Should I Go Vegan or Vegetarian? All You Need to Know

We don't know where to begin answering this question because it seems like a close-ended question but we won't get it until we dig deeper into the facts. Let us first read some basic knowledge about the two types of people and their diet then you can make up your mind whether you should go vegan or vegetarian.

Vegetarian

A vegetarian is known as someone who does not consume meat, fish, poultry or any byproducts of animals. This is not all, there are different kinds of vegetarians among them who can be categorised into three types. The first type of vegetarians is Lacto-ovo vegetarians who avoid all animal flesh but consume eggs and dairy products. The second type would be Lacto vegetarians who do not consume animal flesh and eggs but consume dairy products. The third type is the ovo vegetarians who avoid all animal products except eggs. So these would come under the category of vegetarians because some way or the other they consume animal-derived products.

Vegans sound very much like vegetarians but there are a few facts that differentiate the two of them. Vegans strictly do not consume any animal kind of animal meat or animal-derived products and are against any form of animal exploitation. Going either vegetarian or vegan both can mean a lot of sacrifice on your meat and steaks which you will have to avoid once you've accepted what you are going for.

There are benefits of choosing these diets which are going to help you with living a better and probably a longer life but you are going to miss out on some nutrients too. You are going to have to take supplements or consume sources of protein, calcium, iron, and vitamin B12 which you won't find in plants.

Going vegetarian is fairly easy because you can still consume eggs, milk, and milk products, all of which are great sources of essential nutrients required for the human body. We can say that it is easier to lose weight by following a vegan diet than a vegetarian diet due to its restrictions on some foods. You can eat loads of fruits and vegetables being a vegan or a vegetarian which will provide you with enough vitamins and minerals to stay healthy.

Eating out in restaurants will be fairly difficult because of hygiene and other things, this is because some restaurants cook veg and non-veg food using the same dishes without cleaning everything out and in the same place. This isn't accepted by vegans though, they are very strict and firm with their intentions about their diet so they need to find restaurants that are pure veg or vegan-friendly restaurants which nowadays aren't that difficult to find.

Most vegetarians and vegans switch to this kind of diet for a lot of reasons, they could be health, environmental, or others. Some are against animal slaughter and animal abuse so they avoid foods that are obtained through such means. Vegans don't even use clothes or other products made from animal skin such as leather, wool etc because animals are abused to gain these resources. There are quite a few health benefits of following these diets too, you are less likely to be prone to heart diseases, certain cancers and type 2 diabetes which puts you in a better position than most people.

While you think that vegan or vegetarian diets are pretty boring it might not be completely true. You can play around with different vegetables and grains and try them while spicing them up with some seasoning. There are tons of cuisines with great spices to choose from that will surely delight your meal.

Now let us have a look at the source of nutrients that these diets miss and how you can consume them alternatively. Calcium can be found in fortified soy milk or rice milk, tofu, leafy green vegetables, broccoli, beans, almonds, sesame seeds and soybeans. You will find iron in soy nuts, tofu, spinach, beans and peanut butter. For protein, you can rely on oatmeal, nuts, lentils, beans and quinoa. Fortified soy milk or orange juice, fortified cereals are sources of vitamin B12.

It is clear that even though a vegetarian or vegan diet is missing out on some nutrients, it is easy to replace them with other foods that do the job just fine. It is also evident that both these diets are pretty similar and that's a tough choice to select between the two. It is although better and easier to choose the vegetarian diet so you don't have to depend on supplements and other foods to absorb those nutrients that the vegan diet is missing. If you are someone who is very considerate about nature and the environment and are against animal exploitation, or just simply want to consider a healthy diet that will help you live better then you can surely go for a vegan diet.

It finally comes down to one's opinions and thoughts to select between becoming a vegetarian or a vegan and there is no real winner between the two. Both vegans and vegetarians follow what they want to and sacrifice a little on their part to save animals and the environment which is a good initiative. Vegetarians have been around the world for a very long time but vegans came after, and they have been really growing in number recently.

Literacy is important and knowing what you are doing is more important so it does not matter if you want to go vegan or vegetarian, both are good in their own place and have their own benefits. Planning a sufficient diet in both cases is necessary for staying healthy and to benefit from it. Now it is up to you to decide what you want to go for considering all the foods you can consume and let go keeping in mind that you are doing it for yourself and overall to live in a better world.