Is there a difference between organic and vegan foods?

Question

If so what's the difference? Could you list some of your favorite vegan foods or recipes, that I could find at my local grocery store? I'm just becoming a vegan. Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

Organic foods are foods that are made/created without preservatives or chemicals. Like meat from cows who haven't been given hormones or chemical supplements or cookies w/o additional additives to preserve them.

Vegan foods are foods w/o any type of animal product: milk, eggs, meat, whey, etc.

Beeswax and honey though seem to be split for some vegans. some will eat/use them, some won't. guess it just depends on the reason why they became vegan in the first place.

Any vegetables or fruits would be fine. Try doing a Google search for 'vegan' recipes or just as you're shopping look at the ingredients on foods you might like and learn to recognize what is animal and what isn't.

Answer 2

Organic foods are produced according to certain production standards, meaning they are grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without ionizing radiation or food additives.[1] Livestock are reared without the routine use of antibiotics and without the use of growth hormones. In most countries, organic produce must not be genetically modified.

Organic food production is legally regulated. Currently, the United States, the European Union, Japan and many other countries require producers to obtain organic certification in order to market food as organic.

Historically, organic farms have been relatively small family-run farms[2] — which is why organic food was once only available in small stores or farmers' markets. However, since the early 1990s organic food has had growth rates of around 20% a year, far ahead of the rest of the food industry, in both developed and developing nations. As of April 2008, organic food accounts for 1-2% of food sales worldwide. Future growth is expected to range from 10-50% annually depending on the country. - from wiki.

Vegan food, or vegan anything, does not contain any animal product or byproduct, even if it was organically produced.

And just a note about what one of the posters (Kirbyish) said - I don't know if she was talking about most fresh, baked breads, but since you were asking about what you can find at your grocery store I will address the fact that most (read at least 95%) of the processed breads you will find at your grocery store are NOT vegan. In fact, I don't think I've ever found a packaged loaf of bread that I can eat at a "regular", convenience, grocery store. I always have to go to the co-op or get fresh bread at the coffee shop at the corner. Don't be fooled; Just because some ingredients aren't in bold don't think you're safe. Honey & eggs are obvious. Don't forget to look for whey, casein, and my favorite, mono- and diglycerides! I'm sure there are more I'm forgetting off the top of my head, but bread is one of the toughest finds!

If you have a co-op in your area, or even an evil Whole foods, you can start off simple with some familiar foods and things that are quick and easy replacements. Earth balance is a must (vegan margarine) and you can find Tofutti most places (vegan cream cheese). The same company also makes a version of sour cream. You'll need to get soy milk or almond milk or you're switching from cow's milk. And if you do find that bread, get a natural peanut butter - with no mono- and diglycerides - for an obvious, easy protein.

There's a ton of places that you can get recipes and great info. Just remember, becoming vegan is a HUGE transition and you really learn something new everyday. Taking time to find out information about your newly-chosen lifestyle will help you get started in the right direction.

http://www.cok.net/lit/recipes/

http://www.theppk.com/recipes/

Answer 3

There's a huge difference. It's entirely possible to get organic meat and milk, and entirely possible to get non-organic vegan foods.

Organic labeling can have different meanings, so you should probably check online to find out what exactly each sticker means. In general, organic means that something was grown/raised/made without pesticides or extra hormones. Vegan means that something was made without any animal products.

Answer 4

Organic has been defined here so I will skip that. But it seems as though you probably don't know all the "rules" to be a vegan. Vegan means eating nothing that comes from an animal. Milk, cheese, eggs, - or anything that contains these things. You should find a specialty food store that carries vegan products, because it is difficult to find "normal" things to eat that are vegan in the regular grocery store that will fill you up and give you protein (besides tofu and other soy products).

Answer 5

Before you choose a Vegan lifestyle you should know what that means.  Not only do vegans abstain from eating meat, but they do not eat any foods that contain animal by-products. (they often do not use beauty products or clothes that contain animal products)   For instance, cheese is made from milk and  peanut butter has animal fat, so they would be off limits to a Vegan.  Vegans eat mostly grains, veggies fruits and product like tofu that are made from vegetables.  There are a great deal of vegan friendly products on the market now.  Check your health food store or the health foods aisle of your grocery store.  The second part of your questions was regarding organic food.  Organic, simply means that the animal was raise or the plant was grown with out the use of chemicals, hormones or antibiotics.  So Vegans can and do of course by organic foods, but they don't have to.  Organic foods, including meats and dairy products are used by a wide variety of carnivores, myself included.  On my list, organic yogurt and milk.  I obviously eat animal products, I just prefer that the animals are raised naturally and are free of antibiotics therefor organic.

Answer 6

When something is vegan, it contains no animal products. That means no meat, no dairy, no eggs, no honey, no whey, no gelatin. Most vegans also consider products tested on animals to be considered non-vegan.

When something is organic, it's pretty much all-natural. No fertilizers, additives, or pesticides. Organic foods are not necessarily vegan, because cattle can be raised for slaughter organically. This means no bovine growth hormones, antibiotics, slaughtered humanely (although many, myself included, would argue that this is not the case), and I think they're fed all organic food.

As for easy to find yummy vegan nom noms... hummus is great, and it comes in lots of flavors. Veggies and fruits are a staple, as are juices and soymilk (most "normal" grpcery stores have it!). PETA has an awesome list of naturally vegan snack foods. I'd die without this list, seriously.

http://www.peta2.com/STUFF/s-accvegan.as...

Most bagels and breads are vegan, unless they contain cheese (unlikely) or honey (more likely). Vegan "cheese" is nothing like the real thing, skip it unless you make your own. Tofu is great if you know what to do with it; if not, you can bake with it or make smoothies. Fruit popsicles are typically vegan, and I don't just mean the "healthy" ones! Beans, rice, pasta, and olive oil are definite staples.

Good luck!

Answer 7

Organic means grown, raised without chemicals.  Vegan means contains no animal products.  Not the same.