Even today, there are a number of confusions in people about the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan. Some think they are one and the same, and others think they are different, but don’t know-how.

Indeed, vegans are completely different from vegetarians; their diet plans all follow the “no meat” pattern, but there’s more to vegans than just boycotting steaks and fillets. If you have been confused about veganism or want to try out this popular new eating habit, this article has every information you will find interesting. 

First of all, we need to know what veganism is. 

What is Veganism? 

Like vegetarians, vegans also don’t eat any kind of meat or fish; moreover, they also don’t eat any form of product that derives from animals, which includes eggs, milk, and anything dairy, or even honey. In fact, vegans are completely against any products that are directly related to animals, which means any kind of food, clothes, bags or shoes derived from animals. 

It was in 1944 that a small group of vegetarians separated themselves from the Leicester Vegetarian Society of England and established the Vegan society. They coined their name from the first three letters and the last two letters of the term “vegetarian” and started to consider themselves different from their peers. 

From that time, vegans decided not to consume any dairy, eggs, honey or anything else derived from animals besides meat and fish. They also decided not to wear anything that’s made from furs, leather, wool, silk, and feathers, or to use bags, shoes, and belts made from animal skin. They even avoid body care products and makeup that experiments on animals. 

In short, vegans try to exclude any form of animal exploitation and cruelty and leave as little carbon footprints in the world as possible. 

What Vegans Can Eat or Not Eat? 

Vegans can eat everything that comes from plants, including whole-grains, legumes, beans, seeds, vegetables, leafy greens and fruits, and all the recipes that use these ingredients. 

Besides the usual, vegans also avoid ingredients that are animal-derived, such as casein, shellac, whey, carmine, albumin, gelatin, and pepsin. These ingredients are used in the production of certain wines and beers, breakfast cereal, baked goods, gummy candies, marshmallows, and chewing gum. 

Of course, these days, with the increase in the number of vegans all over the world, we see a lot of “vegan substitution” foods and ingredients that were not available before. For example, vegan hot dogs and ice-cream, cakes and mayonnaise, non-dairy yogurt and even vegan chicken burgers, which are made from tofu instead of chicken. 

You can actually find a lot of recipes on the Internet that are “vegan-friendly” and made with these substitute ingredients which means you won’t actually have to give up on your favourite foods to become a vegan. You can enjoy different kinds of milk, cheese, and baked goods as a vegan, as well as food that resembles the taste of meat. 

Healthy “Vegan-Friendly” Foods 

Since vegans don’t eat anything that’s directly or indirectly derived from animals, they have a large gap in their daily protein and calcium requirement. Here is a list of all the healthy foods and ingredients that vegans use extensively in their daily diets to meet their nutritional requirements. 

  • All Kinds of Legumes 

Since vegans don’t eat meat, their chief source of protein comes from plant-based proteins, i.e. legumes. Lentils, all types of beans and peas are excellent sources of proteins, as well as iron, carbs, manganese, folate, antioxidants, and zinc. Each cup of cooked legumes can carry 10 to 20 grams of healthy protein, which is a good percentage of the amount we need every day. 

However, legumes are also rich in anti-nutrients, which means that they can actually reduce the amount of mineral absorption from your food, especially if consumed raw. This is why, it is better to cook lentils, peas and chickpeas, and all kinds of beans before eating so that you can get the maximum amount of nutrients and minerals from them. 

  • Fruits and Vegetables  

There are no limitations to the kind of fruits and vegetables that you can eat when following a vegan diet. Any kind of fruits – fresh, dried or frozen – is perfectly allowed in moderation in this eating habit. If you are also looking forward to losing some weight, it is, however, better to focus more on citrus and fibrous fruits than extremely sweetened fruits such as bananas, cherries, mangoes, and lychees. Dried fruits are also condensed in natural fructose and have more calories than fresh fruits; if weight loss is on the agenda, it is recommended that you consume fresh fruits rather than dried or blended ones. 

Among vegetables too, there are no limits to what you can or cannot eat. Everything from artichokes to bell peppers, beets to cabbages and cauliflowers, celery to tomatoes are good for our health – raw, cooked, boiled, steamed, roasted or sautéed. Leafy greens too, such as baby spinach, lettuce, spring greens, watercress, and kale, are especially good for our digestion. 

In a vegan diet, fruits and vegetables, in any form, should constitute the major part of our meals. 

  • Whole Wheat and Grains 

While most other food habits these days eliminate grains to some extent, they are an important part of vegan’s meals. Complex carbohydrates in whole grains give vegans the energy and strength they need to function properly, especially with oatmeal, quinoa, millet, rye, brown rice, brown bread and pasta, buckwheat and barley, etc. 

Some processed and refined sources of carbohydrate such as couscous, white rice, and bread, white flour and tortillas can also be eaten in this diet, but takes more time to be digested and are high in calories. In all kinds of diets and eating habits, it is always better to consume limited amounts of whole grains than processed ones.

  • Seeds and Seed Butters 

Chia seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds are great sources of healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Only a teaspoon of these seeds as snacks every day is all you need to fulfil your daily requirements. 

Some of these seeds are also effective in weight loss, especially chia seeds. Only two teaspoons of chia seeds are what you need to see some significant change in your weight and waistline, added to salads, soups, and smoothies, or mixed in water. 

  • Nuts and Nut Butters 

Just like legumes, nuts and butter made from nuts are an excellent source of plant-based protein and other minerals. Every kind of nuts, including almonds, Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, pecans and pine nuts, Macadamia nuts, pistachios, and walnuts are allowed in a vegan diet, as well as butter made from these nuts. Especially, butter made from almond, cashew nut, Macadamia nut, and peanut is great as spreads, with salads or for cooking. 

  • Herbs, Spices, and Condiments  

There’s nothing better than these to make your food tasty! All kinds of natural condiments are allowed in the vegan diet, with emphasis on the ones that have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant in them. 

Some of the most important taste boosters that are healthy include basil and bay leaves, anise, chamomile, chilli powder, cilantro, chives, coriander and cloves, cumin powder, turmeric powder, dill, nutmeg and oregano, parsley, paprika, peppermint, etc. Each of these condiments and herbs has different tastes and flavours and can make your food completely unique. 

In some cases, you can also use artificial plant-based sweeteners (Agave syrup, coconut sugar, maple and date syrup, rice syrup, etc.) in your baking and cooking and natural condiments (Apple syrup, miso paste, Apple Cider or Rice Vinegar, Guacamole paste, etc.) for some added taste. Although these sweeteners and condiments are high-calorie ingredients, they are completely natural and plant-based. 

  • Alternative Dairy Products

Since vegans don’t drink any kind of animal-derived milk and dairy, their main source of dairy includes almond milk, coconut milk, flaxseed milk, oat milk, soy yogurt and soy milk, rice milk, flaxseed milk, cashew milk, etc. These alternative milk sources are also used in making yogurt, butter, and cheese by some popular brands. 

  • Meat Alternatives 

If you are a vegan and you are still craving meat, there are some great substitutions that are available these days from popular and trusted brands. From these brands, you can find burgers, deli slices, nuggets, meatballs, hot dogs and even sausages made from alternative meat sources. 

Although these substitutes taste almost like meat, it is recommended that you don’t consume a lot of these for protein requirements. For vegans, plant-based protein sources are much better options for nutrition than meat alternatives. 

Veganism is rapidly becoming popular these days, not just because vegans are appalled by cruelty towards animals, but because this is one of the healthiest eating habits. Vegans believe in animals’ right to a fair life instead of being slaughtered for meat; however, vegans also know that this eating habit reduces our chances of Type-II diabetes, heart diseases and several types of cancer. 

Being a vegan could have been hard in the past, but not anymore. There are vegan-friendly substitutes available for anything you might want to eat these days, healthier than the original source.