One of the most common misconceptions of vegans is that our diet is the same as a vegetarian’s. It takes time to get used the rules and regulations.
This post is for new and seasoned vegans, as well as omnivores alike. We all got a little something to learn about the differences between vegan and vegetarian lifestyles. Let’s go through some of the main questions and clear it all up.
What’s the difference between vegetarian and vegan?
Vegans and vegetarians are different when it comes to dietary preferences. A vegan diet does not allow for consumption of any meat, fish or animal by products. A vegetarian diet however, tends to permit animal derived products such as eggs, dairy and honey.
Vegetarians and vegans are alike in the sense that they advocate side by side to stand up for animal rights, and go for vegan-friendly clothing and products, stemming beyond just diet.
What’s the difference between a lacto, ovo and pescatarian?
There are 3 main types of vegetarian. Vegetarians who consume dairy are known as lacto-vegetarians, ovo-vegetarians (who eat eggs) and lacto-ovo-vegetarians (who eat both eggs and dairy).
Pescatarians typically follow a vegetarian diet but also eat fish, mulluscs, shellfish, etc. They may or may not eat eggs or dairy.
Are vegetarians healthier than vegans?
According to research, vegans top the list on the healthy eating index (HEI-2010), compared to vegetarians, semi-vegetarians and pesco-vegetarians. Needles to say, omnivorous diets don’t score as high on this metric.
In general, vegetarians and vegans are at an advantage compared to omnivores, when it comes to risks of long-term disease.
Do you lose more weight as a vegan or vegetarian?
According to studies, vegans had an average lowest BMI as compared to vegetarians, who were slightly higher. Meat eaters saw the highest BMIs with pescatarians seeing intermediate numbers.
As a vegan you already negate animal protein which in itself comes with a lot of saturated fat.
Vegetarians, although consuming a diet more fruit and veggie focused, can still be high consumers of dairy products which can make weight management difficult.
Bottom line: What’s the main difference between a vegetarian and a vegan?
Veganism, in short, is way of approaching vegetarianism completely leaving out any meat, dairy, eggs and animal based ingredients.
Vegetarians often still consume animal products such as dairy, eggs, honey, as well as by products such as milk chocolate and cheese.
Not much difference between us two, we’re all working towards the same goal, of eating less animals. Be it for religious, moral or health reasons.
Check out different types of vegans if you liked this post. Feel free to comment below your thoughts and share this with your friends and fam – Thanks for stopping by.
