What is the difference between a vegan and a vegetarian. The main differences between vegetarians and vegans: nutrition, lifestyle, moral and ethical principles

If you are looking to adopt a healthy vegetarian diet, it may be helpful to know the differences between a vegetarian, a vegan and a raw foodist. Let's look at the differences in diets for vegetarianism, veganism and a raw food diet.

Vegetarianism refers to a balanced, meat-free diet in which all meat is excluded from the diet. A deliberate ban is imposed on poultry meat, any animals, fish, and seafood. A characteristic feature is that vegetarians do not give up dairy foods. In this case, milk is combined with food of plant origin.

Veganism is considered one type of vegetarianism. This is a stricter form of vegetarian diet, which involves avoiding all animal products. Vegans do not eat meat, fish, seafood, eggs, or any dairy products. Quite often, representatives of veganism also completely abandon honey.

Regardless of whether you become a vegetarian or vegan, you will have to exclude all cheeses with added rennet, as well as products with gelatin, from your diet. To make it clearer: gelatin is a protein-peptide mixture obtained as a result of the hydrolysis of collagen found in the skin, cartilage, and bones of animals (much less often, fish). In most cases, to produce gelatin, not only bones are ground, but also hooves and tendons.

For the production of rennet enzymes, the glandular stomachs of ruminant animals are used. It is clear that no adequate person would enjoy consuming gelatin and rennet.

Now we have figured out who a vegan and a vegetarian are. In a nutshell, a vegan is the same as a vegetarian, but on a stricter diet (complete rejection of any food of animal origin).

What is the difference between a vegetarian and a raw foodist?

To understand the difference between vegetarians and raw foodists, it is necessary to understand the essence of the concept of a raw food diet. In general, a raw food diet is a nutritional system in which a person eats only raw, non-thermally processed foods of plant origin. Heat treatment of products at temperatures above 43 degrees is prohibited.

As with veganism, all foods of meat origin, fish, seafood, milk and dairy products, and honey are prohibited.

If you decide to switch to a raw food diet, try to follow these rules:

• your diet should be as varied as possible. Do not stop at just a few types of fruits and vegetables, as this may lead to a deficiency of vitamins and minerals in the body. There should always be apples, bananas, carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes and any other seasonal plant products on your table;
• Despite the fact that fruits and vegetables are saturated with water, you should not forget to drink purified water. This will ensure even more effective cleansing of the body from waste and toxins;

• Any greens and nuts are extremely useful. Make sure that your diet includes dill, onions, and parsley;
• It is recommended to eat frequently and in small portions. Overeating fruit can cause dysbiosis, flatulence, bloating and other gastrointestinal problems. Cases of allergic reactions are common.

The best option is a gradual transition to a raw food diet. Start with simple vegetarianism, then go vegan, and only then create a diet of raw plant foods.

To summarize: veganism is a type of vegetarianism, and a raw food diet is a type of veganism, and therefore a subtype of vegetarianism. The strictest vegetarian diet is used by raw foodists.

Nowadays, giving up meat has become very popular. There are 2 main movements: veganism and vegetarianism. Each of them promotes healthy eating, which does not include animal products. But there are certain differences between them. What are they? In our article we will try to figure out how vegans differ from vegetarians.

Vegans

Vegans are people who completely refuse not only meat and fish, but also any other animal products. For example, dairy products, eggs, honey. Veganism is considered one of the strictest and most radical areas of human nutrition.

Varieties of veganism

Like any other movement, veganism has several varieties, namely:

• vegans: allow boiled, fried and any other food prepared using temperature, but provided that it does not contain products containing animal protein;
• raw foodists: do not accept thermally processed food, but eat it only raw;
• Fruitarians: consume exclusively plant fruits.

Nutrition Basics

The diet of vegans is quite limited, since they refuse not only meat, but also any other products related to animals. Let's look at the lists of allowed and prohibited foods.

Authorized Products

The list of products that vegans can eat includes the following:

• fruits;
• vegetables;
• bakery products;
• pasta and various cereals;
• sweets that do not contain animal proteins (for example, lecithin);
• various drinks (water, lemonade, fruit juices).

As we can see, the diet of vegans is quite limited and placed within strict limits.

Prohibited Products

The list of prohibited foods related to veganism is quite extensive. This may include the following:

• any meat and fish, as well as seafood (shrimp, octopus, mussels, oysters);
• dairy products: ice cream, milk, kefir, sour cream, yoghurt, fermented baked milk, cream, cheese, kumiss;
• eggs: duck, chicken, quail;
• bee products: honey, propolis, royal jelly;
• gelatin.

Moral aspect

People who have expressed a desire to become vegans do so for the following reasons:

• ethical treatment of animals;
• healthy eating.

Vegans do not accept wearing natural leather or fur. Instead of these materials, they prefer to use artificial substitutes, for example, eco-leather. Veganism allows wearing clothes made from cotton, linen, polyester, and viscose. Also, many vegans explain their position in life from an environmental point of view. They believe that livestock farming has a negative impact on the ecological state of our planet, that fur and meat farms pollute the environment with untold amounts of hydrogen sulfide, and that artificial materials are much safer and more practical.

Vegetarians

Vegetarians, unlike vegans, only refuse to eat meat, and other animal products, including natural leather and fur, are allowed to be used, but there are exceptions. Let's take a closer look at the basics of vegetarianism.

Classification

Vegetarianism is divided into several types. These include:

• ovo-lacto-vegetarians: do not eat meat and fish products, but eat dairy products and eggs;
• ovo-vegetarians: exclude dairy products, meat and fish from their diet, but allow the consumption of eggs;
• Lacto-vegetarians: welcome dairy products, but have a negative attitude towards meat, fish and eggs.

Nutrition rules

The diet of vegetarians is not as strict as that of vegans; on the contrary, it is more balanced, although it does not include meat products. Let's look at foods that are prohibited and acceptable for vegetarians.

Acceptable Products

As we found out, there are several varieties of vegetarians. The following is a general list of foods that are allowed to be eaten as a vegetarian, namely:

• dairy products: sour cream, cottage cheese, cheese, butter, milk, kefir;
• eggs;
• any sweets, baked goods;
• vegetables fruits;
• cereals, pasta.

Unacceptable Products

The list of foods that vegetarians are strictly prohibited from eating includes the following:

• meat: beef, pork, horse meat, lamb, turkey, chicken;
• fish of any kind and seafood;

Reasons for switching to vegetarianism

Why do some people become vegetarians? In this case, everything is much simpler than for vegans. A vegetarian diet in some cases is prescribed by doctors as a preventive measure against any disease, for example, gastritis, ulcers, colitis, rehabilitation after surgery. There are also situations when a person simply does not like meat or fish, or he has a congenital allergic reaction to these products. And, only the smallest percentage of vegetarians refuse meat food due to ethical treatment of animals, yet this is the prerogative of veganism.

In our article, you learned about the main differences between vegans and vegetarians, namely, different moral and ethical views and worldviews, as well as different lists of permitted and prohibited foods. In any case, a complete refusal of meat food has negative consequences for your health; before limiting yourself in anything, consult your doctor in order to avoid serious consequences for the body.

Of the more than seven billion people living on the planet, a billion - that is, one in seven - do not eat meat. The reasons are different for everyone. Some refused for moral reasons, others are not allowed by health or ethical standards. Moreover, among those who are generally called vegetarians, many of their own, sometimes very fundamental differences. Some limit themselves to giving up meat, others do not drink milk, some even forbid themselves honey. Vegetarian is a sign that unites everyone who has excluded killer food from their diet. At the other extreme are vegans.

What to do with honey

Let's figure out the difference between a vegan and a vegetarian. What do vegetarians eat? There may be eggs on their white list dairy, the milk itself. Honey is also allowed; mushrooms are consumed without problems, since they are plant foods. That is, the main principle is no slaughter food, no meat. What primarily distinguishes a vegan from a vegetarian is the uncompromising denial of all animals on their plate. Only plants, that is, products of plant origin, are allowed there - on the plate. Accordingly, the indulgences that more liberal-minded vegetarians allow themselves are left out: dairy products, eggs and even honey, because this is a mockery of the bees. The strict principles of veganism extend far beyond the kitchen. No clothing made of fur or leather, taboo on cosmetics, which contains animal components. That is, no matter how ideologically close a vegan and a vegetarian are, their difference lies in the degree of rejection of animal products.

Seeds like scrambled eggs

Raw foodists have advanced the furthest in this sense. Here, in general, everything is clear, the term itself explains everything. A raw foodist is one who eats foods that are not thermally processed. Or rather, there are some assumptions - you can dry potential food in the sun, you can “heat” it in the oven, but not more than 42 degrees. The raw foodist’s “playlist” is something that grows. Vegetables, fruits, root vegetables, cereals, seeds, dried fruits. No cereals for you, a ban on soups, a veto on sugar. Many raw foodists prohibit themselves from salt and all kinds of spices. So that, as they say, life doesn’t seem like honey. However, some raw foodists use honey, although there is no consensus on this important issue. Yes, and we completely forgot about fruitarians, who, not wanting to destroy plants, eat only their fruits: fruits, seeds and nuts. There is, however, one “but” here - fruits are “children” of plants, and this means that eating a handful of seeds is the same negative karma as scrambled eggs. Although, of course, the merits of vegetarians and vegans to animals more than offset all the “sins” to plants. It is estimated that a vegetarian saves the lives of 760 chickens, 5 cows, 20 pigs, and 29 sheep over the course of his life. As for the fish, the merits here are almost immeasurable.

Post on Mondays

And by the way, here’s another interesting fact. To grow a pound of wheat (approximately 450 grams) you will need 95 liters of water. Producing a pound of meat would deprive the ecosystem of 9,500 liters. The difference is serious. It is not surprising that five years ago the authorities of Los Angeles decided to make all Mondays in the city fast - for environmental reasons. Of course, no one infringes on meat eaters; they calmly eat meat on this day, but a number of establishments adhere to Monday fasts.

Listen to yourself

It is pointless to discuss the pros and cons of meat-eating and vegetarianism, much less find out who is cooler, vegetarians or vegans. One thing is certain: giving up meat is a stable trend, which, however, experiences ups and downs. Psychologists and nutritionists explain the fashion for vegetarianism by the eternal desire of a person to get the secret of quickly improving the quality of his life in the spirit of “I stopped eating meat - I lost 5 kilos in a week.” And like any fashion, vegetarianism can be disappointing or simply not suitable. Those who stopped eating meat sometimes return to their previous habits; there are also former vegans - those who radically changed their eating habits and then returned to their previous ones. This is fine. The main thing is to know when to stop and listen to yourself.

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