans and Australians is that eggs bought for consumption have not been and never will be fertilized.
That means they can never become an animal, and so they will not become animal flesh (meat).
This type of vegetarian is called an ‘ovo-vegetarian’. There are many more types of vegetarian (I didn’t say it was easy) and I’ll come to those in a moment.
So is an egg really vegetarian?
I personally think it is fine to eat eggs as a vegetarian. My reasoning is that no animal will die to become my food.
However, animal welfare is also very important to me, so I will only eat eggs when I know they come from sources that meet my expectations. I do not eat eggs from caged hens or from battery farms.
Nutritional considerations
Eggs are a rich source of quality protein (6-7 grams of protein per large egg), vitamins, and minerals such as vitamin B12 and iron and they health benefits can be great. They also contain all essential amino acids.
They can provide essential nutrients that might be lacking in a vegetarian diet that excludes meat, fish or dairy.
Overall eggs are a well-balanced source of both macronutrients and micronutrients for human consumption.
Eggs can also be excellent for weight loss.
What about egg health concerns?
If you have (or are at a high risk of) cardiovascular disease or diabetes, the current recommendation is to limit your intake to no more than one egg per day.
Currently, there isn’t an established “recommended upper limit” for egg consumption any more, and there is insufficient data to be used as guidance beyond one egg per day—positively or negatively.
I recommend exercising caution and keeping it to 2-3 eggs per day for safety.
Why don’t vegans eat eggs?
Vegans (or those on a vegan diet) eat no animal products at all. This goes for meat, cheese, milk, fish, honey and yep, you guessed it, egg.
Those following a strict vegan lifestyle will also abstain from using animal products in general – for example leather or wool are also off-limits.
So which vegetarians really eat eggs then?
Ok, ok. Time to break it down and look at the different forms of vegetarianism.
Here we go:
Eggitarian is a slang word for a vegetarian who eats fish (so either an ovo or ovo-lacto vegetarian.
Veggan is a slang term for a vegan who has decided to eat eggs, usually for their nutritional value.
The bottom line
Look, it’s really up to you if you eat eggs or not. They are not and never will be a live animal.
However, if animal welfare is important to you (and personally I think we should all be mindful of other’s lives) then this could be a good reason to skip eggs, or at least do your homework on where you’re sourcing them from.
Eggs also have an environmental impact – though less than meat products, so that’s something to be aware of. Although plant foods generally have the least impact, it is of course up to individual to decide what works best for them.
How to eat eggs
Right, if you’re still reading and have decided to eat eggs – then here are some awesome ways to do it!
I’ve been experimenting with egg-based recipes for as long as I remember (in fact I think an omelette was the first thing I ever cooked).
Dave Bell
I’m not a foodie, although I do love eating. I believe food should serve us and our goals, not hinder. Taking control and responsibility for what I eat is important to me. Lots of veggie protein is my way forward.
This article has been medically reviewed by James LeBaigue MSc Learn More
James LeBaigue MSc
James has a Masters Degree in Sport and Exercise Nutrition, as well as an Advanced Diploma in Human Nutrition.
He loves combining his scientific knowledge along with food in the real world, and these recipes are the result.
He’s on top of all the latest evidence and guidelines to make sure our nutrition advice on the website is as accurate as it can be.
By day he works as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner in a busy NHS GP Practice.
Each recipe is tested and then eaten (much to James’ delight), many times before it is deemed worthy to be published. Bon appetit!
Comments
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3 comments
Dave, you’re absolutely right, dietary choices are so individual but what we’ve come to love and what we’d like to see more of are recipes that cater (pun unintended) to those varying choices. So, personally, as a lacto-vegetarian, please give us more eggless recipes so we can hurry our protein up without having to put all our eggs into one basket(hmm … The same ‘pun unintended’ excuse wouldn’t fly this time, I reckon)
Years ago before vegetarianism became popular my nephew informed us before Christmas ( I was catering that year) , that he and his wife were now vegetarian and I said ok Chris so what do you want me to serve for you and Anne-Marie, his reply was that the simplest way to understand it was vegetarians don’t eat anything with a face. Therefore eggs are ok, chickens aren’t, dairy yes, beef no etc. that has stood me in good stead whenever I’ve had to cater for anything as a general rule of thumb. Although as a person that eats a general diet, I must admit I make quite a few vegan and vegetarian dishes and quite often have to stick a label on saying not for meat eaters (Actually I just had laminated labels with big V or little v denoting their ingredients)
as it annoys me when people that have the choice of every other food on the table gravitate to my meat free, dairy free, egg free dish and leave the others behind. As a family we eat small amounts of meat products as part of a balanced diet as I cook from scratch and don’t like the fake meat in the supermarket, I learnt to cook meat free when my teenage girls went through a save the lambs I can’t eat meat it’s cruel stage and we liked the taste so I keep them in the rotation even though the girls have left home and now are meat eaters.
I don’t think eggs are vegetarian. And many of your breakfast recipes use eggs. Which you had more protein forward breakfast that did not rely on eggs.