Vegan vs Vegetarian: What's the Difference?
Table of Contents
Key takeaways comparing veganism vs vegetarianism:
| Veganism | Vegetarianism |
Dietary Restrictions | Excludes all animal products and by-products like meat, eggs, dairy, honey. | Excludes meat, fish, and poultry but allows eggs, dairy, and other animal by-products. |
Ethical Motivations | Promotes animal rights and welfare. Reduces environmental impact of animal agriculture. | Reduces animal suffering and environmental impact but to a lesser degree by allowing some animal products. |
Health Benefits | Offers disease protection if well-planned. Lowers BMI, cholesterol and risk of diabetes and cancer. | Also associated with health perks like reduced disease risk and healthy weight management. |
Protein Sources | Offers disease protection if well-planned. Lowers BMI, cholesterol and risk of diabetes and cancer. | Eggs and dairy offer additional protein options compared to vegan diet. |
Supplements | Must supplement vitamin B12. May also need vitamin D, omega-3, zinc, calcium, iron depending on diet. | May need B12 and vitamin D. Potentially iron, zinc, calcium. Less supplementation overall. |
Social Challenges | Dining out and traveling more challenging. Must clarify no animal products. | More restaurant options. Travel also easier without eliminating dairy/eggs. |
Vegan and vegetarian diets are growing in popularity as more people become aware of the health benefits and ethical motivations behind eliminating or reducing animal products. But what exactly is the difference between being vegan vs vegetarian?
While both lifestyles emphasize plant-based eating, they have distinct differences when it comes to dietary restrictions and reasons for choosing each path. Those considering going vegan or vegetarian often have misconceptions about meeting nutritional needs or overcoming social challenges.
In this post, we’ll clarify the distinctions between veganism and vegetarianism by exploring what each diet entails, motivations behind these choices, health impacts, and busting myths about protein and social difficulties. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of vegan vs vegetarian lifestyles and be able to choose the diet that best aligns with your goals and beliefs.
Let’s start by defining veganism and the dietary and ethical considerations at its core.
What is Veganism?
Veganism is a lifestyle choice that goes beyond just diet and promotes ethical and environmental consciousness. At its core, veganism excludes all animal products and by-products from a person's life.
Vegan Diet
Vegans strictly avoid consuming any meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, honey, or any other edible items that come from animals.
The diet focuses on plant-based foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and healthy fats like olive oil.
With the rise in veganism, many innovative alternatives like plant-based milks, meats, and cheeses make it easy to adapt cooking and baking.
Ethical Considerations
Veganism advocates for animal rights by boycotting industries that exploit animals for food, clothing, testing, and other uses.
Environmental conservation is another reason people go vegan, as animal agriculture contributes heavily to resource depletion and pollution.
For many vegans, compassion towards animals and aligning actions with ethical values are key motivators.
In the next section we’ll cover the health benefits associated with a properly planned vegan diet.
Health Benefits of a Vegan Diet
When appropriately planned, a vegan diet can provide all the necessary nutrients for good health. Research shows plant-based diets can help reduce risk of major illnesses and support a healthy body and mind.
Tend to be lower in saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories, reducing heart disease, diabetes, and cancer risk.
High fiber intake from fruits, veggies, beans, and whole grains supports digestive and heart health.
Essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants derived from plants strengthen immunity and cells.
Phytochemicals and nutrients unique to plants have protective health effects.
Many people report increased energy, better skin, reduced inflammation, and lower BMI on a vegan diet.
To gain optimal nutrition, vegans should eat a varied diet and supplement with vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, omega-3s, calcium, and zinc. With proper planning, a vegan diet can be extremely healthy for all stages of life.
Now let’s look at vegetarianism and the different types of vegetarian diets.
What is Vegetarianism?
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from meat consumption. However, there are several types of vegetarian diets, each with different guidelines on egg and dairy consumption.
Types of Vegetarian Diets
Lacto-ovo vegetarian: The most common type, allows both eggs and dairy products while avoiding meat, fish, and poultry.
Lacto vegetarian: Consumes dairy products but excludes eggs, meat, fish, and poultry.
Ovo vegetarian: Includes eggs but avoids dairy, meat, fish, and poultry products.
Pescatarian: Restricts meat and poultry intake but incorporates fish and seafood.
People choose vegetarianism for health, environmental, ethical, cultural, or religious reasons. The flexibility allows for personalized dietary boundaries based on individual motivations.
Next we’ll uncover the reasons behind vegetarianism and why people choose this lifestyle.
Why People Become Vegetarian
There are several driving factors that motivate people to adopt a vegetarian diet and lifestyle:
Health
Research shows vegetarian diets support weight loss, heart health, and reduce disease risk like diabetes and cancer.
Eliminating meat cuts out saturated fat, hormones, and other potentially harmful substances.
Increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and plant proteins provides fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Environmental Concerns
Animal agriculture stresses land use, water supply, and contributes heavily to pollution and greenhouse gasses.
Reducing consumption of animal products benefits the environment through conservation of resources.
Ethical Reasons
Many people believe in ending cruelty and violence towards animals, motivating them to avoid meat.
Vegetarians aim to cause less harm to living creatures and ameliorate suffering.
Religious or Cultural Influence
Numerous cultures and faiths incorporate vegetarianism, like Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism.
Vegetarianism aligns with beliefs about non-violence, animal welfare, or health practices like Ayurveda.
Now that we’ve covered vegetarianism, let’s move on to differentiating it from veganism.
Key Differences Between Veganism and Vegetarianism
While vegetarianism and veganism both eliminate meat from the diet, there are some important distinctions between these two lifestyles.
Animal By-Products
Vegetarian diets allow eggs, dairy, honey, and other animal by-products.
Vegans exclude all animal-derived food products and do not consume honey, dairy, eggs or other animal by-products.
Use of Animal Ingredients
Vegetarians may consume baked goods, candies, and other processed foods containing animal-derived ingredients.
Vegans avoid products containing any animal ingredients like gelatin, lactose, whey, casein, and albumin.
Environmental Impact
Vegetarianism benefits the environment by reducing meat production. However, dairy/eggs still contribute to resource use and pollution.
Veganism aims to eliminate reliance on all forms of animal agriculture, having a more drastic environmental impact reduction.
Now that we’ve differentiated between these diets, let’s tackle some myths and misconceptions surrounding both lifestyles.
Busting Myths and Overcoming Challenges
There are many myths and misconceptions about vegan and vegetarian diets. By dispelling these myths and being aware of potential challenges, people can feel more confident adopting these lifestyles.
Protein Myth
Myth: You need meat for protein.
Fact: There are abundant plant-based protein sources like beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, edamame, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. With proper planning, vegans and vegetarians can easily meet protein needs.
Nutrient Deficiency Assumption
Myth: Vegetarians and vegans are often deficient.
Fact: Like any diet, deficiencies can occur if food variety is lacking. However, with mindful meal planning and supplementation if needed, vegans and vegetarians can obtain all essential vitamins and minerals.
Social Difficulties
Challenge: Dining out, traveling, and attending social functions with limited veg options.
Solution: Scope out restaurant menus in advance, research veg-friendly cuisine when traveling, and communicate preferences to hosts for weddings, parties, etc.
Meal Planning
Challenge: Repetitive meals or lack of variety.
Solution: Experiment with new flavors, cuisines, cookbooks, meat/dairy substitutes, and community recipe boards for an endless array of meal ideas.
With proper education and planning, vegans and vegetarians can thrive and overcome assumptions or difficulties.
Now let’s wrap up with a summary of the key differences and our conclusions.
Conclusion: Key Takeaways
In summary, while veganism and vegetarianism both emphasize plant-based eating, there are distinct differences when it comes to dietary restrictions and reasons for choosing each path:
Veganism excludes all animal products and by-products, while vegetarianism allows some animal-derived foods like dairy and eggs.
Motivations range from ethics and environmental conservation to health benefits and religious beliefs.
Both lifestyles require attention to nutrition to avoid deficiencies, but offer health advantages like reduced disease risk.
With planning and creativity, vegans and vegetarians can overcome social challenges and meal repetition.
The decision between veganism versus vegetarianism is a personal one, based on your goals, motivations and preferences. Any steps towards reducing consumption of animal products can have a positive impact on health, sustainability and animal welfare. Figure out which path best resonates with you.
We hope this guide has helped elucidate the nuances between these two diets. Remember that every individual’s journey is unique. Focus on progress over perfection, and enjoy discovering the array of delicious plant-based options.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the healthiest diet, vegan or vegetarian?
Both diets can be healthy with mindful planning. Vegetarian diets may incorporate some processed foods or unhealthy fats from dairy. But vegan diets aren't automatically healthier, especially if heavily processed foods are relied on. Overall nutrition quality matters most.
Don't you need to take a lot of supplements as a vegan?
Is the vegan diet safe during pregnancy?
What are the best sources of protein on a vegetarian diet?
Don't vegetarians/vegans struggle socially?