Vegans and vegetarians are not the same thing, though the two terms are often used interchangeably. Both diets center on plant foods and exclude meat, but they differ in how far those exclusions go. Vegetarians generally avoid meat while still eating some animal products like dairy or eggs. Vegans eliminate all animal-derived foods, and many extend that principle beyond the plate to clothing, cosmetics, and other everyday products.
What Each Diet Actually Excludes
All vegetarian diets cut out meat: beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and other poultry. What separates the different types is which animal byproducts stay on the menu. A lacto-ovo vegetarian still eats both dairy products and eggs. A lacto-vegetarian includes dairy but not eggs. A pescatarian skips meat but eats fish and seafood, sometimes along with dairy and eggs.
A vegan diet is the most restrictive version. It’s 100% plant-based, meaning no meat, no dairy, no eggs, and no honey. Where a vegetarian might have an omelet for breakfast or put cheese on a sandwich without a second thought, a vegan replaces those with plant-based alternatives or skips them entirely.
Veganism Often Goes Beyond Food
This is one of the biggest distinctions people miss. Vegetarianism is a dietary choice. Veganism, for many people, is a broader lifestyle philosophy rooted in avoiding animal exploitation altogether. That means strict vegans also avoid leather, silk, wool, fur, pearls, and ivory in their clothing, accessories, and cosmetics. A vegetarian might comfortably wear leather boots; a vegan would not.
Not every vegan takes it that far. Some people follow a vegan diet for health or environmental reasons without changing what they wear or buy. These “dietary vegans” eat the same plant-only foods but may still own a leather jacket. The term “ethical vegan” typically refers to those who apply the principle across all areas of life.
Hidden Animal Ingredients That Separate the Two
Even foods that look plant-based can contain animal-derived ingredients, and this is where vegan and vegetarian choices diverge in practice. Gelatin, made by boiling the skin, tendons, and bones of cows and pigs, shows up in gummy candies, marshmallows, and some yogurts. Rennet, an enzyme from animal stomachs, is used in many cheeses. Isinglass, derived from fish bladders, is sometimes used to clarify wines and beers. A red food dye called carmine comes from crushed beetles.
A vegetarian might eat cheese made with rennet or candy containing gelatin without it conflicting with their diet, since these aren’t meat. A vegan avoids all of them. This makes label-reading a much bigger part of daily life for vegans, since animal-derived additives appear in surprising places.
Nutritional Differences
Both diets carry some risk of falling short on certain nutrients, but the risks are steeper for vegans because they cut out more food groups. A systematic review comparing plant-based eaters to meat-eaters found that both vegans and vegetarians tend to have lower intakes of vitamin B12, vitamin D, and iodine. But vegans had the lowest levels of all three, plus lower calcium intake and lower bone mineral density.
The reason is straightforward. Vegetarians get B12 from eggs and dairy, calcium from milk and cheese, and iodine from dairy products. Vegans lose all of those sources and need to get these nutrients from fortified foods or supplements. Iron can also be a concern, particularly for women, since the form of iron in plant foods is harder for the body to absorb than the type found in animal products. Zinc falls into a similar category.
On the flip side, both diets tend to be higher in fiber, certain vitamins like C and folate, and beneficial plant fats compared to typical meat-heavy diets. Vegans often get the most fiber of any dietary group simply because plants make up their entire intake.
Health Benefits Compared
Both vegan and vegetarian diets are linked to lower risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes compared to diets that include meat. A review in the European Heart Journal examined evidence across vegan, lacto-ovo vegetarian, and pescatarian patterns and found cardiovascular benefits for all three, driven largely by higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts, along with lower intake of saturated fat from red meat.
Whether a vegan diet offers additional heart benefits over a vegetarian one is harder to pin down. Removing dairy cuts saturated fat intake further, which could help cholesterol levels. But it also removes easy sources of calcium and protein that support bone and muscle health. The net effect depends heavily on what someone replaces those foods with. A vegan diet built around whole grains, legumes, and vegetables looks very different nutritionally from one built around processed vegan convenience foods.
Environmental Footprint
Both diets have a substantially smaller environmental footprint than meat-heavy diets, but vegan diets come out ahead. A large UK study published in Nature Food linked dietary data from thousands of people to lifecycle assessments and found that vegan diets had lower greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, and biodiversity impact than vegetarian diets, which in turn were lower than meat-eating diets. The gap between vegan and vegetarian exists because dairy farming still requires significant land, water, and energy, and cattle produce methane whether they’re raised for beef or milk.
Which One Is Right for You
The choice between vegetarian and vegan often comes down to motivation and practicality. If your goal is to reduce your environmental impact or avoid animal products on ethical grounds, a vegan diet aligns more fully with those values. If you’re focused on health and want a more flexible transition away from meat, a vegetarian diet gives you more nutritional safety nets through dairy and eggs while still delivering most of the same benefits.
Many people start as vegetarians and move toward veganism over time as they find plant-based substitutes they enjoy. Others stay vegetarian for years and feel no need to go further. Both diets require some planning to avoid nutrient gaps, but vegans need to be more deliberate about supplementing B12 and getting enough calcium, iodine, and omega-3 fatty acids from fortified foods, algae-based supplements, or other plant sources.