Lacto vegetarianism

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A lacto vegetarian diet is a vegetarian diet that includes dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt (without gelatin), butter, cream, and kefir but excludes eggs. "Lacto" originates from the Latin word for milk. Within Indian culture this diet is often what is meant by the term vegetarian.

Lacto vegetarians choose to consume dairy products, but abstain from specifically eating eggs. This diet may be adopted by vegetarians wishing to lower their cholesterol levels, in view of the high amount of cholesterol contained within egg yolks.

On ethical grounds, people might believe consuming eggs is the same as consuming animal flesh or potentially running the risk of killing an unborn/unhatched animal. Consuming dairy products does not involve killing animals, and when managed properly the calves are not denied an adequate supply of their mother's milk, and the human can still consume the excess milk for essential nutrients and vitamins.

This diet is popular with many followers of Eastern religious traditions, such as Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. It has also been popularised internationally since the 1960s by the Hare Krishna movement.

The greatest proportion of vegetarians such as those in India or those in the classical Mediterranean lands such as the Pythagoreans are or were lacto vegetarian.