Vegetarians Vs. Vegans

Vegetarian vs. Vegan?

First, you should be proud that you are an open minded person who is thinking through a subject as complex as this one is. While there are many different types of vegetarians, a vegan is someone who completely abstains from buying or consuming animal products. This means no beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, milk, cheese, butter, eggs, leather, wool, etc.

A vegan diet is certainly more restrictive than a vegetarian diet, but it is entirely possible to maintain. The proliferation of the internet and natural foods stores make veganism a much easier choice now. The important thing is to carefully think about why you are making a change, which it sounds like you have started doing. For example, I personally articulate my reasons for being a vegan as follows:

1. I do not need to eat animals to survive (this is the hardest point for people to understand)
2. Suffering is bad (I think we all agree on this)
3 The animals that we eat have the ability to suffer and do suffer in the farming process (your videos showed you this)

Your mom may be concerned about the health aspects of vegetarianism. You could easily find 100 studies that tell you that vegetariansim is unhealthy and 100 studies that tell you that it's very healthy. I believe the proof lies in the people who live healthly lives as vegetarians every day. If you need to show your mom some proof of this, check out the ESPN link below. If professional athletes can maintain active lives as vegetarians, then I feel pretty sure that most other people can, too.

Read as much as you can so that you can make smart choices. The Vegan Action website is a good place to start. I also suggest the books Empty Cages by Tom Regan and The China Study by Colin Campbell. Your mom will probably be more understanding if she sees that you've done your research.

Vegetarian Vs Vegan?

I very recently became a vegetarian and am coming across the same issues you are asking about. I became vegetarian because I love animals and realized how incredibly cruel the farm animal industry is. I do not eat any red meat, any poultry or fowl, and I don't eat eggs. I've never liked milk so that is not an issue for me. However, two of my favorite things to eat are cheeses, and yogurts and are how I get my calcium supply. The more I research my new lifestyle the more I like the vegan lifestyle, but on the same hand I see how different it is from my current lifestyle. Vegetarian is easy for me, but becoming vegan requires many many changes, not the least of which is my boyfriend is a fabulous pastry chef and I will no longer be able to indulge in his creations, unless he makes them vegan. What I'm trying to say is that I enjoy being vegetarian and I'm happy with the steps I've taken to prevent animal cruelty, as well as global warming, but I do intend to eventually become vegan. I know myself well enough to know that if I do the whole process at once I will feel deprived and overwhelmed and that's not a good thing. I will continue to make small changes in my lifestyle that will lead me to veganism, and I feel at peace with my decision. I don't think it's right to judge others for their lifestyle choices though. Most of my friends and family are still omnivores and that's their choice and to judge them would only make me and vegetarianism look bad in their eyes. Instead I will show them how great being a vegetarian can be!

Vegetarian vs. Vegan?

lacto-ovo vegetarians -typically the majority of the vegetarians are lacto-ovo meaning they eat and drink milk and eggs. but abstain from eating meat, chicken, and fish.
and stay away from all slaughter house ingredients like gelatin, rennet, and taurine

lacto-vegetarians - dont eat all meats, or eggs, but do drink milk

ovo-vegetarians - dont eat all meats, or milk. but do eat eggs.

vegan - abstain from all animal meats, and by products. no milk, eggs, cheese, dairy, or any meats. does not wear leather, wool, silk. use products tested on animals. or use products containing animal products like shampoo using glycerin from animals or a dye that comes from beetles. -- basically, if animals were wiped off the planet, we wouldn't be affected!

Vegetarian vs. Vegan?

The usual accepted definition of a vegetarian is someone who doesn't eat flesh, but will consume other animal products like milk and dairy, which are also the end product of cruelty and torture for the cows and chickens that produce them.

I don't think you are a phony for eating milk and eggs, just a peson who is on the right path but is yet to reach the final destination. I went vegetarian for ethical reasons, but as I studied more it didn't take me long to realise that eggs and dairy are just as unethical as meat, so I went vegan very soon after.

As people have said, being a vegan means trying to avoid all animal products or products derived from animal exploitation, which means avoiding leather, wool etc, not using any products that have been tested on animals, and not supporting animal entertainment like circuses and zoos. Obviously in the real world it is impossible to be a true vegan as anyone who has driven a car has supported petro chemical companies and has inadvertently killed millions of bugs etc, but being vegan means making a concious effort to avoid animnal exploitation when an alternative is available.

Vegan vs. Vegetarian??!?

Vegetarians don't eat dead animals, so no meat or fish. Simple as that.

Vegans don't eat anything that comes FROM an animal, so in addition to not eating meat or fish, they don't eat eggs, honey, or any milk, cheese, cream and other dairy products. Vegans will also want to extend this to other parts of life, so no clothes made from any animal parts either, which will include wearing no wool or leather.

Vegan vs. Vegetarian?

Much as I don't like to say it- I don't think youre going all the way if you're eatin gmilks and eggs from equally abused animals.
SOME chickens are fine, if you own them, and if the cow is literally dumping its milk in a bucket and giving it to you.
If the animal abuse and torture issue is a deal for you then you have to avoid milk cheese and eggs too.
IF it's just meat that makes you feel sick and the animal wlefare is not an issue, then just stop the meat.
Personally, I felt a cheat just not eating meat, I knew the milk and cheese made me feel just as bad- I didn't really love meat that much, but I DOD eat a lot fo cheese eggs and milk, and I grew up fat, stompyl and very heavy and sick feeling constantly, heavy inside, undigested and just jam packeed with sweaty , hot rotten milk and oozing cheese products and I knew as well as the meat, these really made me fat, and full of disease, slowly and insipidly I got heavier in feeling and physique and always felt slowed down and full of poison.

SO, the minute it dawned on me, and I felt the truth dawn, great, you don't HAVE to feel this way, it's only this meat eating society that makes you feel abnormal for not eating these forms of poison, then I felt so relieved and free. I was so happy.
I felt so right, instinct. No more clogged up fatty feeling, always trying to undo some brick of cheese and eggs and milk I'd eaten in something.
The more I tin kof it now the more indignant I get about the daily pushing that the govt. does of it's dairy and meat products down people's throats.
No support is given to a NORMAL food diet- like without the cash crops of dairy and meat. It's pure commerce, and the world would be 50% healthier without animal protein making it as sick as it is.

Life expectancy of vegetarians vs vegans...?

The Seventh Day Adventists study shows that vegetarians/vegans on average live longer then people on the SAD, but they don't break down the difference between vegans and vegetarians.

My own take on this -
Vegetarians that eat an unhealthy diet high in animal byproducts, and other veggie junk foods, probably don't live any longer then people on the SDA. People who follow a healthy vegetarian diet, low in animal byproducts, probably live just as long as vegans. Not wearing leather, fur or wool, etc isn't going to make you live longer.