What’s the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan? The crux of the matter is in how you define the term “vegetarian.” To some people, “vegetarian” means that they don’t eat anything that an animal had to die for. The common phrase is, “I don’t eat anything that had a face.” To others, “vegetarian” means that not only do they not eat anything that once had a face; but they don’t eat anything that came from an animal, period. This includes animal by-products like eggs, cheese, and other dairy goods.
The word vegan, usually pronounced "vee-gun," was originally derived from the word "vegetarian" in 1944 when environmentalists and founders of the United Kingdom Vegan Society, Elsie Shrigley and Donald Watson, became frustrated that the term "vegetarianism" had come to include eating dairy products. They combined the first three and last two letters of "vegetarian" to form "vegan," which they saw as "the beginning and end of vegetarian." The British Vegan Society defines veganism in this way:
"The word "veganism" denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."
Incidentally, Donald Watson lived to be 95 years old, so he must have been onto something…
So in modern usage, a vegan doesn’t eat anything that came from an animal (there is some controversy over honey though, which some vegans, including myself, eat). A vegetarian, on the other hand, may eat animal products as long as there is no animal death involved. Such a diet may include dairy and eggs, so a few more terms were coined. A lacto-vegetarian is a person who doesn’t eat meat, but who eats dairy products. A lacto-ovo-vegetarian eats dairy products and eggs. A pescaterian eats fish, but does not eat other animals. Some pescaterians also eat dairy and eggs, while others do not.
Confused yet? I have a theory that most people become vegans just so they don’t have to call themselves “lacto-ovo-pescaterian vegetarians.” But seriously, in spite of all the labels out there, there are a lot of benefits to limiting or eliminating animal products altogether from your diet. Next week we’ll look at some of the studies on the benefits of vegan and vegetarian diets. In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more, you may visit the Vegan Society’s site at: http://www.vegansociety.com/html.
The word vegan, usually pronounced "vee-gun," was originally derived from the word "vegetarian" in 1944 when environmentalists and founders of the United Kingdom Vegan Society, Elsie Shrigley and Donald Watson, became frustrated that the term "vegetarianism" had come to include eating dairy products. They combined the first three and last two letters of "vegetarian" to form "vegan," which they saw as "the beginning and end of vegetarian." The British Vegan Society defines veganism in this way:
"The word "veganism" denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."
Incidentally, Donald Watson lived to be 95 years old, so he must have been onto something…
So in modern usage, a vegan doesn’t eat anything that came from an animal (there is some controversy over honey though, which some vegans, including myself, eat). A vegetarian, on the other hand, may eat animal products as long as there is no animal death involved. Such a diet may include dairy and eggs, so a few more terms were coined. A lacto-vegetarian is a person who doesn’t eat meat, but who eats dairy products. A lacto-ovo-vegetarian eats dairy products and eggs. A pescaterian eats fish, but does not eat other animals. Some pescaterians also eat dairy and eggs, while others do not.
Confused yet? I have a theory that most people become vegans just so they don’t have to call themselves “lacto-ovo-pescaterian vegetarians.” But seriously, in spite of all the labels out there, there are a lot of benefits to limiting or eliminating animal products altogether from your diet. Next week we’ll look at some of the studies on the benefits of vegan and vegetarian diets. In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more, you may visit the Vegan Society’s site at: http://www.vegansociety.com/html.
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