Difference Between Vegan and Vegetarian

What Is the Difference Between Vegan and Vegetarian?

A lot of people still seem confused by the difference between vegan and vegetarian. I can understand why — most people are neither — but the difference is actually quite simple to grasp. Vegetarians don’t eat meat, including fish and seafood. So, as long as the dish contains nothing that ever had a muscle, or could be considered one, its likely vegetarian. The only exception would be dishes that contain beef broth, animal fat, etc… Strict vegetarians would reject foods containing those ingredients.

A vegan is simply a vegetarian who doesn’t consume any products or foods derived from animals; e.g., milk, cheese, honey, gelatin, and so on… I think a lot of confusion stems from the fact that it can be hard, even for vegans, to determine what does or doesn’t contain animal derivatives. For example, you’d probably never suspect that toothpaste isn’t vegan unless somebody told you. So, knowing if something is vegetarian is pretty simple – no meat – but knowing if something is vegan can be a lot trickier.

If you’re trying to learn what is or isn’t vegan, you should spend some more time browsing through our site. We have many articles clarifying these quandaries.