What is the difference between vegan and plant based diet

This often includes clothing, personal care products, shoes, accessories, and household goods. For some vegans, this may also mean avoiding medications or immunizations that use animal byproducts or have been tested on animals.

A whole foods, plant-based diet also excludes oils and processed packaged foods. Many people may start out as vegan, avoiding animal products in their diet primarily for ethical or environmental reasons , but then adopt a whole foods, plant-based diet to achieve their health goals.

On the other hand, some people may start out eating a whole foods, plant-based diet and then decide to expand into veganism by aligning the rest of their lifestyle, avoiding animal products in other non-food areas as well. Being plant-based and vegan can go hand-in-hand. Some people may start out as one and adopt the intentions or ideas of the other approach, applying ethical, health, and environmental considerations to their lifestyle as a whole.

Many people are choosing to reduce or eliminate the number of animal products they consume. While some people choose not to label their dietary choices, others consider themselves plant-based or vegan. A whole foods, plant-based diet means that oils and processed packaged foods are likewise excluded.

A vegan lifestyle aims to avoid causing harm to animals in any way, including through products used or purchased. Someone who is vegan also tends to take into account the potential negative environmental effects of animal products. While these two terms are fundamentally different, they share similarities. Additionally, both are increasing in popularity and can be healthy ways of eating when planned properly. Some people simply just feel better physically and mentally by eating a vegan diet.

And of course, many vegans have a combination of these reasons as their foundation for the diet choice. Veganism, by definition, means that a person chooses not to eat animal products. The breadth and depth of this varies, however.

Some folks refuse to eat meat, dairy, and most animal products, but they may still consume animal by-products, like honey for example. And the list goes on. Pescatarians use seafood as their only source of meat, but the rest of their diet closely resembles vegetarianism. Health and the environment are the primary drivers that many cite as the reason why they are plant-based. People who follow a plant-based diet may not be ready yet to cut all aspects of animal cruelty from their lifestyle.

This is seen as the more flexible choice for those who are not ready to commit to being completely vegan. Find delicious vegan recipes here. As a passionate vegan for over eight years, Rachel loves creating delicious vegan dessert recipes for her award-winning blog, Rawberry Fields. Rachel's recipes and photography have been featured in numerous international print and digital publications including the Daily Mail, Thrive and Buzzfeed. Designed and built by bopgun.

We use cookies to give you a better experience on veganfoodandliving. By continuing to use our site, you are agreeing to the use of cookies as set in our Cookie Policy. Author: Rachel Smith. Read Time: 16th June Veganism and plant-based diets have soared in popularity in recent years. But confusion around what the difference between a vegan vs plant-based diet remains Both meal plans have made headlines for their health benefits in recent years and while they are similar, there are some key differences: Vegan diets eliminate all animal products, while plant-based diets do not necessarily eliminate animal products, but focus on eating mostly plants, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains.

Some people choose to follow a vegan diet for ethical, environmental or health reasons. While going vegan can have health benefits, there are some pitfalls to avoid. I recommend sticking to whole foods as much as possible. Plant-based diets also emphasize eating whole foods, meaning the food has undergone little — if any — processing and is as close to its natural state as possible.

Whole grains quinoa, farro, barley, oatmeal.