What the heck is the difference between vegetarian and vegan???

Question

Seriously, not that I'm either but I have no idea. I thought vegan WAS vegetarian.

Answer 1

As simply as possible:

Vegetarians don't eat any meat.

Vegans don't eat anything that comes from an animal, including milk, cheese, or eggs. Some vegans also don't eat honey or use any animal products such as leather or wool. Vegans are more likely to have an ethical reason for becoming one.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

A vegetarian is one that will eat no animal flesh. This means no red meat, no white meat (pork or chicken), and no fish. Vegetarians can eat things made from animals though, like eggs (some go so far as to not eat fertilized ones -usual supermarket eggs are unfertilized eggs) and cheese as long as the actual animal is not killed in the process. This is where vegetarians are classified as "ovo" vegetarians if they eat only eggs, "lacto" vegetarians eat milk, and "ovo-lacto" vegetarians eat both eggs and milk. "Pollo" for chicken and "Pesca" vegetarians have many vegetarians in an uproar because a vegetarian is one who eats no animal flesh and chickens and fish are animals and when cooked and consumed it is their flesh that is eaten.

Now a vegan is a vegetarian that will live independent of any animal and the products made from animals. Thus no eggs, dairy (cheese, milk, yogurt, and ice cream), and they go so far as to not include honey as it is an animal (although it is an insect) product that it makes. (There are so many other sugar sweeteners out on the market that vegans don't even need honey in their diet). Vegans will also not buy things made of leather as that is the skin of a cow.

Answer 3

A vegetarian eats things that have both eggs and dairy, but no meat.
A vegan is a vegetarian that will not eat or use any animal products: no eggs, no dairy, no honey ... only things that are from plants and animals didn't make. They also won't wear wool or use any product that has bi-products in it that come from animals... basically everything from soap to clothes to food has to be simply plant-based.

Answer 4

Vegetarians make their choices mainly based around thier diet. So choosing not to eat meat, or maybe even eggs or dairy...

Vegans make the choice to not eat anything that comes from an animal or is derived from an animal by-product, or use or wear any product made of animals or their by-products. Some more strict examples are: Wool, beeswax, honey, silk, furs, carmine, lanolin, whey, urea, leather, isinglass, gelatin, just to name a few. The choice usually moves beyond health and into animal rights, environmentalism, and politics.

These are generalizations, of course, but from my perspective as a vegan, that is the difference.

Answer 5

I am pretty sure that vegans dont even eat eggs or anything remotely dairy. They are the stricter form of a vegetarian, and vegetarians usually just dont eat meat, or are against it.

Answer 6

THE HECK OF THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT A VEGAN DOES NOT EAT ANYTHING FROM A COW CHICKEN PIG AND A VEGETARIAN CHOOSES NOT TO EAT MEAT. OKAY? 10 POINTS!!

Answer 7

Vegetarians will eat eggs and dairy but vegans will not.

Answer 8

Vegans do not eat any products made from animals. Milk, eggs, etc.

Answer 9

Vegetarians eat dairy and eggs.

Answer 10

Vegetarians do not eat meat. Simple.

Vegans do not eat meat, eat or drink dairy products, or any animal product what so ever. Usually they refrain from using animal tested cosmetics too.