Vegan vs Vegetarian?  What is a Vegetarian?

Here are some simple guidelines.. Many people are confused by the vegan vs vegetarian vs lacto ovo vegetarian name tags.  There are many different types of vegetarians so let's set things straight. But there are different types of vegetarians. Here are some definitions:

Leather And Vegetarians

What you eat - rather than what you wear - is what defines you as a vegan or vegetarian but most vegetarians - and particularly vegans - naturally prefer not to wear leather. However, there are many different reasons why people choose a vegetarian lifestyle so whether you should wear leather is, of course, a personal choice. Alternatives to leather are much more widely available than in the past although you will probably find that you will do better shopping online. Vegan Essentials have probably the best selection on the web.

What About Other Ingredients?

There are a few other things you need to consider if you want to follow a vegetarian diet, mainly with regard to the presence of animal ingredients in everyday products.

Alcohol

Animal products are often used during the clarification process in the production of beer and wine. The ingredients used include swim bladders of fish, dried blood, egg albumen and gelatine (made from crushed bones and tendons). Many of these products were used historically in the production of wine and many producers still favour them. However vegetarian alternatives are available and many wines are even labelled as vegetarian now.

Baked goods

- e.g. bread, cakes, biscuits, cookies. Sometimes these can be made using animal derived fats so check the ingredients. Luckily the use of animal fats is becoming quiet rare now. Most large scale producers favour vegetable fats. Smaller bakeries are usually ok too but sometimes those who favour traditional methods may be the offenders. If you are not sure, just ask.

You may find that it's time to start baking at home if you don't already, particularly if you are a vegan because eggs tend to be used in the vast majority of commercially produced cakes and cookies. Don't be put off. Vegan baking is fun and very rewarding. Excellent egg substitutes are available if you want to experiment. Try using 1½ teaspoons of Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with two tablespoons of water in any baked recipe that uses eggs.

Cheese

Most cheese is made using a substance called rennet which is traditionally derived from enzymes found in a calf's stomach. Vegetarian rennet is available and the majority of cheese is the average supermarket is now fully vegetarian. Of course, there are some notable exceptions. Many small or traditional producers still favour calf rennet and you will find that some cheese varieties are just not available in a vegetarian form. Most notably there is no such thing as a genuine Italian vegetarian Parmigiano-Reggiano. Thankfully though, there are many vegetarian parmesan style cheeses available. Read this more detailed page about vegetarian cheese for more background and help.

Soup

Many restaurants and producers make their soup with chicken stock, even those that 'sound' vegetarian.

Sweets/Candy

Look out for the use of gelatine (made from crushed bones and tendons) and the red colour cochineal (crushed insects) in some brands. For more information and some yummy recommended sweet treats, see the vegan candy page.

A Final Thought...

This website is about the love of food and cooking. We are not preaching vegetarianism or vegan vs vegetarian. The choices you make about your overall diet are, of course, yours.

Some vegetarians are stricter than others so avoid any of these foods at your own discretion!

I know many of you are not vegetarians at all. It's your business if you have steak for lunch but if you decide to go veggie for dinner, that's great! And if we can help you on the road to vegetarianism, better still!


 

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