Flexitarian - A flexitarian is a "part-time" or "semi-vegetarian" with a greater dependence on eating vegetables while occasionally eating meat. About 30-40% of the population describes themselves as interested in reducing their dependence on meat. With flexitarianism, there is no strict definition about how much meat should be eaten, just less -- it's flexible!
Vegetarian - A vegetarian is someone who does not eat animal meat. For most vegetarians, this includes eliminating fowl, fish, and red meats. For other vegetarians, they may eat fish, but not fowl or meat. Vegetarians usually eat dairy foods, eggs, or honey, as long as the animal is not killed in the process of producing the food. Strict vegetarians comprise about 6% of the population.
Vegan - A vegan is a vegetarian that does not eat any animal product including dairy, eggs, honey, or any foods derived from animals.
Raw food movement - This food trend promotes unprocessed and uncooked foods. Foods are not cooked, nor heated above 104�F. The most common form of raw foodism is raw veganism, though there are raw food followers that include raw meat, unpasteurized milk, and eggs. Participants in the raw food movement believe that cooked foods lose much of their nutritional value and that the process of cooking may introduce harmful byproducts.

Health reasons - Reduced heart disease and weight control are two prominent health benefits of a vegetarian diet. A more plant-based diet has less saturated fat than meat-based diets. Generally, plant-based diets are naturally lower in calories and can create a greater sense of fullness based on more fiber and volume.
Ecological efficiency - Greater amounts of resource go into making meat compared to plant foods. About 70% of the domestic grain crop goes to feeding livestock. Per calorie, meat takes approximately ten times the amount of land and water resource than grain and plants used directly for food.
Religious traditions - Different religious traditions prescribe food choices based on a variety of reasons - some on safety concerns, others as a sense of asceticism and discipline.
Reduced carbon footprint - Some choose less meat based on the notion that livestock feeding operations are associated with increased methane emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas.
Animal-friendly - Others choose a vegetarian regimen to avoid the inhumane treatment of animals.
Localvores - Individuals that choose to eat locally, that is, within a certain mile radius of their home, often find themselves including more plant-based foods in their diet and less meat by virtue of its availability.