The 4 Differences Between Being Vegan And Vegetarian
With the arrival of new times, there also comes a new way of relating to the environment and, of course, with the beings that inhabit it. Our ethical stance on how we should treat animals has evolved, and in recent decades we have become much more concerned about their well-being and health.
In fact, today we find ourselves involved in debates that would be difficult to imagine a hundred years ago, and that touch on different topics related to empathy towards other sentient forms of life. In this article we will review What are the differences between being vegan and being vegetarian? two philosophies of life and sets of routines that have a lot to do with the new ethical positions that are expanding throughout the Western world.
Both veganism and the trend to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle have begun to become popular especially since the 21st century began. Of course, this expansion of two ways of living so different from the one that has traditionally prevailed in Western culture has not been without controversy. Its repercussions on our attitudes towards perceiving and living with animals generate all kinds of debates about morality and What is the best way to live consuming products and resources
It must be taken into account that for centuries there have been groups and societies concerned about the well-being of animals, which have made the need not to cause them harm one of the pillars of their way of life.
Differences between veganism and vegetarianism
However, normally these groups of people behaved in this way because of a mystical or religious feeling that dictated rules of conduct in relation to nature. It is recently when it appears a feeling of empathy with animals of a secular type disconnected from a given conception of what the cosmos is or how we are dictated to be as parts of a divine creation.
Now, there is no single way to express that feeling of connection towards other sentient beings. The differences between veganism and vegetarianism are proof of this. In the following lines we will see what the main differences are between being vegetarian and being vegan.
1. Vegetarians can consume animal products
The concept of vegetarianism covers many lifestyles that are characterized by having a much more restricted consumption of products of animal origin than is usual. Vegetarians do not eat meat, but in some cases they do consume egg products, in others they consume dairy products, and in others they consume both egg and milk derivatives. The incorporation of honey into the diet of vegetarians is also common and frequent.
On the other hand, vegan people try not to consume any products of animal origin; nor derivatives of eggs or milk, nor honey. While vegetarian people are characterized more by adopting as a framework of reference the diet that includes everything that is edible and nutritious, and from there exceptions are created, In the case of veganism, these types of foods are ruled out from the beginning
Normally, the concept of vegetarianism refers to a type of diet characterized by the absence of certain products, since animals must be killed or harmed to produce them.
Veganism, on the other hand, goes far beyond what you eat, and also affects, for example, the clothes you wear, the cosmetics you consume, etc. If to produce any product you have to cause pain in an animal or even kill it whether to experiment or to be able to manufacture a product, the tendency of vegan people is not to use it.
3. Veganism can mutate with technological development
The reason for veganism is not in itself not to eat organic matter that is not of plant origin, but rather not to cause pain to animals. Therefore, if in the future a way is found to produce meat, milk or eggs directly, without having to extract it from mature animals with a nervous system or without their participation, a vegan person could, hypothetically, consume that product.
However, like vegetarianism has been defined primarily as a type of diet meat is not consumed, regardless of its origin.
4. Vegetarianism can contain veganism, but not the other way around
As vegetarianism is a concept that is very broad when it comes to diet, the dietary aspect of veganism can fit into it. Specific, Veganism can be considered a strict version of vegetarianism However, this is a nominalist debate, and there is no consensus about whether there is a quantitative difference between vegetarians and vegans or if, on the contrary, the difference is more qualitative.
