Vegan vs vegan diet
sarahhorrigan
Posts: 64 Member
I read a comment recently that said something about 'a vegan diet' being different to being vegan. What does anyone reckon? Are you still vegan if you 'lapse' from time to time? I tend to think that if you eat any animal products you can't really call yourself vegan - but you might say that you follow a vegan diet for most of the time. But, I'm guessing from the recent thread on eating meat that other people who are part of this group don't have that same definition.
So... are you a vegan if you still occasionally eat animal products?
So... are you a vegan if you still occasionally eat animal products?
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i agree that calling oneself vegan if u occasionally eat NON vegan items is inaccurate, misleading, and ultimately weakens the cause of fighting animal suffering and oppression.
also, maybe some people follow a 'vegan diet' for health or weight reasons, and would not object to, say, wearing leather shoes, or buying bunny-rabbit-tested mascara.
i support all moves toward eating vegan, even if the person only does so part of the time. and some people are more motivated by health.
for me, my strongest motivator is ethics. my veganism is a hard-line approach (in my own life) and an integral part of who i am.
that being said, i am surprisingly relaxed about it when talking with non-vegans: giving the facts, yes...but also making jokes, and basically "meeting people where they ARE". i like to think that, after talking with me, the meat eater leaves thinking, "hmmmm...i guess vegans CAN be nice and not insane".
but deep down, i feel super strongly about it
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Someone mentioned in another thread that not all people who are Vegan do it for ethical reasons..
I would say there not really vegan but follow a plant based diet?
I don't know I just always assumed people who are Vegan do it mainly for the Ethical side of life. Could be wrong!0 -
I do eat vegan, for the most part, but I don't call myself a vegan, one reason is I'm not a fan of being labeled with titles because most people assume I can't do something. I'm eating this way for purely dietary reasons, and my understanding to call yourself a "vegan" means no animal products whatsoever, including clothing and not even eating honey for some.
I'm fine with saying "I eat plant based" personally.0 -
I consider myself vegan, even though I'm not always a strict label reader, even though my main reason for becoming vegan wasn't ethical. Shockingly, I even eat honey.
I became vegan for my physical health, for my spiritual health, for the planet's health. I believe non-violence is an unattainable ideal that is nevertheless worth striving toward. That's why I am a bit dismayed at the small fraction of ethical vegans that seem to be so judgmental. There are not only violent deeds, but violent speech as well.0 -
I decided to follow a vegan diet for health reasons. I mean I obviously care about animals and before I started I was a vegetarian for 15 years. But I think a real vegan is the one that not only eats vegan, but make ssure that all their cosmetics and clothing are vegan too.0
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I went vegan to limit my environmental impact. I try to search out and use vegan hair/skin/cleaning products. Currently I have a lot of leather products that I have mixed feelings about since 1) I've had them forever and I don't want to contribute to waste since they are still serviceable and 2) pretty much everything I buy comes from thrift stores so. . . partly back to reason 1 and also the purchase to suffering correlation is lessened. But I'm probably not a "true" vegan since I eat honey.0
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Veganism is not just a diet, it's a lifestyle that aims to avoid the exploitation of animals which includes not eating, wearing etc. animal derived products or products that are based on the exploitation of animals.
Any step towards this is positive and welcome, i,e. a plat based diet, but I think we should keep the definition fairly strict, to avoid it being watered down as the definition of vegetarian has become.
Cheers,
HC0 -
I call myself Vegan.
I don't wear leather, buy animal based, or tested products, but I did have a slip at my favorite mexican place and had some cheese dip. T
hat being said- I've only been doing this from September and hearing that I shouldn't call myself vegan because of that slip is both frustrating and disheartening. I'm doing the best that I can, but I'm human and still learning. I don't think that one slip should take away from what I've been working toward all of these months (yes I know months isn't as long as most of you).
Explaining that I don't wear any animals or use any products containing or tested on animals and live buy a plant based diet 99.99999 percent of the time seems like an excessive explanation. Does it take something away from you because you've never slipped if -I call myself vegan and I tasted cheese once in the past 9 months?
Encourage people to do better, be happy if someone is good 99.9999 percent of the time because that's better then most of the world's efforts. Encouraging a person and helping them will do better for helping make more Vegans then talk like this will. But that's just my two cents and I'm just a newbie non animal wearing, non animal product using, plant based diet 99.9999 percent of the time person.0 -
I think they're worried they'll lose their vegan super powers. I've been a vegetarian over twenty years, and vegan for most of it, but come to find out on this forum that apparently I'm not vegan enough. *shrug*Does it take something away from you because you've never slipped0 -
I'm just a newbie non animal wearing, non animal product using, plant based diet 99.9999 percent of the time person.
That's catchy! I really think that will catch on. I'm more of a 95% person myself. So you are 4.9999% more vegan than me!
Actually, I'm fine with a strict definition. I am 100% never-even-consider-eating-meat vegetarian and don't like it when people who eat fish or occasional chicken call themselves vegetarian. It does dilute the meaning. It probably depends on the context in which you are using the word though.0 -
it gets confusing, but I considered myself a strict ethical vegan (no food slips, leather, honey, animal testing products, etc, etc well I try the best I can) although if somebody asked me I would just say vegan and not go into it!
I went vegan for animal rights but I understand how people do it purely for health reasons and now that I am trying to become healthier I probably would of ended up on this path anyway.0 -
Who cares? Honestly. As long as we're all trying to make a difference its better than the guy over there eating all of the bacon.0
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Hilarious!0
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Who cares? Honestly. As long as we're all trying to make a difference its better than the guy over there eating all of the bacon.
'In between mouthfuls of bacon, I'm completely vegan' :laugh:
Ta for everyone's thoughts on this - have really enjoyed reading them. I know I used to find it a bit annoying when I was vegetarian that I'd go places and have fish presented as the vegetarian option with the classic 'but my friend is vegetarian and *she* eats fish' as the reasoning. It always just made what should be fairly straightforward be more complicated. In lots of ways being vegan is easier - it's pretty clear cut as to what that means, I guess I was just a bit surprised when I saw people making a distinction between 'vegan diet' and being vegan.
S 0 -
A vegan diet and veganism are very different. You can follow a vegan diet, but still wear things like leather and use non cruelty-free products and such in the other areas of your life. Veganism is the attempt to minimize animals suffering in all ways possible and practical. I think that last part is overlooked sometimes. Just because you get a flu shot does not mean that you are automatically not vegan because the vaccination comes from birds. It is not practical for some people depending on where they live and their lifestyle to not be vaccinated for the flu. It's about doing as much as you can to help animals. For example, I use vegan products for everything that is mine personally--shampoo, conditioner, lotion, face wash, soap, toothpaste, etc. However, I live at home with my parents and use the non-vegan household cleaners that they buy, because I'm 18 and in high school and I simply don't have the money to be buying my own more expensive vegan versions. I still consider myself vegan because I am taking all the steps that I possibly could right now in preventing animal cruelty.0
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I think the topic should be "plant based diet vs vegan".0
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The Vegan Committee should have put the rules, regulations and membership requirements in place before all of the Vegan Cookbooks were labeled. I don't have a single one that says "Plant based diet cookbook". I think there is a difference between one slip up in months or years vs intentionally eating non vegan food randomly. I don't even think I want to be labeled vegan anymore it's starting to feel like certain stereotypes are true.0
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This is a controversial topic! I'm keeping my opinion to myself to avoid confrontation..
*slowly backs out...0 -
IMO.. It would confuse people even more if I told them, "I'm on a plant based diet." as opposed to " I'm Vegan." Because they have at least heard the term, even if they don't fully understand it. But the other lends itself to a potential follow up question. So unless it's someone I want to actually talk to.. I'm just going to stick to saying I'm vegan. This "not vegan enough" talk is why the sterotypes exist.0
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Actually, I'm fine with a strict definition. I am 100% never-even-consider-eating-meat vegetarian and don't like it when people who eat fish or occasional chicken call themselves vegetarian. It does dilute the meaning. It probably depends on the context in which you are using the word though.
With a 100% adherence definition- NO ONE is vegan or should use that name.
Questions to ask yourselves- if making one mistake in a 9 month window makes a person not meet the 100% mark, then clearly the past counts. How far back in the past? And who decides that? When you were a baby, or a young child did your parents give you cow's milk or meat? Did you ever eat Milk Chocolate? If so you weren't' vegan then, so you couldn't be now. You would never be at that 100% measure.
Can you see how imposing a standard definition makes no sense?
I think people should do the best they can based upon their beliefs. I eat a plant-based diet which IS vegan, but I don't call myself vegan because I refuse to be held to some ridiculous standard of so-called perfection that someone else has decided is good for them and everyone else too.
I personally find the vegan "culture" way too pretentious and judgmental. I'll stick with "plant-based".0 -
Actually, I'm fine with a strict definition. I am 100% never-even-consider-eating-meat vegetarian and don't like it when people who eat fish or occasional chicken call themselves vegetarian. It does dilute the meaning. It probably depends on the context in which you are using the word though.
With a 100% adherence definition- NO ONE is vegan or should use that name.
Questions to ask yourselves- if making one mistake in a 9 month window makes a person not meet the 100% mark, then clearly the past counts. How far back in the past? And who decides that? When you were a baby, or a young child did your parents give you cow's milk or meat? Did you ever eat Milk Chocolate? If so you weren't' vegan then, so you couldn't be now. You would never be at that 100% measure.
Can you see how imposing a standard definition makes no sense?
I think people should do the best they can based upon their beliefs. I eat a plant-based diet which IS vegan, but I don't call myself vegan because I refuse to be held to some ridiculous standard of so-called perfection that someone else has decided is good for them and everyone else too.
I personally find the vegan "culture" way too pretentious and judgmental. I'll stick with "plant-based".
Is bacon a plant?0 -
I ditto most of the above comments really, if you eat dairy, even only very occasionally, you are not a vegan or vegetarian. I don't think that's being militant nor strict either,, definition a vegan is someone who doesn't eat meat and dairy products, so if you eat them albeit not very often, you don't fit into that category! I don't see how that's being judgmental or pretentious. If someone wants to mostly eat vegan but also have eggs or whatever, then by all means go ahead, but you aren't vegan.
Veganism is a (sigh, this sounds so cliche) lifestyle as well as a diet, or at least it is for a lot of people. I too try to avoid any leather products/make up and skincare products that contain animal products etc. The one exception I make is I own/play the violin, which of course uses a bow made of horsehair and the body fixed with non-vegan glues.0 -
I ditto most of the above comments really, if you eat dairy, even only very occasionally, you are not a vegan or vegetarian. I don't think that's being militant nor strict either,, definition a vegan is someone who doesn't eat meat and dairy products, so if you eat them albeit not very often, you don't fit into that category! I don't see how that's being judgmental or pretentious. If someone wants to mostly eat vegan but also have eggs or whatever, then by all means go ahead, but you aren't vegan.
Veganism is a (sigh, this sounds so cliche) lifestyle as well as a diet, or at least it is for a lot of people. I too try to avoid any leather products/make up and skincare products that contain animal products etc. The one exception I make is I own/play the violin, which of course uses a bow made of horsehair and the body fixed with non-vegan glues.
So whats the definition of Vegetarian then? I thought it was someone who does not eat meat but eats diary products?0 -
So whats the definition of Vegetarian then? I thought it was someone who does not eat meat but eats diary products?
It's basically 'no dead stuff' - so no meat, fish or stuff that contains stuff from dead things, i.e. rennet, gelatine. However, what people consider vegetarian seems to be much more vague than that - some people say they're vegetarian if they eat fish (I've also come across someone who said they were vegetarian just because they don't eat red meat!!).0 -
So whats the definition of Vegetarian then? I thought it was someone who does not eat meat but eats diary products?
It's basically 'no dead stuff' - so no meat, fish or stuff that contains stuff from dead things, i.e. rennet, gelatine. However, what people consider vegetarian seems to be much more vague than that - some people say they're vegetarian if they eat fish (I've also come across someone who said they were vegetarian just because they don't eat red meat!!).
Haha ahh I see
Yeah my friends little sister is vegetarian but eats chicken
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in re: does making mistakes make you not-vegan, to me, a lot of it is in the intent. if you eat something you reasonably think is vegan and find out later that it wasn't, that's just a learning experience, and i don't think that makes you less vegan. i recently ate cheese in a taco bell burrito because they gave me a regular bean burrito instead of the fresco kind at the drive-through, and i was eating it in my car on the way to work because i was in a hurry and didn't have time to go back or get something else. i didn't see it as a slip-up or a lapse on my part because i was doing the best i reasonably could at the moment, and my receipt DID say "fresco" on it, corroborating that that's what i had ordered. really, it was an interesting learning experience because the cheese tasted really gross! very salty and strange... it reinforced the fact that after 4 years, i definitely don't miss the stuff.0
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Interesting thread! I eat vegan 95% of the time but never call myself vegan because of years of problems caused by people who say they're vegetarian but eat chicken or fish. I do however order vegan catering when at work events so a lot of people think I am vegan. It's a hard call but I don't think I should muddy the waters by claiming to be vegan when I'm not, in the strictest sense of the word. If I said I eat plant based, people would just look at me and have no idea what I mean!0
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Vegan diet = not eating animal products. Vegan = not using or buying any animal products whatsoever. At least that's my guess.0
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Agreed! Some people eat a mostly vegan diet, but they don't look into everything. I consider a true vegan someone who makes every effort not to consume (food or other products) that came from an animal. I don't know why some people consider honey vegan. It's sad for the bees. They are part of the animal kingdom too! I would never bash anyone for doing it, though. To each their own!0
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I'm a vegan. I don't ever eat anything containing any animal product. I don't use items containing animal ingredients. I don't use items tested on animals. I consider myself a strict vegan.
I do feel there is a massive difference in a vegan diet and vegan lifestyle.0
