Veganism vs. Vegetarianism ??

Question

Why is it better to be a vegan than a vegetarian?

I'm vegetarian at the moment. I became vegetarian as I was motivated by my compassion for animals.

However, I would like to become a vegan, but I need the will power to do it. Please could you suggest why it's better to be vegan than vegetarian. To motivate me to do it! :)

Answer 1

It depends how you define 'better'. If animal welfare is one of your main motives for vegetarianism then it's worth remembering that dairy, eggs, leather and non-food products which contain animal byproducts are also affected. Cows who live in dark sheds to produce milk. Chickens who live stacked on top of each other for egg-laying. Leather is animal skin, some cosmetics and other things contain animal byproducts, and the animals who those leathers and byproducts came from were the same animals that were raised in poor conditions for meat.

It's a personal choice. Some vegetarians choose to continue eating eggs and dairy, but only buy their produce from farmers who use free-range methods and allow animals to live as natural a life as possible. (Some vegans still contest this as animal exploitation)

'Better', is whatever makes you happiest and healthiest. If you feel strongly about eradicating all animal produce from your lifestyle, do some research into veganism and its implications, talk to your doctor or a nutritionist about maintaining a good diet and go from there.

Answer 2

i think it is better to be a vegan, because they r compleatly cut off from eating anything to do with animals, but vegatarians are like half believers, they r not properly doing anything

Answer 3

Nothing wrong with being Vegetarian anyway, If you want to be Vegan then okayy, but it is hard well seems it, i am a vegetarian nothing wrong with it. I know we evolved to eat meat but if we don't want to then we don't have to, like it's been said its personal choice..

Vegan to me is too hard because you are very limited on what to eat.

I enjoy being a Veggie regardless

=)..

Answer 4

What's wrong with organic free range eggs?  They come from happy chickens.  I also can't see anything wrong with eating milk products either from respectable suppliers that care about their animals.

It's a matter of choice - if you feel strongly about it, don't consume the products or wear the leather shoes/handbags etc.

Answer 5

well, vegetarians don't eat meat

vegans don't eat any animal product [dairy, eggs...]

if you think about it, animals give milk for their young, not for us. the cows are laden with hormones so the production of milk is increased, and the milking process isn't very friendly. same with eggs, except they come from chickens

http://goveg.org

Answer 6

im vegetarian.. i don't think hardcore veganism is right, or probably enirly healthy... but if you want to do it, id say just cut back on eggs.. and soy milk or something.

Answer 7

It is not better.  It is a lifestyle choice and nothing more.

Answer 8

If it is "better" for you is a hard question to answer. Only trial and error in your own experience will answer that. Is it better for animals? I would say yes. Of course, you can find a middle ground you are comfortable with by being a 'strict' vegetarian. Vegetarians typically don't eat meat but still eat eggs, milk, wear whatever they choose to wear because vegetarianism is defined by diet. Veganism has a much bigger leaning towards lifestyle because vegans not only omit products into your body, they avoid wearing things that caused animal suffering, and even avoid using beauty products that may contain anything derived from an animal. If you become a strict vegetarian, it is grey enough that you can choose what you are comfortable with (don't eat meat or eggs, drink milk, eat honey, don't wear leather, or whatever you fancy). Really, the label doesn't matter. Decreasing animal suffering any way that you are comfortable with is a great start. Even if you don't decide to go vegan at first, learning and omitting harmful things over time is good too. Good luck!

Answer 9

If you are truly committed to compassion for the animals, than vegan is for you. It is, however, a very hard life choice and you must be fully prepared for the sacrifices.

No ice cream, milk, eggs, jello, butter; that means no desserts like cake (eggs & butter), very limited meal choices and hard to find vegan restaurants, so you social life may be limited too.

I'm not condemning the vegan lifestyle by any means!! I give lots of credit to those people who care enough to make these sacrifices!

As far as health, make sure you get enough protein. Soy is good for protein, but you may need some sort of supplement (watch the ingredients!!). Maybe you should consult a nutritionist before you start.

My husband is a vegetarian. He always says he won't eat "anything that had parents." I am not a vegetarian, but respect and support his choices. (Why do some people thing being vegetarian is "weird"?)  He does eat cheese, milk, butter etc.  He says vegetarian is his limit; he could not make it as a vegan.

BTW, I hate when people say they are vegetarians, but they eat fish! Fish were living creatures at one time too, weren't they?? I know one person who says shes a vegetarian, but she eats chicken (what???).

Anyway. Ultimately it's up to you. Hats offs if you can do it. But I still would check out some nutrition websites to make sure you are getting a healthy balance of diet, with whatever lifestyle you choose.

Good luck!

Answer 10

All i know is that I could only be vegetarian being a vegan sound like a extreme to me.......i will incorporate some vegan foods and macro and raw foods in my lifestyle but never fully become one

Answer 11

No reason.

It's just a personal choice.

What's wrong with eating animal bits when huge numbers of the planet's animals do likewise? We have evolved to eat animal protein. If we stop, billions of other animals will carry on totally ignorant of your ethical/moral/whatever stance.

Join the natural world and eat meat.

Answer 12

if you need will power to be a vegan than forget it, deep down you don`t want to be.