WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VEGAN AND VEGETARIAN? - NUTRITION - 2025

The main difference between vegan and vegetarian is that a vegan person does not consume animal products, but some vegetarians do. It can be said that veganism is a lifestyle, which includes an ethics, beliefs and political ideas of defense of the environment.

Vegans do not consume animal products, nor products produced by animals, including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, honey, or gelatin. They eat grains, beans, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and seeds.

In contrast, a vegetarian is someone who does not eat meat, fish, or chicken. If they don't eat meat for health reasons, they are known as nutritional vegetarians. Those who avoid meat in deference to the environment and animals are called "ethical vegetarians." The term "ovo-lacto-vegetarian" is used for those who eat milk and eggs.

Anyone who does not eat meat is considered vegetarian, including vegans, lacto-vegetarians, ovo-vegetarians, and lacto-ovo vegetarians. A vegetarian diet is sometimes called a meatless diet.

Vegetarians do not eat animal meat. While some people may use the terms "fish-vegetarian" to refer to someone who eats fish, or "chicken-vegetarian" to someone who eats chicken, they are not types of vegetarians.

Similarly, a "flexitivist," someone who chooses to eat vegetarian at one time but eats meat at other times, is not a vegetarian.

Main differences between vegan and vegetarian

The definition line is quite clear, but often confused by companies that sell food products, gourmets and chefs. Like vegans, vegetarians do not eat animal meats such as: chicken, pork, cow, or marine animals, among others.

1- Vegetarians can consume products of animal origin

Besides not consuming any animal meat, a vegan does not eat eggs, dairy products or any other product derived from an animal. Vegetarians, on the other hand, tend to eat eggs and dairy products like milk and butter.

Vegans also avoid using products that have been tested on animals, such as makeup and skin creams, or products made from animal skins such as leather belts and shoes.

But vegetarians tend to be a bit more forgiving when it comes to using animal products.

2- The concept of vegan is clearer than that of vegetarian

When it comes to being a vegetarian, the definition is not always clear cut. You can find vegetarians who do not eat dairy but eat eggs, or vegetarians who do not eat eggs or dairy, but wear a leather belt.

Veganism, however, is clearly defined - don't eat animal meat, don't use animal-tested products, or use animal-derived products, so veganism is more than just a diet.

While the word "vegan" can refer to a cookie or restaurant, and means only that there are no animal products present, the word has come to mean something different when referring to a person.

A vegan generally rejects animal products for animal rights reasons. You may also be environmentally conscious and concerned about your health, but the main reason for following this type of diet is your belief in animal rights.

Veganism is a lifestyle and philosophy that recognizes that animals have the right to be free from human use and exploitation. Veganism is an ethical stance.

Vegetarians cut out animal products as well, but the milk can stay if desired. The American news ranked the vegetarian diet # 11 of the best global diets, eight points ahead of the vegan diet.

It is also in the top 10 healthy diets for heart, diabetes, and best plant-based diets.

3- The vegetarian diet has several patterns

Like vegans, vegetarians eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, leafy greens, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. But unlike vegans, the American Heart Association said that "there is no single vegetarian eating pattern."

For example, a lacto-vegetarian eats plant-based foods, cheese, and dairy products, while a lacto-ovo-vegetarian (lacto-ovo) eats all of the above and eggs.

There are also semi-vegetarians, or people who don't eat red meat, but eat chicken and fish with their plant-based foods, dairy products, and eggs. Most vegetarians, according to the American news, are lacto-ovo.

4- Differences in diet

When it comes to diet, the main differences between vegans and vegetarians are eggs, dairy products, and honey.

5- Veganism goes beyond diet

Because veganism tries to recognize animal rights, it's not just about food. Vegans also avoid silk, wool, leather, and suede in their clothing.

Vegans also boycott companies that test on animals and do not buy cosmetics or personal care products that contain lanolin, carmine, honey, and other animal products. Zoos, rodeos, greyhounds, horse races, and animal circuses are also out, due to the oppression of animals.

In the case of vegetarians, for the most part, it is only a diet, not consuming animal meat of any kind, but not an ethical stance that leads them not to use products such as perfumes or cosmetics tested on animals.

Vegetarianism, veganism and health

There are some people who follow a diet free (or almost) of animal products for health reasons, including former US President Bill Clinton. In these cases, it is often said that the person follows a plant-based diet.

Some also use the term "strict vegetarian" to describe someone who does not eat animal products but may use animal products in other parts of their life. This term is problematic because it implies that lacto-ovo vegetarians are not "strict" vegetarians.

Vegetarians have been hailed as the healthiest eaters. A study published in the American Heart Association meeting report found that people who mostly adhere to a pro-vegetarian diet (70 percent of food intake is derived from plants) were less likely to dying of cardiovascular disease.

Other research has associated this particular diet with a reduced risk for certain types of cancer, high blood pressure, and early death. Again, like vegans, maintaining a primarily plant-based diet is good for the environment.

"Dietary greenhouse gas emissions in meat eaters are roughly twice as high as those of vegans," noted researchers from the Oxford Martin Future of Food Program and the British Heart Foundation Center. Reductions in meat consumption would lead to reductions in dietary greenhouse gas emissions.

The researchers added that 70 percent of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed in Latin America to make more space for raising livestock.

By the dictionary definition, vegetarians are those people who do not eat meat of any kind, but do eat dairy products and eggs. Vegans on the other hand do not consume any animal products, no matter what the form is.

Both groups are admirable because they have made changes in their lives that actually leave them feeling healthier, happier, and allow them to live a longer life. Vegans have lots of grains, fruits, vegetables, and beans.

All vegan foods are low in fat and contain little or no cholesterol. They are also rich in fiber. Vegans may have the ability to create a meal that will provide them with all the nutrients they need without using any animal products at all.

On the other side of the food chain however, vegetarians practice their diet on products of the plant family along with or without the use of dairy products and eggs. However, they do not eat any other part of the animal.

Vegans can eat any food that is not of animal origin that is generally found in the section of products for specialized diets, such as that of celiacs or those allergic to lactose. This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains that are less harmful, and other permitted products like maple syrup, for example.

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