Are eating eggs and dairy products acceptable in vegetarianism?

Vegetarianism is a dietary practice excluding most or all body parts of any animal and products derived from them (e.g. Lard, tallow, gelatin, cochineal) from one's diet. Most contemporary vegetarian diets may include some honey as well as cow's milk and other dairy products, and some include eggs. This practice eschews the eating of all meat, yet allows the consumption of animal products such as eggs and milk.

Ovo-lacto vegetarians who are such for ethical reasons may additionally refuse to eat cheese made with animal-based enzymes, or eggs produced by factory farms. Lacto vegetarianism refers to the practice of eschewing all meat, yet allowing the consumption of milk and its derivatives, like cheese, butter or yoghurt. Similarly ovo-vegetarians presumably only eat eggs in addition to their otherwise strictly vegetarian regimen.

Pesco vegetarianism refers to the increasingly common practice of occasionally including some seafood, primarily fish, in one's diet. This is the diet practiced, with occasional supplementation of dairy products, by the integrated medicine practitioner Andrew Weil, M.D. and advocated by his books Eating Well for Optimum Health. In the United States, vegetarianism is usually synonymous with ovo-lacto vegetarianism; and will sometimes be assumed to tolerate some meat, for instance, chicken (or "at least" fish).

It is also possible to order a vegetarian meal and be served meat. In the UK, due to its sizeable Hindu minority, vegetarianism often refers to the Hindu practice described below. Strict vegetarians avoid the consumption of all animal products (e.g. Eggs, milk and cheese.) Today, these people are commonly called vegans, though some reserve this term for those who additionally avoid usage of all kinds of animal products, not just food (e.g. Hindus of certain castes are forbidden from consuming anything gained at the expense of an animal's suffering: e.g. Meat, eggs, animal byproducts such as rennet and gelatin (including gelatin capsules) and honey.

The milk of cows, buffalo and goats as well as dairy products (other than cheese containing rennet) are acceptable, as milk is given willingly. Leather from cows who have died of natural causes is acceptable. All dietary rules listed for Hindus apply to Jains, in addition to which Jains must take into account any suffering caused to plants and suksma jiva (Sanskrit: subtle lifeforms; refers to what would later be termed "microorganisms") by their dietary choices.

They are forbidden from eating most root vegetables (e.g. Potatoes) and deem many other vegetables acceptable only when harvested during certain times of the year. Jews, Christians and Moslems are all left with the biblical ideal of the "Garden of Eden" diet, which from all appearances is strictly vegan (cf. 1:29, 9:2-4; Is.