Easier to 'group' yourself as vegetarian rather than "Pescetarian" or "raw vegan"?

I think it is a mistake to approach the issue of what you prefer to eat by giving it a name, with a view to 'educating others'. You risk degenerating into jargon and confusion when you try to communicate who you are in relation to food, and possibly patronising others.

You have certain food preferences, so decide exactly what you like to eat and not eat and then let people know.

I'm already confused about what I would serve you for dinner if you came to my house, and I have vegan, vegetarian, gluten intolerant, carnivorous, omnivorous and fish-hating friends, so am easy with diverse eating habits! So far, I think you are saying that you eat dairy, eggs and fish as well as fruit, veg etc? So basically omnivorous you just don't eat mammal? Or possible you don't eat cooked food ( this isn't clear)?

I suggest you put together a list of your food likes and dislikes so that people can adjust your menu, and then if they want to they can put you into a category.

I think I'd prefer it if pescetarians called themselves that, then explained it. How long does it take to say 'I don't eat any type of meat except for fish' ?

So many times I've been to someone's house or to a restaurant and got something 'vegetarian', then it's turned out to have meat or fish in it. It's usually because people don't quite understand the meaning of the word 'vegetarian' because it's been explained differently to them by someone else. I'm not trying to sound like an elitist or anything, but it's just a bit of a hassle dealing with this issue every second meal I eat out.

@Zestfully Clean 'And then they get mad when a vegetarian item on a menu contains fish (don't order it, dude)' - Well, I wouldn't order it IF I KNEW that it had fish or something in it. Quite often the waiter won't know whether there is fish in it or not either, then you have to ask them to check with the chef, then it does turn out to have fish in it, then you've got to find something else on the menu that doesn't have fish in it, then there might not be another 'vegetarian' option... You get the idea. It is a lot less hassle to just order something that you KNOW will be vegetarian, rather than having to check.

Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from consumption of meat (red meat, poultry and seafood).

Therefore, Pescetarians (omnivores) are not vegetarians. This must be understood.

I personally am a strict lacto-vegetarian and I present it as lacto-vegetarian. It's not difficult to explain that don't eat meat or eggs or as I often say "Anything that was once an animal or could have been an animal (eggs)." It's really not that hard. I call myself a strict lacto-vegetarian as there are a lot of dairy products I dont eat such as anything fermented such as yogurt, kefir, etc and I dont eat hard or aged cheeses only fresh cheeses aka soft cheeses in small quantities such as queso fresco, ricotta, cottage cheese, etc,

Calling yourself something that doesn't fit, is more confusing for anyone else who then deals with these misinformed individuals.

I constantly educate others on nutrition in general as well as veganism and vegetarianism. I've studied nutrition for over a decade as well as sports nutrition.

The reason we use different words is because they mean completely different things.

Neither of those are sub-categories of vegetarian.

A pescatarian is a person who eats no meat except for fish, which most definitely IS meat. Therefore, they are not vegetarian in any way.

A raw vegan is a person who does not eat or use any animal products at all and eats almost all or all of their food raw, which is a lot more extreme than vegetarian, and means something TOTALLY different.

I think the nurse has it about right. I'm not a raw foodist but I assume there would be a lot of bacteria that are present in raw foods that are not there after being cooked. Maybe you're adjusting to the ickies. I have no idea.

This is pretty interesting. I am a pescetarian and also a college student. That diet isn't common among college students, so I get a lot of questions about it. When I first refuse some type of meat I tell people I am vegetarian, if they ask more about it I say i am pescetarian. Really the main point is to get across that I don't eat meat which is why "vegetarian" will suffice for most cases.

I personally don't care what people do. But, I know some people who are pescetarian, and will say they are vegetarian when they aren't talking to other vegetarians. Or, if they are at a restaurant, to avoid all confusion as to whether or not a dish can contain this or that, they ask for something vegetarian. If they are talking to other vegetarians they say pescetarian. Some people have like, MAJOR issues with this, for some reason, but fortunately I have a life so it doesn't really bother me.

I feel like some people get miffed when a pescetarian calls them self a vegetarian, because some people think it spreads ignorance. And then they get mad when a vegetarian item on a menu contains fish (don't order it, dude). But people are already ignorant, and the only people who actually care about this difference are vegetarians.

@Isaac: Well, as someone who was brought up in a very religious Jewish household, and as a vegetarian, and after living through many dietary restrictions: You ask what's in it, and if the dumb waiter doesn't know, order something you know doesn't have it. It really isn't as complicated as you make it out to be. I have also worked in many restaurants and hotels and if you say vegetarian/vegan, they will accomodate. Never had a problem accomodating someone in that department. In fact, some people were even hesitant to just say "I'm a vegetarian" or "I'm a vegan" because they don't realize that a chef is trained in cooking and accomodating people with dietary restrictions. If half of the veg*ns who I have dealt with just came out and said they were veg*n, we would have helped them out easier. I just don't see what the big deal is if you want to order something without the meat, either. For example: a salad without the chicken. Worked for me for years.

Also I should note that, in religious terms, fish is not always seen the same way as chicken or beef, or lamb, etc. I'm not religious at all anymore but, there were a lot of religious pescetarians that I knew who said they were vegetarian, simply because in their particular culture (and I'm talking super-super-strict here) fish is not considered meat. Don't shoot the messenger.

Either way, my point is that I think it's stupid for people to get all huffy about a pescetarian calling themselves a vegetarian amongst a group of friends because it's a label. It's a petty thing to get worked up about, and a lot of people do.

I tell people I am a vegan but I am not ''technically'', I am an OVO-Vegetarian. (I still eat eggs)

( If I say im an OVO-Vegetarian to the people around my area, they wouldn't have a clue of what I was on about and just assume Im a ''special vegetarian''.)

I call myself "vegan" because that's what I am.

"Pescetarianism" is not vegetarianism, any more than monotheists are atheists.

.....the whole reason I despise labels. I couldn't stomach people who give themselves a group. For what, exactly?