Vegan vs. Plant-Based What’s the difference?

Visualize concentric circles.  Big circle - “Plant-based.”  Smaller circle inside big circle - “Vegan.”  As you start to eat more plants and learn about the lifestyle we promote, it is important to understand the foundational terms. 

The term “Vegan” refers to the lifestyle of eliminating ALL animal products.  This includes refraining from animal foods 100% of the time as well as making sure all beauty products, clothing, and daily living items are not derived from animals.  There are many reasons people adopt a vegan lifestyle from animal welfare, environmental concerns and health.  Although, the vegan diet is not always healthy…but that’s another blog post.

A “plant-based” lifestyle is used to refer to people who try to eat mainly plants.  Most people that call themselves “plant-based” refrain from animal products; however, some are not 100% against animal products.  The motivation for adopting a plant-based diet is typically for health, scientifically based.  Although it can be controversial in the vegan community, we use honey in some of our recipes.  Honey is not vegan since it is a product of bees.  “Plant-based” means you are open to animal non-meat or dairy by-products as long as they are received without harming animals.  We locally source our honey to be sensitive to the treatment of bees.

You may have noticed that “vegan” or “plant-based” products are increasing in number in grocery stores.  The terms almost seem interchangeable on labels.  So why is that?  What should you look for when grocery shopping?

Foods labeled “plant-based” are generally vegan, but it doesn’t mean they are healthy.  We are advocating for a “Whole Foods Plant-Based” lifestyle.  This means to eat as many whole foods as you can, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains, and avoid highly processed foods (even if they are vegan) like sugars, bleached flour, oils, and yes, even plant-based meats.  Staying as close as you can to whole foods is optimal for health.  And in turn, you are reducing your environmental impact and saving animals.  So the next time you are at the grocery store, spend a little longer in the produce section.  Your body will thank you!