What's the difference between being vegan and vegetarian?

What is vegetarianism?

Vegetarianism is the practice of avoiding meat and fish, be it for health reasons, ethical concerns, environmental concerns, or religious beliefs. Lacto-vegetarians do not eat meat or eggs, but do consume dairy milk, and lacto-ovo vegetarians consume both dairy and eggs but not meat. 

What is veganism?

Veganism is the practice of avoiding all animal and animal bi-products in one’s lifestyle, including animal milk and eggs. This can also be for a range of reasons, like with vegetarianism. 

So, are they the same?

Vegetarians and vegans both involve a plant-based diet, but there are still differences between them. Lots of vegetarians still include animal bi-products in their diet, including dairy milk, honey, eggs, and non-food animal products like wool. Most vegans, however, do not incorporate these into their diet or lifestyle. In essence, not all products with a vegetarian label on it are vegan, but everything that is vegan is also considered to be vegetarian.

Whether you’re a strict vegan, vegan-ish, vegetarian or flexitarian, we can all agree that plants are delicious — our meals prove that — and we’ll keep eating and discovering lots of them.