List of Different Types Of Vegan:
- Dietary Vegan
- Ethical Vegan
- Raw Vegan
- Green Vegan
- Plant-Based Vegan
- Veggan
- VBG
- The Paris/Convenient Vegan
- Virtual Vegan
- Travel Vegan
- Weekend Vegan
Introduction To Vegan
A vegan lifestyle is a new trend in town. You’ll hear people talking about it almost everywhere. You might’ve seen celebrities getting interviewed on the TV. If that wasn’t enough, the internet is flooded with videos on veganism.
Even the social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. all are all hyped with the word vegan and veganism. Simply put, the word veganism is echoing everywhere.
So why are people suddenly talking about vegan lifestyle out of nowhere? And why now of all the times? Is this some kind of publicity stunt used by celebrities? Or is this a propaganda of some politicians to get public support?
A vegan lifestyle may appear to be a new trend and emerging one indeed. But it is a trend unlike any other that you might have seen or experienced yourself. It is a necessity, a desperate act of people trying to save the environment and animal cruelty and killing of animals for food.
If you think that going on a plant-based diet after you’ve gotten used to eating all kinds of non-veg delicacies all these years is easy then you could never be more wrong. And if you do not agree with this statement, try taking ‘The Seven Day Vegan Challenge’ for once.
Only then you’ll realize what it’s like to be a vegan. Yet the seven-day vegan challenge is merely just a test. If you want to completely understand the vegan lifestyle there’s no shortcut. You have to become one yourself and experience it.
Below is the list of different types of vegans out there in the world. You might as well choose to become one depending upon your preferences for food and ethics.
How Many Types of Vegans Are There?
There are altogether 11 different types of vegans including dietary vegan, ethical vegan, raw vegan, virtual vegan, weekend vegan, travel vegan, etc. They are all the same and yet totally different.
All vegans thrive on a strictly plant-based diet which is a connecting point for all vegans. But their preferences for foods they eat and how they eat widely vary. Some vegan prefers eating cooked foods while others prefer eating raw foods as a part of their diet.
Some vegans give more priority to the cause (to protect the environment and end any and all kinds of animal sufferings) while others give priority to their health and wellbeing.
There is no such thing as superior vegan or inferior one which is a good thing considering how arguments break out when influence and ranks are involved.
Now getting back to the topic, let us understand different types of vegan and their preference for food and lifestyle.
1. Dietary Vegan
A dietary vegan is a person that does not eat meat, dairy, and eggs as a part of their diet. Let’s just say a dietary vegan is a strict vegetarian who eats all kinds of plant-based foods except for the dairy part and honey. Dietary vegan is among the most common of all the vegan types.
They do not have any restrictions beyond not eating meat, dairy, and eggs when it comes to food choices. A dietary vegan includes all kinds of stimulants (flavorings) such as salt, oil, and sugar in their food and cook their food well before they eat.
They rarely eat raw foods as a part of their meal which is applicable for raw vegans most of the time. You could also say a dietary vegan is health-conscious and thus eats healthy foods to live a long and healthy life.
2. Ethical Vegan
An ethical vegan is a person who has adopted the vegan lifestyle for a moral cause, such as to prevent (mostly) and eradicate (if possible) any and all kinds of animal cruelty and sufferings.
The food they eat is similar to that of dietary vegan i.e. they exclude meat, dairy, and eggs from their diet. But they do more than just exclude animal products from their food.
They take veganism to the next level by not including any and all kinds of animal products including clothes, cosmetics, and more in any aspect of their lives. You could also say they are true vegans who exclude all kinds of animal products, including processed animal products.
3. Raw Vegan
A Raw vegan is a person who prefers eating raw foods that are mostly unprocessed, unaltered, and undercooked. They prefer eating fresh foods out of the basket without altering them at all. Their diet mostly consists of fresh and ripe fruits and green vegetables.
A raw vegan is someone who likes to eat foods in their natural state i.e. without altering them. Take fruits, for example, many people prefer smoothies and juices prepared out of fruits and vegetables over fruits and vegetables itself.
Raw vegans prioritize eating fruits and vegetables instead of smoothies and juices. They prefer to eat foods that are raw and unaltered. The raw vegan diet discourages the use of any kind of stimulants such as sugar, salt, and oils. They may cook their food to a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Green Vegan
A green vegan is a person who not only looks out for his food but is also concerned about its origin and its impact on the environment. You could also say a green vegan is an eco-friendly vegan.
A green vegan is more of an ecological vegan who is concerned not only for farm animals but also for all the other wild species of animals that are facing the threat of extinction due to human behavior.
They believe selecting our food sources is the first step in helping all the other species that are not human. It includes all the animals and birds. So you could also say green vegans are more into protecting the environment against human negligence.
5. Plant-Based Vegan
A plant-based vegan is a person who likes to eat whole food that comes from plants directly and without altering them or using any stimulants such as salt, oil, or sugar.
Their diet mainly consists of whole food such as whole grains, and vegetables, legumes, etc. They are similar to raw vegan and since they too prefer their foods mostly raw and do not include stimulants.
The only difference here is the types of foods they eat. While raw vegans eat anything that is raw and mostly thrive on a fruit diet, a plant-based vegan prefers to eat plant foods such as whole grains, leafy green vegetables, and seeds, legumes, etc.
6. Veggan
A veggan is a person who does not eat meat and dairy but includes eggs as a part of their diet. You could also say a vegan is not a complete vegan since they include eggs in their diet and eggs are discouraged in a vegan diet.
A veggan falls under a vegetarian who eats eggs and not dairy products. It is mainly because they feel that eating only plant-based food cannot provide them with all the essential nutrients needed.
But it is just a false assumption. In fact, eating plant-based foods can provide you with all the essential nutrients needed. There are many health benefits associated with plant-based diet such as lower chances of suffering from some types of cancer, heart disease, lower blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes control.
7. VBG
A person who eats a vegan diet until 6 Pm in the evening and enjoys a normal diet after 6 Pm or for dinner. They are not vegans but rather people who eat a vegan diet during the day time mainly to lose weight.
Eating a strict plant-based diet most of the time except for the dinner may be a great idea of balancing your calorie intake. You might as well benefit from this kind of diet plan if you want to manage your weight.
8. The Paris/Convenient Vegan
The Paris/convenient vegan is a person who switches in between a vegan and a vegetarian diet for their convenience. But they eat a vegan diet most of the time. They only switch to a vegetarian diet plan when they cannot control their urge of eating dairy products.
It is indeed understandable for people to carve for dairy products such as ice-cream, milk and yogurt, and cheese, etc. So, instead of suppressing their carvings for dairy products, they decide to easy on themselves and satisfy their carvings.
9. Virtual Vegan
A virtual vegan is a person who eats a vegan diet but is not concerned about whether the diet consists of traces of foods that they are trying to avoid. It is more like they only care about the cause i.e. to prevent animal cruelty and killing knowingly.
You might as well come across someone who is concerned about animal cruelty and killing and adapt to a vegan lifestyle to contribute to the cause. They are not all that into where their foods come from or how they are prepared. They only care about eating a vegan diet for a greater cause.
It is one of the many different types of vegan out there who sees animals as equals and want to contribute in stopping animal cruelty and killing. They are more into the cause rather than for health benefits and other benefits of a vegan diet plan.
10. Travel Vegan
A travel vegan is a person who eats whatever is offered while traveling and following the dietary plan while at home. It means a traveling vegan is a dietary vegan unless he/she is traveling to different places.
Their main objective is to respect the local culture and tradition and thus accept whatever is offered to them for food. So, when they are traveling to a vegetarian community, they may eat like a vegetarian and when they travel to communities where they eat non-veg, they might as well eat non-veg.
It is more like showing respect to every culture and tradition and experiencing their lifestyle living and eating just like the locals do. It is a great way of learning and exploring and is followed by many at present.
11. Weekend Vegan
A weekend vegan is a person who follows the dietary plans throughout the week and enjoys whatever food they want at the weekends. You might as well say a weekend vegan is a dietary vegan for the most part i.e. they eat like a dietary vegan for five days a week.
This way they get to enjoy their favorite foods during the weekend and live like a vegan during the weekdays. It is the many different types of vegan out there in the world. But they cannot be considered a complete vegan since their diet contains more than just plant-based foods.
It is however one of the best ways to get started on a vegan lifestyle. Once you get the hang of it then you can always take a step forward if you want to. Or you might as well stick with your original diet plan.
