Are you Vegan or Plant-based?

Are you vegan or plant-based? Let’s learn what it means to be vegan or plant-based!

What does Vegan mean?

Vegan or veganism: Being vegan is an ethical choice to avoid the harm and exploitation of animals and all living creatures. You are avoiding the use of animal products and the consumption of animals and animal byproducts. This also includes clothing, cars, makeup, cosmetics, and any other product or service that may have used animals for its production.

I wanted to clarify a few details that I get a lot of questions about. When it comes to diet, vegans do not eat meat, fish, eggs, dairy, cheese, yogurt, or any food that was made or manufactured using animal products.

What does Plant-based mean? 

The word Plant-based is most associated directly with diet and means to eat a heavily plant-rich diet limiting or eliminating animal products. The choice to eat plant-based usually has more to do with health and doesn’t involve the ethics that veganism includes. Plant-based diet just means food made primarily from plants. Plant-based doesn’t always mean ‘just plants’ it means ‘mostly plants’. If you are looking to avoid animal products be sure to read the ingredient list.  

If you are vegan, watch out for plant-based marketing…

Don’t get fooled. So many marketing gimmicks are using the plant-based label to sell to vegans and plant-based folks but it can get confusing. A lot of people see the plant-based label and think oh yay it’s made from plants then they flip the package over to read the ingredients; to find egg or dairy listed on the package. This isn’t always the case but has happened to me more than a handful of times.

Seeing the difference between vegan and plant-based

You can now see the difference now and why these two words are describing different people or at least ways of life. I use the term vegan for everything because I base my decisions and purchases based on whether I am saving or harming with that decision. My diet, my car, my clothes, and my cosmetics all are deeply thought about. Is this item vegan? Does it cause harm? Are animals being used or were they used to create this? I follow veganism strictly. Veganism is to show love and compassion for all living beings, including humans. For most things, I don’t like to label myself. For this one though, I am proud of and am whole-heartedly vegan. To me being vegan simply means to make choices daily with my heart and my mind and to vote for compassion with my dollar.  

The Goal of This Article

The goal for me today is to help you see the difference between being vegan and plant-based. For a quick recap, being vegan is a full lifestyle of making decisions based on the effects it has on others. While plant-based is a diet choice where people are choosing to eat primarily plants to whatever degree they choose. This is not to say that if you’re plant-based then I am talking badly about you. If you are eating a plant-based diet, I am stoked! You are making a difference for animals and the planet whether or not that was your intention. I also do believe that you are choosing the healthiest option for our body to eat more plants. So rock on!

I hope this article clarified a few questions you had about veganism and/or a plant-based diet. Maybe you can identify with one or both. Maybe you want to aim to be one or the other. Both are great and beneficial and are contributing to saving so many lives. 

Are you Vegan or Plant-based?

Have you decided if you are vegan or plant-based? Maybe you are interested in leading a vegan lifestyle or maybe first trying to eat a more plant-based diet. The choice is yours and I know you’ll love it whichever direction you go!

I wish you the very best on your vegan or plant-based journey. You are doing amazing things!

What Should You Do Next?

Feel free to email me with your thoughts and/or questions. Or if you are looking to read more on this topic I really like Vegan Kind’s description of the difference between vegan and plant-based.

If you didn’t catch it on my website yet, I am a vegan personal trainer. If you need any guidance I would love to help you on your journey!

Are you wanting to go vegan and want to know how it can also benefit your health and fitness? Go check this out!