What Is the Difference Between Veganism and Vegetarianism? Animal-Free Diet Is a Hit With Celebrities

By Edward Leano, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Diet fads come and go, but the vegan diet remains a hot topic as advocates of the practice continue to build the hype for what is now a lifestyle choice, especially among some of the biggest names these days.

For people who are just looking into the vegan diet, one common point of confusion is how it relates to vegetarianism and other diets in general. One simple explanation, without going into too much detail, is that vegetarians are eaters who limit, or entirely exclude, animal meats and flesh from their diet.

Some vegetarians will still make use of animal-based products in their daily meals, including milk, cheese, eggs or lard. Those who consider themselves vegans, on the other hand, refrain from all animal byproducts entirely.

The distinction is important in some social situations. Even if the vegan diet is, strictly speaking, another subset of the vegetarian diet, some vegans will be quick to point out how their adopted practice is different from vegetarianism as it is commonly known.

This label comes from not just a choice of food intake but a whole new lifestyle associated with the practice, as well.

The segment of the U.S. population who has taken up the vegan lifestyle has doubled since 2009, as reported by Medical Daily. The survey results, as organized into an infographic by TopRNtoBSN, showed that vegans now comprise about 2.5 percent of the U.S. population.

This number include a number of celebrities, who have adopted the vegan diet for various reasons. Stars like Jessica Chastain, Alicia Silverstone, Ariana Grande and Ellen DeGeneres have opted to keep out meat and animal byproducts entirely from their diet, as they claim.

For Chastain, her choice comes from her position on the humane treatment of animals. "I am a vegan. I don't want to torture anything. I guess it's about trying to live a life where I am not contributing to the cruelty of the world," Chastain explained in her interview with Bustle.