Veganism or Plant-Based Diet

Veganism and a plant-based diet may seem similar at first glance, but confusing them can lead to misunderstandings.

A plant-based diet is relatively straightforward — it is an elimination diet that excludes ingredients of animal origin. This means no animal meat, fish, seafood, dairy, eggs, honey, or gelatin. In practice, you may be surprised to find out that many sorbets (which are essentially plant-based ice creams made from fruits and water) contain milk powder (used as a flavor enhancer), and until recently, animal bones were commonly used in the sugar refining and whitening process (though this is now quite rare).

The motivations behind such a diet can vary, including health, ethics, curiosity, or even trends. The trend towards veganism (or, pardon me, a plant-based diet) is indeed praiseworthy. In general, there are probably as many motivations as there are people adopting a plant-based diet.

But how does this relate to veganism?

Here, the matter becomes more complex. Veganism is a lifestyle and an ethical system in which a plant-based diet is an integral and important component, but only a part of it.

The oldest vegan organization, the British Vegan Society, defines veganism as “a…