What's The Differences between being vegan and vegetarian

Vegan vs Vegetarian

The concepts of vegetarian and vegan diets have begun to become increasingly familiar. However, although they are becoming more and more common in society, the truth is that there are still many doubts when it comes to differentiating them. The only thing that is certain is that although they are very similar, they are two types of food with several differences

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The main difference between being vegan and vegetarian is that vegetarians do not eat animal meat, while vegans reject both animal foods and their derivatives. To further clarify both diets, we will focus on the main differences between vegan and vegetarian.

1. Type of diet.

One of the main differences between vegans and vegetarians is the way in which this type of food is conceived. Being vegetarian corresponds to having a diet that does not include the meat of animals.

On the contrary, being vegan means more than just eating a diet without animal meat, since they also don't consume other products derived from animals, such as eggs, milk or butter, among others.

2. Substitute foods.

While vegetarians can include animal products such as eggs and milk in their diet, vegans choose to substitute them.

So, instead of drinking milk from the cow, they choose soy, oat or almond milk. In turn, cheese is replaced by tofu, and butter by vegetable margarine.

3. Way of life.

While the vegetarian person bases his or her habits on eliminating meat from animals, in the case of a vegan this concept goes further, turning his or her rejection of all animal foods into a lifestyle.

This type of "philosophy" can even be seen in the way they dress. Vegan people reject all garments that have been made of leather or wool, and even reject other types of animal products (that do not mean death), such as beeswax.

4. Social Activism.

The vegetarian diet is restricted to being part of an eating habit based mostly on foods of plant origin. In the case of veganism, the most committed people tend to form part of a major social action movement, participating in all kinds of demonstrations or movements in defense of animal rights.

5. Contribution of vitamins

In the case of vegetarian diets, there are more options when it comes to replacing the food deficit caused by the elimination of animal meat in the daily meal. However, in the case of vegan diets, because of the much stricter and more restricted eating habit, there may be a lack of essential vitamins for the human body.

In this sense, it is essential to try to obtain the necessary vitamins from appropriate foods, or to control through medical analysis the deficit of this type of nutrients in order to apply the necessary supplements to avoid health problems. Vegans generally need to take vitamin B12 supplements, as it is only found in foods of animal origin.

Being a vegan or vegetarian is a personal choice that goes beyond a fad. It involves having somewhat stricter eating habits than a non-vegetarian. The important thing is to maintain a balanced diet whatever the option chosen, so that our body receives everything it needs to stay in shape.

Did you know that...

In a vegetarian diet there are variations. On the one hand, there are ovo vegetarians, who admit the consumption of eggs but avoid milk and its derivatives, Lacto vegetarians, who include milk but avoid eggs, and ovo lacto vegetarians, who include both eggs and milk in their diet.