Vegan vs Vegetarian Diets
A lot of people do not completely understand the difference that exists between a vegan and vegetarian diet. To them, it seems like both of them are the same exact diet just stated differently. Little do these people realize that vegans and vegetarians are actually a whole world apart from each other.
By the dictionary definition, vegetarians are those people who do not eat meat of any kind but they will eat dairy products and eggs. The vegans on the other hand do not consume any animal products no matter what the form. The vegan diet actually walks a very thin and hard line. But you have to admire both of these groups because they have actually made changes in their life that actually leaves them feeling healthier, happier, and allows them to live a longer life. To a lot of people, the vegan diet does not seem very exciting. They eat a lot of grains, fruits, vegetables, and beans. All of the vegan’s meals are low in fat and contain little to no cholesterol and they are all rich in fiber. Vegans can actually have the ability to create a meal that will provide them with all the nutrients that they need without using absolutely no animal products. The number one lesson of a vegan diet that you can learn is that it does not have to taste good to be good for you.
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. They do not eat any other part of the animal, however.
So putting it quite simply vegans can eat just about anything that is not of animal origins and these foods are most generally found in the produce section. This includes such as fruits, vegetables, (this include both leafy and root), whole grains which are less harmful, and other allowable products like maple syrup for example.
There are actually seven different types of vegetarians. The pescatarians are those who avoid eating any meat at all with the exception of fish. Although the word piscatorial is not commonly known, more and more people are adopting this type of diet. One of the main reasons for this is because of the health benefits.
Flexitarian are those people that eat mainly a vegetarian diet but sometimes do eat meat. Semi-vegetarians-eat some meat but this meat is only fish and chicken.
These are just three of the more commonly practiced vegetarian diet, but the other four include lacto-ovo vegetarian, lacto vegetarian, ovo vegetarian, and macrobiotic.
So as you can see, there is actually a big difference between these two diets. Knowing the difference can help you choose which diet you would prefer.