What's the difference between vegan and vegetarian?
Written by Alina Petre, MS, RD (CA) on August 5, 2016, Healthline
Vegetarian diets have reportedly been around since as early as 700 B.C. Several types exist and individuals may practice them for a variety of reasons, including health, ethics, environmentalism and religion. Vegan diets are a little more recent, but are getting a good amount of press. This article takes a look at the similarities and differences between these two diets. It also discusses how they affect your health and the environment.
What Is a Vegetarian Diet?
According to the Vegetarian Society, a vegetarian is someone who does not eat any meat, poultry, game, fish, shellfish or by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarian diets contain various levels of fruits, vegetables, grains, pulses, nuts and seeds. The inclusion of dairy and eggs depends on the type of diet you follow. The most common types of vegetarians include:
Lacto-ovo vegetarians: Vegetarians who avoid all animal flesh, but do consume dairy and egg products.
Lacto vegetarians: Vegetarians who avoid animal flesh and eggs, but do consume dairy products.
Ovo vegetarians: Vegetarians who avoid all animal products except eggs.
Vegans: Vegetarians who avoid all animal and animal-derived products.
Those who do not eat meat or poultry but do consume fish are considered pescatarians, whereas part-time vegetarians are often referred to as flexitarians.
Although sometimes considered vegetarians, pescatarians and flexitarians do eat animal flesh. Therefore, they do not technically fall under the definition of vegetarianism.
BOTTOM LINE:
Vegetarian diets exclude meat, poultry, game, fish and shellfish. Certain types of vegetarians also exclude eggs, dairy or other animal by-products.
What Is a Vegan Diet?
A vegan diet can be viewed as the strictest form of vegetarianism. Veganism is currently defined by the Vegan Society as a way of living that attempts to exclude all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty as much as possible. This includes exploitation for food and any other purpose. Therefore, a vegan diet not only excludes animal flesh, but also dairy, eggs and animal-derived ingredients. These include gelatin, honey, carmine, pepsin, shellac, albumin, whey, casein and some forms of vitamin D3. Vegetarians and vegans often avoid eating animal products for similar reasons. The largest difference is the degree to which they consider animal products acceptable.
For instance, both vegans and vegetarians may exclude meat from their diets for health or environmental reasons. However, vegans also choose to avoid all animal by-products because they believe this has the largest impact on their health and the environment.
In terms of ethics, vegetarians are opposed to killing animals for food, but consider it acceptable to consume animal by-products such as milk and eggs, as long as the animals are kept in adequate conditions.
On the other hand, vegans believe that animals have a right to be free from human use, be it for food, clothing, science or entertainment. Thus, they seek to exclude all animal by-products, regardless of the conditions in which animals are bred or housed. The desire to avoid all forms of animal exploitation is why vegans choose to forgo dairy and eggs — products that many vegetarians have no problem consuming.
BOTTOM LINE:
Vegetarians and vegans differ in their beliefs regarding the use of animals by humans. This is why some vegetarians may consume animal-derived products, whereas vegans do not.
編按 well, i do hope these two concepts would not be kinda fanfare for a common man... :)
freegan: ~ wiki
免費素食主義（英語：Freeganism，又譯飛根主義）是一種反消費主義生活方式，指通過消費已經或將要被其他人（如超級市場）扔掉的食物的方法來使人對環境的影響最小化的行為習慣。如果食物的來源不是免費的，這些環境保護主義者只食用素食。
詞語釋意
免費素食者的英文是 Freegan。這個詞來源於「免費」（free）和「純素食者」（vegan），儘管不是所有的免費素食者都是純素食者，但是純素食主義的道德價值觀與免費素食者相同。免費素食主義運動始於1990年代中期，是反全球化運動和環保運動的產物。免費素食主義運動的源頭可以追溯到1960年代美國舊金山的無政府主義街頭劇院；在那裡，嬉皮士們免費派發救濟餐。有些人使用該詞來描述某人只吃免費（如通過垃圾箱或贈送而獲得）食物的生活方式，因此這個詞有時會被當貶義詞使用，指一個靠揩油過日子的窮人。
行為
一個免費素食主義者可能會向零售商索要那些將要扔掉的食物，或者從翻垃圾箱獲得食物。這樣免費素食主義者就沒有對生產過程中使用的原料和能量資源產生額外負擔。因為當錢與商品交換時，商品已經退出了生產消費循環。在許多已開發國家，消費者的質量要求和衛生標準相當之高，很多食物在「最佳食用日期」之後很長一段時間內仍適合食用。在溫帶氣候的秋天和春天，垃圾箱保持著電冰箱的溫度時，是實行免費素食主義的最好時間。儘管免費素食主義者通常崇尚素食主義或純素食主義理念，但因為實用、道德、哲學或扔掉的肉類比蔬菜變質更快等原因，免費素食主義自身並不意味某人尊循一個確定的素食主義飲食行為。免費素食主義也被用來描述那些僅為素食負費，但如果可以免費得到也吃非素食。不像前面提到的，這些人不是必須吃那些已經扔掉的食物。而是他們寧可吃那些提供給他們的非素食的食物，否則這些食物將被扔掉。
批評
純素食者經常爭辯，許多自稱免費素食者的人並不嚴格遵循僅吃那些會被浪費的動物產品。違反免費素食主義原則的可能範圍包括從朋友處免費得到食物，甚至因為價格便宜而購買非素食食物。因此，純素食主義評論家爭論「免費素食主義」對很多人來講更多的是一個標籤或藉口，而不是實際遵循的飲食原則。一些免費素食主義反駁此評論，也有很多自稱純素食主義者的人並不細心的遵從他們的食物原則。
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