1. The policy of eating a diet that consists of vegetables and fruit and which excludes meat, and often also excludes animal by-products; such as, cheese and eggs: Historically, vegetarianism was practiced for religious reasons, tradition or purity; more recently, people report their reasons for abstaining from consuming meat are more for health or ethical reasons .
2. The practice of restricting or eliminating meat from one's diet: A strict <>vegetarianism eliminates all animal-derived foods; including, dairy products and eggs.