A vegetarian who eats eggs is called an ovo-vegetarian. The prefix “ovo” comes from the Latin word for egg. This diet includes all plant foods plus eggs and egg-containing products, while excluding meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy. It’s one of several vegetarian subtypes, and it fills some important nutritional gaps that stricter plant-based diets can leave open.
How Ovo-Vegetarianism Compares to Other Types
The differences between vegetarian subtypes come down to which animal products stay on the plate. An ovo-vegetarian eats eggs but avoids dairy. A lacto-vegetarian does the opposite: dairy is included, eggs are not. A lacto-ovo vegetarian keeps both eggs and dairy. Vegans exclude all animal products entirely, including honey and gelatin. None of these diets include meat, poultry, fish, or seafood of any kind.
The most common form of vegetarianism in Western countries is lacto-ovo, where both eggs and dairy are part of the diet. Pure ovo-vegetarianism is less common but appeals to people who are lactose intolerant, who have ethical concerns about the dairy industry specifically, or who simply feel better without dairy in their diet.
Why Eggs Matter Nutritionally
Eggs punch well above their weight for a food that’s only 66 calories. A single medium egg delivers 6.4 grams of protein, 108% of the recommended daily allowance for vitamin B12, and 144 milligrams of choline. That B12 number is especially significant for vegetarians, because B12 is almost exclusively found in animal-derived foods. Vegans need to supplement it. Ovo-vegetarians can get a full day’s worth from one egg.
Choline is a nutrient most people have never heard of, but it’s essential for brain function, liver health, and cell membrane integrity. Eggs are one of the richest food sources available. They’re also high in biotin, providing about 39% of the daily recommendation per egg, which supports energy metabolism and healthy skin and hair. European dietary guidelines now recognize eggs as a sustainable protein source that can replace meat and fish.
Nutrients to Watch on an Ovo-Vegetarian Diet
While eggs cover B12 and choline nicely, an ovo-vegetarian diet without dairy creates a few nutritional blind spots that are worth paying attention to.
Calcium is the most obvious one. Dairy is the primary calcium source in most Western diets, so without it, you’ll need to be intentional about eating calcium-rich plant foods like fortified plant milks, tofu made with calcium sulfate, kale, bok choy, and broccoli. Iron is another concern. Plant foods contain only non-heme iron, which the body absorbs at a rate of just 1 to 12%, compared to the heme iron in meat. Whole grains and legumes, staples of any vegetarian diet, contain compounds called phytates that reduce iron absorption even further. Pairing iron-rich foods with vitamin C (like squeezing lemon on lentils) helps counteract this.
Zinc and iodine can also run low. Zinc absorption is reduced by the same phytates that block iron, and iodine is concentrated in seafood and dairy, both of which ovo-vegetarians skip. Iodized salt and seaweed are practical sources. Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly the long-chain forms found in fish, are another gap. Walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds provide a shorter-chain form that your body can partially convert, though an algae-based supplement is more reliable.
How Many Eggs Per Day Are Safe
For healthy adults with normal cholesterol levels, the American Heart Association supports eating up to one whole egg per day. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans removed the longstanding cap of 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol per day that had been in place since 1968, and included eggs as part of a healthy eating pattern. Prospective research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that up to one egg daily is not a concern for the general public, though data on eating two or more per day is less clear.
If you’re relying on eggs as a primary protein and B12 source on an ovo-vegetarian diet, one to two eggs daily is a reasonable baseline. Beyond that, you’ll want to round out your protein with legumes, tofu, tempeh, nuts, and seeds rather than simply adding more eggs.
Health Outcomes on a Vegetarian Diet With Eggs
A 2025 crossover feeding trial compared a minimally processed lacto-ovo vegetarian diet against a minimally processed omnivorous diet in older adults. Both groups saw nearly identical improvements: participants lost 4.4 kilograms on the vegetarian plan and 3.8 kilograms on the omnivorous one. Both diets reduced insulin resistance, lowered LDL cholesterol, and decreased markers of inflammation. The key finding was that neither diet outperformed the other, suggesting that a well-constructed vegetarian diet with eggs and dairy delivers the same metabolic benefits as a carefully planned omnivorous one.
The broader research on vegetarian diets consistently shows benefits including lower cardiovascular risk and higher intake of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants from plant foods. These advantages come from the overall dietary pattern, not from any single food. A vegetarian diet built around processed snacks and refined grains won’t deliver the same results as one centered on vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and eggs.
Why People Choose Ovo-Vegetarianism
The motivations generally fall into three categories: ethics, environment, and health. Some people are comfortable with egg production but object to the dairy or meat industries. Others find that dropping dairy resolves digestive issues like bloating or skin problems while eggs remain well-tolerated. Environmental considerations also play a role, as egg production has a smaller carbon and water footprint than beef or dairy farming, though it’s not as low-impact as a fully plant-based diet.
In lower-income countries, the picture looks different. Cultural traditions, food availability, and cost often shape dietary choices more than ethical philosophy. Eggs are among the most affordable and accessible sources of complete protein worldwide, making ovo-vegetarianism a practical rather than ideological choice in many communities.
A well-balanced ovo-vegetarian diet is considered nutritionally adequate for most people, including children, as long as potential gaps in calcium, iron, zinc, iodine, and omega-3s are recognized and addressed through careful food choices or targeted supplements.