Do you have to go Vegan?
There’s a lot of different diets out there that involve cutting out or reducing intake of animal products. Although it is the end-goal for many people, veganism is not the only way to get more conscious about our consumption. Generally, every little bit helps and it is probably better to do something little for the animals/planet than to do nothing at all. Get educated on different ways to alter your lifestyle! Here are some different types of diets that people follow…
Vegan
Being vegan means not consuming or using anything derived from animals. No meat, no dairy (milk, cheese, yoghurt), no eggs, no honey. Some people just stick to being “plant-based” which means veganism is just a diet for them. Many vegans commit to more of a lifestyle, though, cutting out leather, fur, wool and anything that comes from animals. Reasons for being vegan include compassion for animals, consciousness about the environment and also personal health reasons.
Vegetarian
Vegetarians don’t eat meat or fish. Vegetarians generally do eat cheese, milk, eggs, honey, etc. There is some variation within vegetarianism where some may consume milk but not eggs or vice versa due to personal reasoning. Some vegetarians may wear leather and others may not. Reasons for being vegetarian are usually concerned with animal welfare.
Pescetarian
A lot of people confuse pescetarianism with vegetarianism, which leads to vegetarians being asked whether or not they eat fish. Pescetarians don’t eat meat such as beef, pork or poultry but they do consume fish and other sea foods. They also consume dairy, eggs, milk, honey etc.
Flexitarian
A flexitarian is a more recent term used to describe people that still eat meat and dairy but generally try to reduce their consumption. This may mean eating animal products only once a day, or maybe having some days of the week entirely vegan/vegetarian.
Pegan
This is a very recent and very controversial term for somebody who eats a vegan diet except for seafood. So, a pegan will not eat meat, or dairy/eggs/honey, but they will consume fish. Reasons cited for doing so are generally health related, which is a pretty reasonable claim. The detrimental effects of the seafood industry on the environment, however, are generally overlooked. Some vegans reject the concept of a “pegan” and claim you are “either vegan or you’re not”.
Beegan
Another highly controversial title amongst the vegan community is the concept of being “beegan”. This involved an entirely vegan diet other than honey. Most vegans reject honey as a vegan product since it is produced by bees and bees are animals/insects. Nonetheless there is debate for sustainable and ethical bee keeping and as such some “beegans” continue to eat honey.
Raw-Until-4 Vegan
Raw-Until-4 means eating only raw foods until 4pm every day. It is also known as Raw-Til-4 or Raw-Before-4. This diet generally consists of only raw fruit and vegetables, no animal products and nothing processed or cooked. Most people who do raw-until-4 consume a lot of bananas. It was supposedly a term and concept coined by controversial vegan YouTube star Freelee the Banana Girl. She recommends following on from 4pm with a high-carb, low-fat cooked vegan dinner.