The difference between a vegan and a vegetarian diet may not seem clear to many people. So lets we start from a zero point.
What is a vegetarian diet?
A vegetarian is someone who doesn`t eat meat. There are two main kinds of vegetarians. If they don`t eat meat for health reasons, they are nutritional vegetarian. Others how are more concern to the environment or the animals are called “ethical vegetarians”. A vegetarian diet also can be called meatless diet or meat-free diet.
Furthermore, vegetarians can be divided into lacto-vegetarians, ovo-vegetarians, lacto-ovo vegetarians, pesco-vegetarian or pollo-vegetarian. I bet now you are little confused.
Well, lacto-vegetarians abstain from eating meat and eggs, but they eat dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese). Ovo-vegetarians or “eggetarians” consume eggs but not dairy products and meat. Lacto-ovo vegetarians don`t eat meat but they consume some animal products such as eggs and dairy.
Pesco-vegetarians or pescatarians eat fish and seafood while pollo-vegetarians eat poultry, but no other red meat.
What is a Vegan?
Vegans were considered really radical from the beginning until now. They do not consume meat, fish, poultry and animal products including, eggs, dairy, honey or gelatin.
Vegans are often asked what the hell they eat if they can`t eat meat or meat products. Well, vegans eat grains, beans, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and seeds. A vegan diet may seem severely restricted compared to the standard American diet.
There are different varieties of veganism. Some people consume a wide variety of whole plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. This diet is called the Whole Plant-Based. Other vegans (Raw-food vegan diet) eat only raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds or plant foods cooked at temperatures below 118°F (48°C).
Sometimes a vegan lifestyle may be unhealthy. For example, a junk-food vegan diet is based on processed food rich in artificial additives, fried fries, and vegan desserts full with processed sugar.
Veganism is not just about food it is a lifestyle. They stand up for the animal right and avoid household products, clothing, cosmetics made from animal products or tested on animals.
The Key Difference
Vegans don`t eat any animal products, while vegetarians don`t eat animals, but they eat products that come from them (such as dairy and eggs).
People typically choose a vegetarian diet because of health concerns, while veganism implies moral concern for animals.
