Vegetarian vs Vegan

[MisterTinkles]

There is a difference between being a vegetarian and being a Vegan.

A vegetarian is someone who eats more veggies, fruits, and nuts than they do meat.
Meat is usually used as flavorings for vegetable dishes, not the main part.
Dinner might include a piece of meat, but it will be seen as a side dish, rather than the main course.

A Vegan is someone who eats/drinks only foods produced from plants. A true Vegan does not even use dairy products of any kind. Die hard Vegans usually wont even eat a lot of cooked dishes or foods, they tend to eat everything "in the raw". Which is freeking awesome I think, although I cannot do that.

Whether you want to cut out the meat, or cut down on it, there are millions of recipes out there for millions of kinds of fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds out there. There are cookbooks for Vegans as well as vegetarians.

Next time you go to the food store, take a pen and paper with you. Write down some of the veggies that look interesting to you, and the ones you dont know anything about. Go home and research them. See what they are used for, how they taste, and if they are better for cooking or eating raw.

Go to some alternative markets also. They usually have veggies from around the world.
Research those.

There are TONS of different veggies, fruits, nuts, and seeds...AND FUNGUS, to use instead of meats. Personally, I LOOOVE mushrooms.

If you get to know what you are doing, what to use, and how to prepare it.....you would be surprised that you can make a vegetarian meal and feed it to a meat lover, and they wont even know the difference!!

[megumidesu]

um ... a vegetarian is someone who doesn't eat meat ...

a vegan is someone who doesn't eat anything that's made from an animal ...

[MisterTinkles]

Um....

Ive been told by several Vegans, these are the correct definitions.
If you have a problem with it, take it up with them.

[Pix]

Actually, a true vegetarian doesn't eat meat (though there are a surprising number who make exceptions for fish, I'm not sure why they still call themselves vegetarian). However, a vegetarian will eat things like cheese (seems to me they use it to make meals more filling & flavorful) and usually eggs, and may be vegetarian for religious or health reasons rather than being nice to animals. A vegan, OTOH, won't even eat cheese or anything that's taken from "exploited" animals, and typically includes vegan choices in what they wear, not just what they eat.

[Pix]

Um....

Ive been told by several Vegans, these are the correct definitions.
If you have a problem with it, take it up with them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/glossary/g/Vegan.htm

http://www.vegetarianvegan.com/Vegan_Vs_Vegetarian.html

Btw, I used to go to a veggie potluck with vegetarians & vegans.

[megumidesu]

i'm a vegan . i have been my whole life ...
your definition for that was mostly right (although you left some things out) , but a vegetarian doesn't eat meat ...

https://www.vegsoc.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=508

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition...vegetarian

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetaria...sofVeg.htm

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Vegetarians taste better with potatoes, Vegans taste better with stuffing...

Oh wait, this wasn't the real point of the thread. Never mind.

Well given your description I must be a vegetarian, because meat is more or less the side dish to my half or more plate of vegetable matter.

Until this point I considered myself a meat eater.

I still do, I think vegetarians abstain from meat, but use dairy products, egg, milk, cheese.

[VileKyle]

I'm eating steak right now. Anyways, carry on.

[LONDONER]

I don't eat meat or dairy produce nor eggs. My diet is mainly grains and vegetables and occasionally fish. So, what do I class myself as? A "fallen" vegan?

[VileKyle]

I don't eat meat or dairy produce nor eggs. My diet is mainly grains and vegetables and occasionally fish. So, what do I class myself as? A "fallen" vegan?

I say just eat what you personally prefer to eat and forget about the labels. It doesn't matter what you call it. Heck, should I put some fancy title on myself because I refuse to eat mayonnaise? Honestly, I hate that crap. Keep it away from me. Um... what was the topic again?