What is the difference between Vegan and Vegetarian?
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
United States
August 21, 2015 9:30am CST
I know I could look this up and find the information, but I would just like a very simple definition regarding the two. I know the term vegetarian has been around for years and years but it seems to me vegan popped up not all that long ago.
I am not looking for a lecture. If I asked my vegan/vegetarian friends on Facebook that question I would get one! That's why I thought I would ask here instead. Thanks.
4 people like this
6 responses
@topffer (42156)
• France
21 Aug 15
Vegetarianism is a kind of diet excluding meat and fish.
Veganism is a way of life : vegans exclude everything in their life that could have make an animal suffer. So, they do not eat meat, but they also do not wear leather, they do not use cosmetics if there is something in them coming from an animal...
2 people like this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
21 Aug 15
Oh, OK I get it - so a person who lives on a farm and says they are vegans but they eat eggs and wear leather boots isn't really a vegan right?
1 person likes this
@yukimori (10148)
• United States
21 Aug 15
Good explanation!
I'd like to add that in addition to not using animal products, vegans also will not use products that are tested on animals. So even if a certain brand of cosmetics is free of animal products, if animal testing is involved in the manufacturing process vegans will avoid it.
3 people like this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
21 Aug 15
@topffer This person claims to be vegan, the only who eats eggs I mean.
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (37381)
• Toccoa, Georgia
21 Aug 15
Vegans eat no animal products at all that would include eggs & dairy. Vegetarians eat no meat but will eat eggs and dairy.
2 people like this
@Gina145 (3949)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
22 Aug 15
@AbbyGreenhill If she eats eggs she may be a vegetarian, but she's certainly not a vegan.
I have a good friend who's been vegetarian for about 30 years and she says she doesn't eat anything with a face. And she doesn't wear leather either.
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
21 Aug 15
W hat is funny is the one girl in particular says she's a vegan yet she wear leather riding boots! And I know she eats eggs....she has a whole flock of chickens.
@crossbones27 (49721)
• Mojave, California
21 Aug 15
I thought it was vegetarians still eat things like fish and chicken because they are not red meat and vegan eats no meat at all. I would be like 5 pounds if i stuck to either of those diets.
@Gina145 (3949)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
22 Aug 15
@crossbones27 A real vegetarian won't eat fish or chicken, but will eat eggs and dairy products. Someone who eats fish as well is known as a pescatarian. I'm not sure what they call a person who eats chicken too.
3 people like this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
22 Aug 15
@Gina145 Well, I eat all those things so I'm 'regular person'....LOL.
@Bluedoll (16773)
• Canada
21 Aug 15
So many definitions. I was surprised to find Lacto-Vegetarian, Ovo-Vegetarian and Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian about eggs/milk or not and a Pollo-Vegetarian in the list which sounds like a British Horse Game does it not? "We are off to take a smack at the little chicken burgers, care to join us ole boy?"
I like how you included that you don't want a lecture. 
@Bluedoll (16773)
• Canada
21 Aug 15
@AbbyGreenhill Wow, I didn't know people were that zealous about what others eat. I can understand if they want to be about they eat. I won't lecture you about anything, if every I step over a line about any topic let me know okay. Say something like well that's my business or something. :-)
@Cristi_Ichim (3743)
• Bucharest, Romania
21 Aug 15
@Bluedoll I do lecture stuff like that to a specific type of people. Not to everyone out there but just a specific type of people.
2 people like this
@Anjumr (2)
• Mumbai, India
22 Aug 15
So many definitions. I was surprised to find Lacto-Vegetarian, Ovo-Vegetarian and Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian about eggs/milk or not and a Pollo-Vegetarian in the list which sounds like a British Horse Game does it not? "We are off to take a smack at the little chicken burgers, care to join us ole boy?"
@Anjumr (2)
• Mumbai, India
22 Aug 15
I do lecture stuff like that to a specific type of people. Not to everyone out there but just a specific type of people
