In vegetarian related articles or diets, you would have encountered different vegetarian related terms. For example, vegan and vegetarian, which seems similar but you know instinctively that there has to be some difference. So, what are the differences?
Let’s start with “Vegetarian” first as it forms the fundamentals of the whole concept of being “animal free”.
“Vegetarian” is a generally used to describe someone who abstains from eating meat (including poultry, fish or seafood). This grouping includes vegans and also the various sub-groups of vegetarian like ovo-lacto-vegetarian and lacto-vegetarian (look out for our future posts on the different types of vegetarians!)
“Vegan” also abstain from eating meat, poultry, fish or seafood. The key important difference is that vegans go a step further by not consuming or using animal by-products. The extent of non-consumption or non-usage of animal by-products depends on each individual vegan’s personal preference and values. Some even avoid bee-harvested honey and yeast or wear clothing materials originated from animal like fur. There are also vegans who avoid using products that have been tested on animals or made from animal skins.
In a nutshell, Vegan is, in essence, the strictest sub-category of Vegetarian.
