Healthy Vegetarian by Nirmalya Roy - HTML preview

Chapter 7: Vegan Vegetarian

The difference between vegetarian and non-vegetarian is widely understood as the eating habits are distinct and obvious.

There is another branch of food eating group commonly known as vegan and the difference between vegetarian and vegan is misunderstood. There is no striking difference between vegan and vegetarian eating habits but still people get confused in categorizing these food eating groups.

As a layman you will not be able to understand the difference between vegan and vegetarian. People consider these as same food eating groups because the similarities are obvious and clear.

People believe what they see and you often spot a vegetarian eating green fresh salads and few broccolis for all three meals. The fact is different vegans and vegetarians consume foods very differently and their ways are not always similar. Understanding the eating trends of this faction will make things clear. Below are few examples

People who consume dairy products, eggs, fruits and vegetables are categorized as Lacto-ovo-vegetarian. It is one of the most recurrent and frequent type of lacto-vegetarian diet. There are cases where you find these groups eating fish and also consuming poultry products.

Lacto-vegetarian: Their diet includes vegetables, healthy nuts, fruits, grains and dairy products. The only difference is egg consumption which this group avoids.

Vegan: The difference between vegans and vegetarian can be understood by following their food habits. Vegans do not include dairy foodstuffs, eggs or any sort of animal products in their regular diet. Not only have these vegans refrained from sporting or wearing anything which is derived from animal products.

Macrobiotic: There are many reasons to follow a diet group. Diet which is followed on grounds of philosophy and spirituality is known as Macrobiotic diet. Health factors are also taken into account before selecting this diet. In this diet food is categorized as negative and positive food. The positive group is ying and negative is yang. There are levels of progression in this type of diet. The elimination of animal products is encouraged at all levels. The highest level eliminates even fruits and vegetables and is confined to brown rice.

A normal person will definitely get confused between the lacto-vegetarian and vegetarian diet. But for the vegans and vegetarian it is absolutely easy to follow their life style. It's only when you start to follow a diet regime you come to know the positives and negatives. You should support all diet groups and food eating habits as far as it's is healthy and keeps you strong.