Plant-based vs. Vegan: What is The Big Truth?

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We’ve all heard the two terms used, many times, interchangeably. We all know that at the very core both terms refer to people and diets that are mostly based around eating plants. But do they mean the same thing? Is being a plant-based different from being a vegan?

Let’s take a closer look.

What is plant-based?

“Plant-based” refers to a lifestyle that emphasizes eating plants and whole foods.

Plant-based lifestyle is often referred to as a “whole-food-plant-based”, or “wfpb” in short. This lifestyle includes eating mostly whole foods such as grains, legumes, fruits, fresh vegetables and eliminating processed foods. Examples of processed foods are bread, canned foods, mock meat, and mock cheese.

The premise of a plant-based lifestyle is to consume healthy or “clean” foods and stay away from processed foods that are bad for health.

Plant-based also eliminates all animal food products such as meat, cheese, milk, eggs, fish, gelatin, casein, whey, and other animal bi-products.

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What is vegan?

Vegan lifestyle, just like the plant-based, excludes all animal foods. However, one big distinction is that vegans do not necessarily concentrate on eating clean.

In other words, a vegan lifestyle simply means eating foods that do not contain ANY animal products without much emphasis on whether the food is healthy or not. So, vegans do not abstain from eating mock meats, vegan cheese, or junk food. It’s all game as long as no animals were hurt.

Veganism goes one step beyond the plant-based lifestyle in that it expands to all aspects of life. In addition to abstaining from eating animal products, vegans won’t buy or wear any products that have animal involvement.

For example, vegans won’t buy leather products such as leather purses and shoes. They won’t use any items that contain animal or insect bi-products such as beeswax, chapstick, and wax candles. Animal testing is also a big no-no. If a cosmetics company tests on animals, vegan won’t buy its products such as make-up or skincare.

Wfpb + vegan

Sometimes you may hear people say that they are “whole-food-plant based vegans”. What does that mean? It simply means that they are eating whole plant foods and practice veganism in their everyday life. So, yes, you can be both!

In Summary

Plant-based and vegan lifestyles are similar in that they do not include ANY animal foods. The divergence of the two is that a plant-based lifestyle is a healthier one and only extends to one’s diet. Whereas, veganism extends to all aspects of the person’s life and does not necessarily involve a healthy diet.

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My brand new cookbook is out on Amazon! It’s called “30-Minute Plant-Based Recipes” and it’s perfect for busy vegans. Grab it now!