What's the difference between vegan and vegetarian?
LIFESTYLE
Short answer
Vegetarians avoid meat and fish but eat dairy and eggs. Vegans avoid all animal products — meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey — and typically avoid leather, wool and silk too.
LIFESTYLE
The detail
Sub-terms: pescetarian (eats fish), lacto-vegetarian (dairy, no eggs), ovo-vegetarian (eggs, no dairy), plant-based (usually diet-only), whole-food plant-based (WFPB — no processed foods either).
Veganism is a broader ethical stance covering clothing, cosmetics and entertainment, not only diet.
A concrete step for vegetarians wanting to go vegan is to start by replacing butter with olive oil and cow's milk with a plant-based alternative. A common counter-argument is that 'no animals die' for milk or eggs, but in reality, these industries are the primary source of veal and discarded male chicks. Understanding this connection often provides the necessary motivation to move beyond a vegetarian diet toward a fully compassionate lifestyle.
RELATED
More questions like this
- What do vegans actually eat?
Everything humans have eaten for millennia, minus animal products — grains, legumes, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and plant-based versions of common dishes.
- Why should I go vegan?
For the animals, your health, and the planet — three independently strong reasons that reinforce each other.
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