About food choices > Philosophical reasons for food choices
Philosophical food choices, related to beliefs, tend to be more followed in a more stable fashion than health-related food choices. You don’t generally get a “latest recommendation” for a religious diet or for vegetarianism.
Some people will trust what they see – “No meat on the plate, that’s ok!” – while at the other end of the spectrum some people will check all labels and know which ingredients and additives may contain an offending substance.
Religious dietary guidelines
A number of religions have food guidelines which might be observed more or less closely. Different denominations within the same religion may have slight differences in food guidelines. Some people may be more observant of religious food guidelines at home or on certain holidays. Religions with prominent food guidelines include Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and many more.
Learn more about religious dietary guidelines.
Vegetarianism
There are various degrees of vegetarianism, including veganism, ovo-lacto-vegetarianism, and pescetarianism.
Learn more about different types of vegetarian diets.
Other philosophical dietary choices – ethics/environmental/sustainability
- Sustainability issues including growing/farming methods, packaging, and travel distance/local food
- Traditionalism / natural eating covers some of the same issues
- With a limited amount of money to spend on food, people may avoid more expensive foods as they make choices about how to spend their money.
Learn more about other philosophical food choices.
