Vegetarian vs. Vegan?

Question

I was at my favorite vegetarian restaurant recently and picked up one of the free vegmags on the way out. In it they repeditly said vegetarian diets had no dairy or egg in them. This confused me. I've been a vegetarian for 5 years and i always thought that it was a VEGAN diet that had no dairy, egg, and meat. I was under the impression that vegetarian meant no meat but eggs and milk where ok, and that vegan was a completely non animal product diet. According to this magazine I am a big phony. What do you think? What is the difference between the two?

Answer 1

youre right the magazine is totally wrong

there are 3 types of vegetarians:

1. LACTO VEGETARIANS

They eat no flesh of any kind. Their diet consists of fruit and vegetables and dairy products(vegetarian cheese only)

2. LACTO-OVO-VEGETARIANS

They eat the same as the lacto vegetarians but also include eggs in their diet.

3. VEGANS

They eat only plant food.They eat no flesh, no eggs and no dairy products. Some will eat honey but not others.

4. FRUITARIANS

They eat only fruits,nuts and seeds.(This includes the fruit of vegetables such as tomatoes and courgettes. However they never eat the roots of plants such as carrots and potatoes)

Answer 2

Yes there is a difference between the two.

I have friends that are vegetarian, they don't include meat in their diet, but eat eggs, milk, butter ... etc.

My aunt is a vegan and she doesn't eat meat, eggs, milk or anything that comes from an animal.

Answer 3

lacto vegetarian-consumes dairy, lacto-ovo- consumes both dairy and egg/vegan-no dairy/or egg. /raw foodist-strictist form-they only eat non cooked fruit/veggies.I am a lacto veg for over twenty years. I dont eat eggs , and consume some dairy, only organic.

Answer 4

A vegan is sometimes called a "strict vegetarian", and this could be why a vegan diet was referred to as a "vegetarian" diet.  A vegan diet is just one kind of vegetarian diets.  I am vegetarian, not vegan, and I don't call myself a phony.

Answer 5

Here are the definitions from the people who coined the word vegetarian: http://www.vegsoc.org/info/definitions.h...

Their word, their definition.  As you can see, they agree with you (although they do have limitations on the types of eggs they endorse.)

There ARE people who eat no meat, dairy or eggs and still consider themselves vegetarian rather than vegan.  Veganism is more encompassing than just diet; it really extends to clothing, makeup, toiletries and other consumer goods as well.  So, some people call themselves "total," "strict," or "pure" vegetarians instead.

Whoever wrote the magazine you picked up clearly has their own agenda, but since the majority of vegetarians in the US are lacto-ovo, they are sort of marching to their own drummer.

Answer 6

No, you're not a phony.

There are several levels of vegetarianism, and veganism can be seen as just the most extreme of these.

If you have been eliminating meat (and slaughterhouse by-products like gelatine) from your diet, but eating dairy and eggs you are a Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian.

So if for example one ate eggs, but no meat and no dairy you would call yourself a Ovo-Vegetarian, etc.

One term which is not used so frequently is 'Strict Vegetarian' which sees a person adopt a vegan DIET, so not consume any animal products, but still not completely be seen as a vegan because they still buy products such as leather and wool.

Perhaps this is what the magazine was referring to.

Answer 7

well I personally think BOTH vegetarians and Vegans should eat some eggs and drink some milk..

eggs from FREE RANGE HENS - preferably your own - so you know they are happy birds...

soy is NOT without crueltly.. millions of animals are killed or displaced to grow soy...

by eating SOME free range eggs you can actually help by not consuming so much soy....  

I will say ONLY free range.. NEVER NEVER battery hen eggs...

also I will point out that hunted meat is less cruel than farm raised...

Answer 8

The usual accepted definition of a vegetarian is someone who doesn't eat flesh, but will consume other animal products like milk and dairy, which are also the end product of cruelty and torture for the cows and chickens that produce them.

I don't think you are a phony for eating milk and eggs, just a peson who is on the right path but is yet to reach the final destination.  I went vegetarian for ethical reasons, but as I studied more it didn't take me long to realise that eggs and dairy are just as unethical as meat, so I went vegan very soon after.

As people have said, being a vegan means trying to avoid all animal products or products derived from animal exploitation, which means avoiding leather, wool etc, not using any products that have been tested on animals, and not supporting animal entertainment like circuses and zoos.  Obviously in the real world it is impossible to be a true vegan as anyone who has driven a car has supported petro chemical companies and has inadvertently killed millions of bugs etc, but being vegan means making a concious effort to avoid animnal exploitation when an alternative is available.

Answer 9

I agree with you, that vegetarian generally means no meat or other products derived from the slaughter of animals. However dairy and eggs are still acceptable. However, some people are more strict than others. There are those that call themselves vegetarian but still eat fish or chicken. So don't worry about some person that writes an article based on their own personal views. You eat the diet that fits your wishes and enjoy.

Answer 10

It isn't two its three definitions you are confusing. Vegans do not believe in exploiting animals for any reason. In addition to not eating meat, they do not eat honey or use leather either. LactoVegetarians include dairy in their diets because it doesn't take an animal's life to be milked and if the animal isn't milked she is in pain.

And Lacto-Ovo Vegetarians who include eggs in their diet profile along with dairy.

I have some serious issues with the egg thing because I see them as flesh foods, they are loaded with salmonella and whether they are fertilized or not. they are not plants or have anything to do with a plant based diet..