What is the difference between being Vegan & Plant Based?
- Taylor Rivkin
- Apr 10, 2020
- 3 min read
Vegan Eliminating All Animal Products
This includes meat (fish, pork, chicken, etc.), dairy (milk, cheese, butter, etc), eggs, and anything else that comes from animals. But vegan isn't just a diet it is also a lifestyle. Vegans typically avoid anything that includes animal products or testing. For example, they don't buy or wear leather and wool, and typically buy cruelty-free products (shampoo, conditioner).
But, just because something is vegan does not mean it is healthier or better for you. Vegan cookies, cake, ice cream, chips, pizza, donuts, candy, or other highly processed foods aren't better for you than the non-vegan alternative. So vegan is not necessarily better for you. So then why be vegan? (I will talk about my own reasons below)
Plant-Based
Eating Food That Comes From Plants
Where vegan is both a diet and a lifestyle, plant-based is a diet. You can choose to still eat animal products but your primary source of food comes from plants. Plant-based diets focus on eating whole-foods. This gets a little confusing because research with plant-based diets sometimes uses this definition and sometimes says plant-based but also implies vegan.
Plant-based diets emphasize eating whole-foods, meaning the food has undergone little – if any – processing and is as close to its natural state as possible. For example fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, steel-cut oats).
Plant-based diets avoid processed foods, refined sugars, and processed fats.
Fun Fact: Current Research is showing that plant-based diets are phenomenal for Type-2 Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, and Weight Loss.
WHAT AM I?
I (Taylor) am a vegan who eats a primarily plant-based diet.
What does that mean? Well, it's actually simpler than you think. I don't eat animal products, and I avoid processed foods.
My protein sources legumes(beans), nuts, seeds & high protein vegetables.
My fats are avocados, algae, coconut, nuts, seeds, and other high-fat fruits and veggies.
You get the point...
But I am a bit grey area with my veganism. I do my best not to buy any animal products, but I do not stress if I don't know whats exactly in something. I have been vegan for almost 3 years (ish) and I still wear the leather I had bought from before I went vegan.
My one not-vegan thing... Honey
It's not that I couldn't live without honey, it's because bees are important for the environment. I only buy honey from local sources (farmers markets). I have also been looking into becoming a beekeeper (I know I am super extra sometimes).
What do I recommend?
Find your middle ground.
While I would love to make the entire human population vegan and plant-based I know it is not practical. Figure out what works best for you at this moment. My nutrition coaching style is agnostic. Which means I am someone who doesn't push my clients in one way or another. I help my clients make decisions that work best for them and their lifestyles. All diets have their pros and cons even plant-based vegan!
If you are focusing on your health, look to plant-based first.
If you want to do more for the environment, you could start looking into buying vegan products and supporting vegan companies.
What about the animals? I started by buying cruelty-free products and started making small changes from there.
Much more on this to come! Including strategies for becoming vegan and/or plant-based, cruelty-free products I love, diabetes and plant-based diets, etc.
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