What’s the difference between vegetarian and vegan?

What’s the difference between vegetarian and vegan?

Despite the recent upward trend of vegetarians and vegans in society, there are still a lot of questions these days about what vegetarianism/veganism is. Because of this, I decided to make a 3-part blog series about vegetarian and vegan diets. The three parts will consist of:

Part 1: What’s the difference between vegetarian and vegan?
Part 2: Why Become Vegetarian?: Culture/Religion & Health
Part 3: Why Become Vegetarian?: Animal Welfare & Science

As always, I hope this information will be useful to you guys, so you can make informed choices on how to live, and change your life to live more by your own values! Now, on to Part 1!

Part 1: What’s the difference between vegetarian and vegan?

For centuries across history, humans have consumed meats in varying amounts: some cultures consuming large amounts of meat, while others have eaten little to no meat at all. The earliest recorded vegetarian diets date back to 6th-century BCE in India.

These days, there are many different types of vegetarian diets as well as the most strict form of vegetarian diet known as the vegan diet. But while some areas of the world have widely accepted vegetarianism and veganism as a common, socially-accepted practice, with many restaurants offering vegetarian and vegan options, there are still many other parts of the world that can’t even imagine a life without meat as a possibility.

There are also different reasons to switch to a vegetarian diet. Some people do it for the betterment of animals, others for the benefits to the environment, and many do it for the benefits to health. 

So let’s break it down. What’s the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan? What are the different types of vegetarians? And why would you want to switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet? 

Vegetarian: Simplified

In the simplest terms, a vegetarian is simply someone who doesn’t eat meat, fish, seafood, or poultry. A vegetarian’s diet can include animal products that don’t involve killing an animal. This means that dairy products (from cows/goats/etc) are fine: yogurt, milk, cheese, etc. Even things that are made by other living things like honey (made by bees!) and eggs (made by chickens!) are on the table.

In short, a vegetarian’s diet will NOT include:
– Meat or poultry (chicken, turkey, etc)
– Fish or seafood
– Insects
– Products made using animals (Gelatin, broths, stocks, or fats)

But MAY consist of:
– Fruits and Vegetables
– Grains
– Nuts and seeds
– Eggs
– Dairy products
– Honey

Note that I listed things a vegetarian’s diet MAY consist of. That is because, depending on the type of vegetarian you are, you might make a few additional restrictions. So let’s go over some of those subcategories of vegetarianism.

Types of Vegetarians

Lacto-ovo vegetarians:

These vegetarians avoid all meat, fish, seafood, and poultry, but DO eat dairy and eggs. This is the least strict form of vegetarianism. From here on out, things get stricter.
Not Okay: Meat, fish, seafood, poultry
Okay: Dairy, eggs

Lacto vegetarians:

This is just like Lacto-ovo, but without the ovo (eggs)
Not Okay: Meat, fish, seafood, poultry, eggs
Okay: Dairy

Ovo vegetarians:

This is just like Lacto-ovo, but without the lacto (dairy)
Not Okay: Meat, fish, seafood, poultry, dairy
Okay: Eggs

Vegan: Simplified

Veganism is the strictest form of vegetarianism. Meaning, once again we move up the strictness ladder. Vegans don’t consume any products made with or using animals. This means no flesh: meat, fish, seafood, or poultry. It also means nothing that is made by animals (including insects!): no dairy, eggs, or honey. 

Vegans also often restrict themselves from animal products in their non-consumable products as well. Vegans also refuse to purchase leathers, furs, or wools (whether this one is vegan is debated) for their clothing. Many soaps are also made with animal products and so are not considered to be vegan. If you decide to take on the challenge of going vegan, keep in mind there are quite a few unexpected products that you might not guess are vegan no-nos! Some common mistakes for foods thought to be vegan but aren’t are:

• Gelatin (most gummy candy products, chocolate mousse, and many others)
• Figs (I’ll let you do the research on this one…)
• Pesto (often contains animal rennet or cheese)
• Wine (clarification process involves animal products)
• Many more! Get used to reading ingredient labels and spotting animal products.

Keep in mind that although these things are not typically vegan, vegan alternatives do exist! And hey, if you want some good news, Oreos are vegan. So you’ve got that going for you if you’re taking on the vegan lifestyle. 

Other Diets You May Have Heard Of

There are a few other diet styles you may have heard come up in the vegetarian/vegan discussion, so let’s just get a few of those out of the way as well, as long we’re having this chat.

Pescatarian

A pescatarian diet is another one designed to reduce meat consumption but is not technically considered a kind of vegetarian. This is because they eat fish, an animal flesh. They have, however, stopped eating meat or poultry.

Not Okay: Meat, poultry
Okay: Fish, seafood, dairy, honey, eggs

Flexitarian

A flexitarian is a term used to describe someone who is simply a part-time vegetarian. Every flexitarian has their own way of limiting animal consumption, but some choose to limit themselves to eating animal-products only a few times a week, or pick days of the week to be vegetarian. Some even decide to limit themselves to meatless lunches and only eat meat with dinner. Meatless Monday, anyone?

Vegetarian: Check. Vegan: Check. Got it?

So that’s it! This was a quick and simple introduction to vegetarianism and veganism.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m NOT vegetarian…yet. I’m still on Team Flexitarian. Personally, I try to limit my meat intake as much as I can, but I can’t call myself vegetarian. I have come a long way in reducing my meat consumption: when I eat meat, I do so in small portions. I also practice Meatless Monday (No meat at all on Mondays!) and eat vegetarian at restaurants when the options are available (a lot tougher here in Japan than in my native California). But as the vegetarian and vegan options grow, it’s always getting easier and easier to make the switch. Have you seen meatless meat yet? I loved this video by Mark Rober.

If you decide you want to be vegetarian, there are some amazing benefits to your life: health, environmental impact, and kindness to animals. Not to mention, a lot of it is just delicous. If you are interested in learning more about why you might want to switch to being vegetarian, read my blog post Part 2: Why Become Vegetarian? 

Thanks for reading guys. As I mentioned, I am neither vegetarian nor vegan, just a wannabe trying to get there. So there’s a chance I got something wrong. If there is, let me know in the comments below! Let me know if you’ve switched to vegetarianism or veganism, and how the experience was for you! What made it easy? What made it hard? I’d love to hear your stories!

Photo Credits:
Broccoli Casserole Image by Bernadette Wurzinger from Pixabay
Vegetarian Burger Image by Kevin Petit from Pixabay
Quiche Image by RitaE from Pixabay