What is the difference between veganism and vegetarianism? A lot of people think of “vegan” and “vegetarian” to be the same thing. For some, these names refer to people who only eat salad! Many do not know exactly what these words mean, or what the difference is between the two. Finally, a lot of people also don’t understand why a person could choose to live a vegan or vegetarian life.
What they have in common: vegans, like vegetarians, do not eat animal meat – beef, pork, chicken, deer and wild meats, fish, seafood, or any other living creature. This decision may be based on health concerns, or on the inhumane treatment given to animals that are farmed, or that are hunted or fished. For both ideologies, raising animals for human consumption has enormous consequences for the environment, and many choose these lifestyles in order to reduce their environmental footprint.
The difference is that the vegan diet goes beyond the vegetarian diet by eliminating all other animal products. Vegans do not eat eggs, dairy products (milk, cheese, etc.) or honey, as all of these products come from animals. This decision is sometimes based on the fact that eggs and dairy products have been linked to health problems and allergies in humans. But most of the time, the decision to go on a 100% vegan diet is a matter of animal welfare.
Vegetarian thinking says it’s okay to eat animal products like eggs and dairy products, because animals aren’t killed to get them. Vegans, on the other hand, consider that farm animals, even to obtain products other than meat, are subjected to sometimes difficult living conditions.To produce milk, a dairy cow has to undergo forced and repeated pregnancies. Calves are separated from their mother at birth. In the case of laying hens, they are often crammed into cramped cages that do not allow them to move at ease.
Unfortunately, farms that allow animals to live in the wild are rather rare. And the living conditions of the animals are not always pleasant. It should be noted that at the end of their milk or egg production life, old animals, even if they have lived in freedom, are sent to slaughter, often in inhuman conditions. A farm is a business that must be profitable. When the animal no longer meets this criterion of profitability, freedom or not, we get rid of it.
Veganism is not just about maintaining a diet of animal-free living. Veganism aims to eliminate the exploitation of animals for the benefit of humans as much as possible. Vegans choose household and personal care items that do not contain ingredients of animal origin, and that are not tested on animals. They do not use wool, leather, fur or other animal products. They also don’t exploit animals for entertainment, as they do in zoos, rodeos, and circuses. Because this entertainment is often a source of cruelty to animals. Being vegan means making choices to reduce animal suffering.
So, veganism or vegetarianism? Vegetarianism is often the gateway to veganism. Seeing the benefits of this lifestyle, a large number of vegetarians take the ideology even further by switching to pure veganism. However, some vegetarians will tell you that if no one eats milk and egg any longer, certain breeds of animals may become extinct. Who will breed hundreds of breeds of cows or chickens for the pleasure of keeping them. Likewise, if someone keeps chickens at home, well treated, free range and happy, what is wrong with consuming their eggs, which will be laid anyway whether we eat them or not? Vegetarians will also tell you that if beekeepers stop producing honey, hundreds of hectares of plants intended for human consumption will no longer be pollinated, as beekeepers help maintain and reproduce bees. hey are not wrong.
Should we judge each other? Absolutely not! For the earth and the animals, every small action counts. If every carnivorous human on earth were to cut their meat consumption by only half, the environment would benefit greatly. So, the idea is not to throw stones at others, but to inspire them to try another way of life, and to improve themselves. The planet cries it out to us every day, it is urgent!