Vegetarian vs Vegan
Same direction, different distance.
Vegetarians stop eating animal flesh. Vegans stop using animals altogether — no dairy, no eggs, no honey, no leather. Both diets are healthier and lower-impact than the global average; only one consistently follows the ethics through to dairy and egg production. Here is what changes, why it matters, and how to decide.
The 30-second answer
A vegetarian avoids meat, poultry and fish but may still consume dairy, eggs and honey. A vegan avoids all animal products in food, clothing, cosmetics and entertainment. Veganism is the more consistent expression of the same ethical and environmental concerns: dairy cows are separated from their calves and slaughtered; laying hens are killed when production drops. If your reason to give up meat is animals, climate or health, veganism completes the picture.
Definitions
Vegetarian
A vegetarian diet excludes the flesh of animals — meat, poultry, fish, shellfish and insects — while permitting some or all animal-derived products such as milk, eggs and honey. The most common form worldwide is ovo-lacto vegetarian. Vegetarianism has deep roots in Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Seventh-day Adventism and the Mediterranean tradition.
Vegan
Veganism is a way of living that seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of and cruelty to animals — for food, clothing or any other purpose (Vegan Society, 1944/1979). In practice that means no meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey, leather, wool, silk, down or animal-tested cosmetics. The dietary component is sometimes called a strict plant-based diet.
Side-by-side
What each diet allows, and what it excludes.
| Aspect | Vegetarian | Vegan |
|---|---|---|
| Meat, poultry, fish | Excluded | Excluded |
| Dairy (milk, cheese, butter) | Allowed | Excluded |
| Eggs | Allowed (ovo-lacto) | Excluded |
| Honey | Usually allowed | Excluded |
| Leather, wool, silk, down | Allowed | Excluded |
| Cosmetics tested on animals | Allowed | Excluded |
| Animals killed per person per year (approx.) | ~30 (incl. dairy/egg male chicks & spent layers) | Near zero |
| Greenhouse-gas footprint vs high-meat diet | −35% | −75% |
| Land use vs high-meat diet | −50% | −75% |
| Water use vs high-meat diet | −25% | −54% |
| Vitamin B12 supplementation | Recommended | Essential |
Common variants
The words around vegetarianism are not all equivalent.
- Ovo-lacto vegetarian
- No meat, poultry or fish; dairy and eggs allowed. The default meaning of 'vegetarian' in most Western countries.
- Lacto vegetarian
- No meat, poultry, fish or eggs; dairy allowed. Common in Indian Hindu and Jain traditions.
- Ovo vegetarian
- No meat, poultry, fish or dairy; eggs allowed. Rare as a stable identity.
- Pescatarian
- Eats fish and shellfish but no other meat. Not vegetarian by most definitions; fish are sentient and industrial fishing is a major source of marine harm.
- Flexitarian / reducetarian
- Eats mostly plant-based with occasional meat. Helpful as a transition, not equivalent to vegetarian or vegan.
- Plant-based
- Describes a diet of mostly or entirely plant foods. Often used by people focused on health or environment rather than ethics; not always strictly vegan.
- Whole-food plant-based (WFPB)
- A vegan diet built around unrefined plants, minimal oil, salt and sugar — the version studied in cardiology trials by Esselstyn, Ornish and others.
- Strict vegan / ethical vegan
- Synonymous with vegan; emphasises the non-food dimensions of the philosophy and is recognised as a protected belief under UK and EU equality law (Casamitjana v League Against Cruel Sports, 2020).
Ethics — why the dairy and egg line matters
Most people give up meat to avoid harming animals. Modern dairy and egg production cause the same harms by another route.
Dairy
Cows produce milk only after giving birth. In commercial dairy, calves are removed within 24–48 hours so the milk can be sold; male calves are typically slaughtered for veal or shot at birth. Spent dairy cows are sent to slaughter at 4–6 years old, against a natural lifespan of 20+.
Eggs
Modern laying hens have been selectively bred to produce ~300 eggs per year (a wild jungle fowl lays ~12). Male chicks of laying breeds are killed within hours of hatching — roughly 6–7 billion globally per year — by maceration or gassing. Hens are slaughtered at 18 months when production drops.
Honey
Commercial beekeeping involves wing-clipping queens, replacing honey with sugar water, and routine colony losses during long-distance transport for pollination contracts.
Wool, leather, down
Wool sheep, leather cattle and down geese all end up at the same slaughterhouses as meat animals — these industries are economically intertwined, not separate.
Environment — how much further does vegan go?
A 2023 Nature Food study of 55,000 UK diets, the most comprehensive to date, quantifies the gap clearly.
Health — both work, vegan needs B12
Major dietetics associations (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, British Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada) confirm that both well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets are appropriate for every life stage, including pregnancy, infancy and athletic performance, and reduce risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and several cancers. The differences are small but real.
Heart disease
Adventist Health Study-2 found vegans had 42% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular causes than non-vegetarians; vegetarians had a smaller but meaningful reduction.
Type 2 diabetes
Vegans had roughly half the risk of vegetarians, and a quarter the risk of meat-eaters, in EPIC-Oxford and Adventist cohorts.
Cancer
Both diets reduce overall cancer risk vs meat-heavy diets; vegan diets show particular benefit for prostate cancer.
Vitamin B12
Essential for vegans, recommended for vegetarians: dairy and eggs do not reliably meet B12 needs. A weekly 2,000 µg cyanocobalamin tablet is cheap, safe and sufficient.
Omega-3
Use algae-derived DHA/EPA (250–500 mg per day) on a vegan diet. Flax, chia and walnuts provide ALA, which converts to DHA only at a low rate.
Cost
In every region with reliable price data, the cheapest staple foods are plant-based: rice, wheat, maize, lentils, beans, oats, potatoes, seasonal vegetables and bananas. Vegan diets built on these staples are typically cheaper than vegetarian diets that include cheese and free-range eggs, and far cheaper than meat-based diets. The cost penalty people associate with veganism comes from optional mock-meats and specialty dairy alternatives, not from the diet itself.
Which should you choose?
If you are exploring the change, the honest answer depends on your reasons.
- Animals — choose vegan. Vegetarianism still funds the dairy and egg industries, where the most concentrated harms occur per gram of food.
- Climate, land, water — choose vegan. Vegetarian diets cut impact roughly in half; vegan diets cut it by three-quarters.
- Health — both work. Vegan diets show slightly greater cardiovascular and metabolic benefits, especially in the whole-food plant-based form.
- Culture, religion, family — vegetarianism may be the entry point; many people move to vegan over months or years as habits and confidence grow.
- Cost — vegan with whole-food staples is the cheapest option in most countries; vegetarian with cheese can be the most expensive.
Frequently asked questions
Is vegan healthier than vegetarian?
Slightly, on most cardiovascular and metabolic markers, especially in whole-food plant-based form. Both diets are healthier than typical meat-based diets when well planned.
Is vegan more ethical than vegetarian?
By the standards most vegetarians already apply — minimising harm to sentient animals — yes. Dairy and egg production involve forced reproduction, separation of mothers and young, killing of male chicks of laying breeds, and slaughter of spent dairy cows and laying hens.
Can I be vegetarian and still help animals?
Yes — any reduction in animal-product demand helps. Vegetarianism roughly halves the animals killed per person compared to a typical Western diet. Veganism comes close to eliminating it.
What about pescatarian or flexitarian?
Both reduce harm compared to a high-meat diet but neither is vegetarian under standard definitions. Fish are sentient; industrial fishing also kills enormous numbers of bycatch animals.
Are vegan diets safe for children?
Yes. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the British Dietetic Association and the Dietitians of Canada confirm well-planned vegan diets are appropriate for infancy, childhood and adolescence, with attention to calories, B12, vitamin D, iron, calcium and DHA.
Is there a 'vegan but cheese' option?
That is simply vegetarian. The word 'vegan' implies excluding all animal products; cheese is dairy and so is excluded.
Do vegetarians and vegans get enough protein?
Yes. Legumes, tofu, tempeh, seitan, whole grains, nuts and seeds easily meet protein needs on a varied diet that meets calorie needs.
Is honey vegan?
No. Bees are invertebrates with documented learning and pain responses; commercial honey production also harms them economically and physically.
Ready to take the next step?
If this comparison made the case for going further, the 7-day starter walks you through breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks using affordable ingredients in your region.