Vegan vs plant-based diet: What’s the difference?

All the diet conscious people out there, vegan and plant-based diets might not be alien concepts for you. Vegan and plant-based diets are probably two of the most trending diets of this year. Both the diets might sound similar but have their share of differences. Read on to know, what exactly are vegan and plant-based diets and what are the key differences between them.

Veganism refers to a diet concept which does not include any animal-derived foods, like milk, eggs, meat, fish, poultry and several other dairy products. People who follow a vegan diet basically attempt to put an end to animal cruelty, which might happen while extracting such food products. A vegan diet might not be the healthiest of diets, as eating processed food is not prohibited in it.

As the name suggests, a plant-based diet only includes food sourced from plants. The diet also focusses on eating whole plant-sourced foods or foods which have undergone very little processing. A plant-based diet includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and plant-based oil like canola and olive.

A plant-based diet is said to reverse a number of ailments such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and even cancer.

The main difference is that a plant-based diet can be vegan but a vegan diet can’t be plant-based. While both vegan and plant-based diet avoid animal-sourced food items, the vegan diet includes a number of processed food items, which aren’t a part of the plant-based diet. If you wish to switch to a healthier diet, it is better to first become a vegan and then opt for a plant-based diet.

Apart from not eating animal-based foods, vegans also do not purchase clothes, shoes made with animal skin or products which are tested on animals.

From biryani to kathi rolls, you can give the dish of your choice a vegan twist by replacing some of the ingredients. You can also make vegan veggie pasta, vegan burger and even vegan noodles.

When it comes to plant-based dishes, you can make lentil vegetable soup, baked spinach mushroom, mix vegetable tikkis, baked potato fries and wheat kathi rolls with lots of veggies inside.