Vegetarian x vegan diet: differences –

All vegans are vegetarians, but not everyone who follows a vegetarian diet is a vegan.

The number of people who adopt these types of food only grows, especially among young people aged 18 to 34 years. The data are from a study carried out by The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG), an entity dedicated to education in vegetarianism and veganism. In Brazil, in 2018, a survey carried out by IBOPE showed that 30 million people exclude meat from the menu.

What does it mean to be vegan or vegetarian?

Here, we break down the difference between the types of plant-based foods that are a little more complicated than you might think. In general, both exclude the consumption of animal meat (poultry, cattle, pork, fish), as well as sausages and gelatin.

What is a vegetarian diet

The easiest way to decipher the definition of vegetarian versus vegan is to look at the foods involved in each diet. For example, a vegetarian is someone whose diet consists largely of plant-based foods and excludes meat, fish, and poultry. However, there are different versions of the vegetarian diet, some of which include certain animal products.

The four main types of vegetarian food:

ovolactovegetarians: consume eggs and dairy products, but not meat, fish or poultry.
lactovegetarian: Consume dairy products and abstain from meat and eggs.
ovo vegetarian: eat eggs, but not dairy.
Vegans or strict vegetarians: do not consume any animal or animal-derived products.
semi-vegetarian: do not consume red meat but can consume fish, chicken, eggs or dairy products.

What is a strict vegan or vegetarian diet

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Vegan, or strict vegetarian, diets, on the other hand, are exclusively plant-based. That is, they exclude all meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, eggs and any other products derived from animals, such as honey, for example. They may have soy products on the menu like tempeh, tofu and edamame for protein, as well as vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, seeds and products made with these ingredients.

There are vegans who consume raw or minimally processed plant-based foods only heated to very low temperatures (if heated at all).

Veganism is not just a diet; It’s a lifestyle. While many people switch to a vegan diet as a way to improve their overall health, andThis choice is more related to an ideology that promotes less exploitation of natural resources and, consequently, less environmental damage.

Many vegans are also concerned about ethical issues, such as how products are made or how the manufacture or use of a product will affect the environment. Fashion (leather, fur, etc.), beauty (products tested on animals) and even home products like furniture and rugs are also taken into account.

This is not to say that vegetarians are not concerned with the same ethical issues or environmental causes. In fact, many people choose vegetarianism because of issues like climate change. Everyone has different reasons for choosing certain diets; some people are comfortable eliminating all meat and animal products, while others choose to keep some of these foods in their daily lives.

Which is healthier: vegan or vegetarian diet?

Neither one nor the other. Each person is unique with different genetic makeup, digestive tracts, and stressors that affect response to certain diets. So while a vegan diet works for your co-worker, you may feel the need for more versatility.

Although the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AAND) supports guidelines with positive results from large scientific studies that have evaluated, in detail, the impact of a vegetarian diet on weight reduction, it does not mean that one is healthier than the other.

This will ultimately depend on the food choices that are made on a daily basis. By choosing whole and minimally processed foods, both a flexible vegetarian diet and a strict vegan diet have been clinically shown to lower risk of mortality and have significantly higher rates of cancer and heart disease prevention. On the other hand, if you consume an abundance of processed foods, you may develop a nutritional deficit.

Finally, here’s the warning: cConsult a nutrologist or nutritionist. This should be the first step when deciding to change your diet, okay?