​Vegan V.S. Vegetarian: What's the difference?

A vegetarian mean (left) and vegan mean (right).

Vegan and Vegetarian diets are often mixed up, but there is a significant difference between the two.
 
Vegetarian: A person who does not eat meat, especially for moral, religious, or health reason. Vegetarians use some animal products such as honey, eggs, and milk. Vegetarians have a plant-based diet. That means that they can eat dairy, and use other animal products. They just don’t eat meat. Some religions that are traditionally vegetarian are: Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, and Christianity. To be clear, these are all traditionally vegetarian religions. The modern day followers of these religions are not all vegetarian.
 
Vegan: A person who does not eat or use meat or animal products. Vegans don’t eat meat, use animal products, or eat dairy or any food that has to do with an animal. Some vegans do not even wear certain things because they categorize it as animal cruelty. Most people go vegan for the same reasons people go vegetarian. For moral, religious, or health reasons. Most of the religions that are traditionally vegetarian are also listed as vegan before they were vegetarian.

There are a lot of things that have animal products that a lot of people don’t know about. So if you don’t want to eat animal products, you should stay away from these things.

• Bagels/Bread Products
• Beer and Wine
• Candy
• Caesar Dressing
• Jell-O/ Gelatin
• Marshmallows
• Non- Dairy Creamer
• Omega-3 Products
• Peanuts
• Some Potato Chips
• Refined Sugar
• Refried Beans
• Vanilla-Flavored Foods
• Worcestershire Sauce

 
Then there are the obvious ones- such as milk, honey, eggs, meat etc.
 
If you are thinking about starting a vegan or vegetarian diet, here are some recipes to help you get started.

A recipe for a vegetarian meal is: Spicy Kale and Coconut Stir Fry.

• Ingredients-
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.
• 2 eggs, beaten with a dash of salt.
• 2 big cloves of garlic, pressed or minced.
• ¾ cup chopped green onions.
• OPTIONAL- Thinly sliced vegetables. (Bell pepper, Brussel Sprouts.)
• 1 medium-sized bunch of kale. (Ribs removed and leaves finely shredded.)
•  ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt.
• 34 cup large unsweetened coconut flakes.
• 2 cups cooked and chilled brown rice.
• 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce.
• 2 teaspoons of chili garlic sauce or sriracha sauce.
• 1 lime. (Halved.)

      
  Instructions-

1. Heat a frying pan and pour in 1 teaspoon of coconut oil. Put eggs in the pan stirring occasionally until eggs are scrambled. Put cooked eggs in an empty bowl.
2. Add another teaspoon of coconut oil to the pan. Add garlic, green onions, and any additional vegetables. Cook until vegetables are tender. Stirring frequently. Transfer contents of the pan into the bowl with the eggs.
3. Add two more teaspoons of oil to the pan. Pour in coconut flakes, and cook. Stirring frequently. Cook until flakes are golden. Add rice to the pan. Do not burn.
4. Pour contents of the bowl back into the pan. Add tamari, chili garlic sauce and the juice of ½ of a lime. Stir.
5. Plate, and garnish however you would like. Serve and enjoy.

 
A recipe for a vegan meal is: Easy Vegan Alfredo Pasta.

• Ingredients- 
• ½ chopped onion.
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic.
• Dash of vegetable oil.
• 1 cup of cashews. (Soaked overnight)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond breeze milk.
• (Optional) ¼ Cup vegan cheese, grated.
• Pinch of salt.
• (Optional) ½ a cup mushrooms sliced.
• (Optional) 1 cup baby spinach.
•  4 servings of pasta.
  ​
  

 Instructions-

1. In a large saucepan, saute the onion and garlic in oil until browned. When cooked add to a blender.
2. Fill a saucepan with water and cook noodles.
3. Drain the cashews and add them to the blender. Add milk, cheese, and salt to the blender. Blend until as creamy and smooth as possible.
4. Saute the mushroom and spinach until softened. Add sauce and stir until cheese has completely melted. Add pasta and mix. Then plate, garnish, serve, and enjoy!

 
Story By: Tia Irby

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