Can Vegetarians Eat Eggs?

For vegetarians, thats the deal when it comes to eggs. Sure, eggs come from chickens, making them a no-go for vegans (who steer clear of eating both animals and their byproducts). But vegetarians just dont eat meat, right? Sowhats the deal?

Can Vegetarians Eat Eggs?

This is actually up for debate, even within the vegetarian community. Heres what is clear: The kind of eggs you buy at the store aren't fertilized by a rooster , so they're not turning into baby chickens anytime soon. Also, vegetarians do not eat animal proteins, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine . That means the following foods are off limits:

Fowl
Seafood
Beef
Pork
Lamb
Other animal meats, such as bison, or exotic meats like ostrich or alligator

Vegetarians do eat the following, though:

Vegetables
Fruits
Whole grains
Legumes
Seeds
Nuts

No one is contesting that info. But, heres where it gets dicey. There are actually different types of vegetarians-some eat dairy foods, like cheese, milk, and eggs; others take a solid pass on any food that comes from an animal, according to the U.S. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics .

These are the different types of vegetarians, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

Vegan : This diet includes only plant-based foods. They dont eat animal proteins or animal by-products such as eggs, milk, or honey.
Lacto-vegetarian : This includes plant foods plus some or all dairy products.
Lacto-ovo vegetarian : This one includes plant foods, dairy products, and eggs.
Semi- or partial vegetarian : These vegetarians eat plant foods and may eat chicken or fish, dairy products, and eggs. They dont eat red meat.
Pescatarian : These vegetarians eat plant foods and seafood.

Soit kind of depends on who youre talking to. Its also worth noting that PETA , who tends to take a hardline stance on things, suggests that vegetarians do eat eggs, while vegans dont. Heres what they have to say on the topic:

"Vegetarians dont eat any animals, including pigs, chickens, cows, fish, and all others. In addition to not consuming any animal flesh, a vegan also doesnt consume dairy milk, dairy cheese, eggs, or any other product derived from an animal."

So, if I want to be a vegetarian, should I eat eggs or not?

People become vegetarians for a variety of reasons, and it just depends on what your personal values or dietary preferences are. If youre a lacto-ovo vegetarian then yeah, eating eggs is no biggie. If youre a strict vegan, eggs arent for you. And, if youre not sure where you fall on the spectrum, its really your choice.

Frankly, the vegetarian police arent going to come out and beat you with carrot sticks if you do happen you have an egg, so...this one is really up to you.