Vegetarian vs Vegan
Same direction, different distance.
Vegetarians avoid animal flesh; vegans also avoid dairy, eggs and other animal products and seek to exclude animal exploitation as far as possible and practicable. Well-planned versions of either diet can support health and generally have lower environmental impacts than meat-rich diets. Here is what changes 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 animal flesh — meat, poultry, fish, shellfish and insects — while permitting some or all animal-derived products such as milk, eggs and honey. Ovo-lacto vegetarianism is common in Western countries; lacto vegetarianism is prominent in India. Vegetarian traditions occur in several religions and cultures.
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 |
| Animal use in food production | Dairy and egg production may still be involved | Avoids intentionally using animal-derived foods |
| Greenhouse-gas footprint vs high-meat diet | Lower in the UK study | −75% |
| Land use vs high-meat diet | Lower in the UK study | −75% |
| Water use vs high-meat diet | Lower in the UK study | −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 diet centred on minimally processed plant foods, often with limited added oil, salt and sugar. Definitions vary; Ornish-style trial diets have sometimes included small amounts of non-fat dairy and egg whites.
- Strict vegan / ethical vegan
- Emphasises veganism’s ethical and non-food dimensions. In Casamitjana v League Against Cruel Sports (2020), an employment tribunal held that ethical veganism qualified as a protected philosophical belief under Great Britain’s Equality Act 2010.
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 linked dietary data from 55,504 UK adults with life-cycle data to estimate environmental differences between diet groups.
Health — both work, vegan needs B12
Well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets can support health. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ 2025 position covers nonpregnant, nonlactating adults; children and pregnancy require age- and life-stage-specific planning. Include reliable B12 and pay attention to calcium, vitamin D, iodine, iron and omega-3s.
Heart disease
Adventist Health Study-2 associated vegetarian patterns with lower mortality for some outcomes. Associations differed by sex and diet subgroup; the often-cited 42% lower cardiovascular mortality estimate concerned vegan men, not all vegans.
Type 2 diabetes
Adventist studies associated vegan and vegetarian diets with lower diabetes prevalence and incidence than nonvegetarian diets. These observational findings do not establish that vegans have half the risk of vegetarians or one-quarter that of all meat-eaters.
Cancer
Some cohort studies associate vegetarian and vegan patterns with lower overall cancer incidence. Results vary by cancer site and study; they do not prove that either diet prevents cancer.
Vitamin B12
Vegans need reliable B12 from supplements or fortified foods; vegetarians should also check their intake. A weekly supplement of at least 2,000 µg is one adult maintenance option, not a treatment dose for deficiency.
Omega-3
Flax, chia and walnuts provide ALA; conversion to EPA and DHA is limited. Algae-derived supplements provide DHA and sometimes EPA directly; needs and appropriate doses vary with life stage and health.
Cost
Beans, lentils, grains and seasonal produce can make vegetarian and vegan diets affordable. Modelling finds cost savings in many higher-income countries, while results differ in lower-income settings. Local prices, food availability, cheese, eggs and specialty alternatives all affect the budget.
Which should you choose?
If you are exploring the change, the honest answer depends on your reasons.
- Animals — veganism avoids dairy and eggs as well as meat, reducing direct participation in animal farming.
- Climate, land, water — plant-rich diets generally have lower impacts. In the UK study, vegan diets had about 75% lower emissions and land use, and 54% lower water use, than high-meat diets.
- 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 — beans, grains and seasonal produce can keep either diet affordable; specialty alternatives and local prices affect the total.
Frequently asked questions
Is vegan healthier than vegetarian?
Both can support good health when well planned. Food quality, supplementation and overall lifestyle matter; evidence does not establish that every vegan diet is healthier than a vegetarian diet.
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?
Reducing demand for animal products can reduce the use of farmed animals. Vegetarian diets still include dairy or eggs; vegan diets avoid these too. Neither diet eliminates all indirect harm from food production.
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?
Vegan diets for children need careful planning, reliable B12 and attention to energy, protein, calcium, vitamin D, iodine, iron and omega-3s. Seek a qualified dietitian’s advice; ordinary plant drinks are not infant-formula replacements.
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. Honey is made by bees, so it is excluded from a vegan diet. Bees show complex learning and behaviours consistent with pain; the ethical concern is using animals and their food stores.
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.