10 August 2015

Vegetarians vs. Vegans: Who They Are

Believe it or not, there are still many people who think vegetarian and vegan are the same people. Well, they are not!

The topic seems so old to discuss that we assume everybody gets it already. But no! Many are not even familiar with the word "vegan", and since the word resembles (a little) with the word "vegetarian", they conclude that the two are one and the same. Some have not even heard that word (vegan) at all.

They have one thing in common, though. Both don't consume meat!

Time to know the difference.

Vegetarians. Though they don't consume meat they are okay taking eggs, milk, honey, and their by-products such as curd, cheese, ghee, paneer and other food items that contain eggs, milk, and honey such as ice cream, cakes & pastries, etc. They may also have no issues with wearing wool, silk, leather, or fur. They may also not think or believe that using an animal for recreation or for carrying goods is wrong. They just don't want to eat meat -all kinds of meat, including fishes. Yes, fish is meat and if you call yourself vegetarian but eat meat and other water/ocean creatures, you are a non-vegan person, not vegetarian. It's really a fact, confessed by a few I know, that some people think vegetarians eat fish.

Note: Some vegetarians don't eat eggs but drink milk and by-products of milk.

Vegans, on the other hand, don't use or consume animal or animal products. Compassion is their key reason for going vegan. They acknowledge the fact that all non-human animals are sentient, they have emotions. They are sentient beings. And since they are sentient beings, they feel pain and suffering. And since eating meat and eggs, or drinking milk, or taking honey is not possible without harming or causing the animal pain and death, vegans refuse to participate in that. They reject all kinds of animal exploitation. For them, it is wrong to take a life of another sentient being.

Animals, therefore, are not food, not clothing, not for human entertainment, not a commodity to be used for human benefits. Vegans, in other words, view non-human animals as friends and company.

Vegetarians are vegetarian for various reasons. One is health, another is religion. Could be both or something else.

Vegans are vegans for ethical reason.

The picture below discusses the misconception between the two.

~uploaded by Maribel Salmon @ Pinterest~


No comments:

Post a Comment