An increasing number of people are trying to limit or completely eliminate animal products in their diet, giving rise to plant-based and vegan diets.

That said, a huge selection of plant-based options are made available today at fast food chains, restaurants, grocery stores, and public events.

Some people choose to describe their lifestyle as “plant-based,” while others label themselves as “vegan.”

You might want to ask what the differences between vegan and plant-based are. Here we examine the differences between those terms when it comes to lifestyle and diet.

History

Created by the founder of The Vegan Society, Donald Watson, in 1944, the term “vegan” describes a person who avoids animals for ethical reasons.

The practice of being vegan is known as veganism, which expanded to include a diet that excluded animal-derived products, such as fish, meat, poultry, eggs, cheese, and other dairy products. Instead, a healthy vegan diet advocates eating plant foods like grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

Veganism then grew into a movement grounded not only on animal welfare and ethics, but also health and environmental concerns.

People have become more aware of the potential negative health effects of eating a diet high in processed meat and the negative effects of modern animal agriculture on the planet.

As such, the term “plant-based diet” has been introduced by Dr. T. Colin Campbell in the 1980s to define a low-fat, fiber-rich, vegetable-based diet that focused not on ethics but on health.

Today, about 2% of Americans label themselves as vegan.

In addition, many people are only interested in trying vegan or plant-based foods and reducing their consumption of animal products, but they don’t consider themselves as being vegan or plant-based.

Vegan vs. plant-based

In recent years, the “vegan” and “plant-based” diets have made headlines for their health benefits. Both terms are fundamentally different: plant-based diets focus on eating mostly plants, such as whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables, and do not necessarily eliminate animal products, while vegan diets do.

Being plant-based

You might wonder what plant-based really is.

Specifically referring to one’s diet alone, being plant-based means that you eat a diet that either mostly or entirely consists of plant foods—some people may consider themselves plant-based and still consume certain animal products.

The term “whole foods, plant-based” is also used to describe a diet involving most whole plant foods that are minimally processed or raw. On this diet, processed grains and oils are restricted, whereas on a vegan or otherwise plant-based diet, these foods are allowed.

The only important distinction is the “whole foods” part, as there exist several processed vegan foods. For example, certain varieties of cheese slices, hot dogs, “chicken” nuggets, bacon, and boxed mac and cheese are vegan, but they are not appropriate on a whole foods, plant-based diet.

Being vegan

Being vegan means not eating, wearing, or using anything from animals, i.e., meat, eggs, dairy, honey, fur, leather, and shellac. Some vegans may even avoid immunizations or medications that have been tested on animals or use animal byproducts.

Moreover, veganism also means excluding all forms of animal cruelty and exploitation. Technically, being vegan describes the lifestyle that you choose to lead. It reaches beyond diet.

You can be both vegan and plant-based

The terms “vegan” and “plant-based” are not meant to divide people based on their preferred lifestyle. It is absolutely possible for you to be both.

You can start out as vegan, where you avoid animal products for environmental and ethical reasons, then shift to a whole foods, plant-based diet to improve your health.

Or you can reverse that. You can start out eating a whole foods, plant-based diet and then expand into veganism by avoiding animal products in both food and non-food areas and aligning the rest of your lifestyle.

Conclusion

A lot of people are choosing to limit or completely eliminate animal products in their diet. They often describe themselves as either “plant-based” or “vegan,” depending on the lifestyle they choose to lead.

Vegans tend to consider the potential negative effects of animal products on the environment.

Being “vegan” means going beyond diet. It is more of a lifestyle choice. Veganism involves avoiding the consumption and use of animal products—from food to non-food areas. It aims to avoid harming animals in any way.

“Plant-based,” on the other hand, refers to a dieter that primarily eats plant foods, with limited to no animal products. A whole foods, plant-based diet also eliminates oils and processed packaged foods.

The terms “vegan” and “plant-based” are fundamentally different, but they share some similarities as well. Both are gaining an increasing popularity today. In fact, you can find a bunch of healthy vegan recipes and plant-based recipes on the internet.

Whichever you choose, and whichever you think is suitable to your needs and preferences, know that either of them can be a healthy way of eating when planned properly.