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Vegetarian vs Vegan vs Raw: Which is Best?

When we talk about a "diet", we often mean a weight-loss regime. Many people who are perfectly happy with their weight are on "diets", though, which aren't intended to limit total food intake but to exclude certain types of food.

I'm going to give you the run-down on a few popular diets that involve eliminating certain foods, the reasons why people may adopt each, and some tips for catering for guests on each of these diets:

Vegetarian (no meat)

Vegan (no meat and no products from animals, e.g. eggs, milk)

Raw food (no cooked food at all, often combined with veganism)

Vegetarian

You're probably familiar with the concept of a vegetarian diet - eating no meat. True vegetarians count any dead creature as meat, though semi-vegetarians relax this (for example, pescetarians eat fish). In the UK and US, most vegetarians will eat eggs and milk.

Common reasons for adopting a vegetarian lifestyle are:

Ethical: Many vegetarians believe that eating animals is morally wrong.
Health-related: A diet which excludes meat tends to be low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and a diet high in fruit and vegetables offers extra fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Environmental: It takes much more energy to produce meat than vegetables. Animal farming is a heavy contributor to global warming and pollution.

If you're having a vegetarian round for dinner, here are some tips:

Serve dishes which are not traditional American/British foods. Meals in the US/UK are often based around meat, whereas other culinary traditions include many dishes which are meat-free.
Check whether your guest eats eggs and milk products.
Examine food labels to check that the ingredients you're using are fully vegetarian (the rennet used to make cheese coagulate, for instance, is commonly from calves' stomachs).

Vegan

A vegan diet can be seen as a vegetarian diet taken a stage further. Vegans eat no meat, nor do they eat any products that come from animals, such as eggs, milk and honey.

Common reasons for adopting a vegan lifestyle are:

Ethical: Vegans generally believe that it is wrong to exploit and use animals for our gain.
Health-related: A vegan diet has similar health benefits to a vegetarian one, though some adherents report increase energy from adopting a diet that excludes all animal produce.
Environmental: Keeping farm animals to produce eggs and milk products still requires far more resources than just growing grain, fruit and vegetables.

If you're having a vegan round for dinner, here are some tips:

Choose a dish which is vegetable-based, such as a vegetable curry, or pasta with a tomato and vegetable sauce.
Include some plant-based protein: beans, nuts or soya. Quorn is not suitable for vegans as it uses egg white as a binder.
Remember that cream, ice-cream and most cake products are out due to containing milk and/or eggs. A fresh fruit salad with sorbet could make an alternative dessert.

Raw food

The raw food diet has become increasingly popular over the past decade. Unlike vegetarian and veganism, it doesn't necessarily involve eliminating animal products (though the majority of raw foodists are also vegetarian or vegan).

Common reasons for adopting a raw food diet are:

Weight-related: Most people lose weight easily on a raw food diet.
Health-related: Enzymes in foods are killed when cooked, and raw foodists believe that avoiding cooking foods means that these enzymes can assist in the digestive process.

If you're having a raw foodist round for dinner, here are some tips:

Check whether they are 100% raw. Anyone who eats over 60% raw food is deemed a "raw foodist". You may have some leeway on what you can serve.
If catering for many non-raw guests, try serving a supper buffet that includes plenty of salads, fresh fruits, and raw nuts (check labelling). Olive oil, lemon juice and vinegar are all suitable raw salad dressings.
Be very cautious if serving raw fish or meat - the risk of food poisoning is high.

If you follow any of the above diets, tell us about your experiences in the comments. What health benefits (if any) have you seen? What tips would you offer to someone who was interested in trying it?

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64 Comments

Kym

Veganism and raw foodism is a bit over the top, in my opinion.

I have a friend who is Buddhist vegetarian -- she drinks milk, but doesn't eat eggs. Which I find alright, since milk is unavoidable in our lives.

Once in a blue moon, I try various "mock meats" -- fake lobster, duck, chicken feet, pork skin, kebabs, dried squid, v.v... I don't think vegetarianism is bad, just that I find it safer for an adult to practise rather than a child.

Susan

Milk is completely avoidable. Some of us are lactose-intolerant (75 percent of the planet in fact). Some of us don't touch it for religious reasons, environmental reasons, ethical, health, and/or environmental reasons. I am a dietitian and recommend getting milk out of the diet to all my clients. You might be shocked at the immediate physical benefits.

In addition, the American Dietetic Association acknowledges that vegetarian and vegan diets are perfectly healthy (even beneficial) for all stages of life, including pregnancy and infancy.

Drew

This is a bold recommendation from a professional. Until there is clear evidence of such, wouldn't it be more prudent to focus on the real issues for a client, rather than your preconceived notions?

We all have our own ideas, but professionals should stick to what is proven and put an end to anecdotal evidence, not create our own.

M of the Maritimes

Uh... The previous poster wasn't merely asserting an opinion. The American Dietetic Association does indeed state that vegetarian and vegan diets can be perfectly healthy. The American Cancer Society has an informative section on their website about vegetarianism and they endorse limiting one's consumption of animal products. The American Heart Association also has a section on vegetarianism and describes it as especially helpful (and healthful) in preventing heart disease. In both of these cases, they refer to lowering one's consumption of animals fats -- not just meat, and assert that vegetarianism is perfectly healthy.

Yes, some vegetarians eat junk food. That doesn't make vegetarianism unhealthy. It means that the vegetarian in question -- just like many people who follow an omnivorous diet and who indulge in junk food -- is eating badly.

Drew

Ouch. Sorry to rub you the wrong way.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion... That is why there is a comment section! But it shouldn't be a blanket recommendation by a professional. It certainly isn't a blanket recommendation by the groups that you list.

The post states:
"I recommend getting milk out of the diet to all my clients"

Great post Ali!
Opinion? Call me crazy, but I think this is a recommendation

M of the Maritimes

Susan stated that milk is avoidable and brought up lactose intolerance as well as environmental, health, ethical and religious reasons to avoid it. She stated that she recommends to her clients that they get it out of their diets.

You questioned her judgment as a professional calling what she wrote a "bold recommendation" and chalking them up to "preconceived notions". You implied that what she wrote wasn't "proven" and again questioned her judgment as a professional by asserting that professionals shouldn't "create" their "own" evidence.

I responded to your comment by citing two mainstream medical / disease prevention bodies who've each stated that vegetarianism and veganism can be healthy. AHA, for instance, lists how all things like calcium can easily be derived from plants. So it's reactionary to imply that there's nothing wrong with advocating cutting dairy out of someone's diet.

PCRM has a great article on the irrelevance (and even potential harm) of dairy, by the way, complete with numerous cited medical sources: http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/dairy.html.

Sandy

I am also a Registered Dietitian. I was surprised by Susan's recommendation to all of her clients that they avoid milk. A person can have a healthy diet without milk, however, they need to be very mindful to eat foods that contain calcium. The vitamin D added to milk helps the human body absorb the calcium making milk a great choice. Unless someone is lactose intolerant, has a milk protein allergy, or some other kind of milk intolerance, I would not recommend eliminating milk from the diet.

As for a vegan or vegetarian diet, I do feel they can be very healthy but it has to be done right. I have talked to people who say they do not eat meat. When I ask them what they use for a protein source, they look at me with a blank stare. A healthy vegan/vegetarian diet takes a knowledge of nutrition. Also, just eliminating meat does not make a healthy diet. I have met several obese vegetarians. (Twinkies do not contain meat).

Disco D

twinkies do contain meat, lard in the ingredients

Kristin

Brilliant observation--"Vitamin D ADDED to milk." I am pleased to note that you are aware that any nutrient in milk (the breast milk of another species) is utterly destroyed in the pasteurization process. You therefore are dim-wittingly disregarding the fact that plenty of soy or nut milks contain the same vitamin d (calcium) supplement that is pushed by the dairy industry (INDUSTRY...money making, is the key phrase here) into making people believe that their products have any nutritional value whatsoever, instead of the lumpy mucus causing disaster of an excuse of health or even needed. I find it laughable that you, as a self-proclaimed dietitian, finds it necessary to proscribe its uses. Thankfully, there are better educated ones out there than you are.

mike

Where do horses, cows, elephants, giraffes, and gorillas get their protein?...(hint..they are all herbivores)

april

15 min in the sun gives you all the vitamin D you need for the whole day. And no 15 min of sun is not gonna give you skin cancer people.

S Price on 1 Feb 2012

True, but the 15 minutes has to be with full exposure (i.e. bikini/bathing suit). Not really practical year-round in most environments. An estimated 70% of Americans are vitamin D deficient, so despite the facts, we aren't getting nearly enough.

M of the Maritimes

Also, for the record, you weren't "rubbing me the wrong way". I just felt that you were overreacting to Susan's recommendations and conveying the message that it was risky for her to recommend eschewing dairy.

mahones

Hi Susan,
I also agree that milk is completely avoidable. I am new to vegetarianism and veganism and Im looking for credible information. I was wondering if you could point me to some resources since your a dietition
thanks

MelB

I understand what is being said about milk but you have to consider the source of your milk. When my daughter was small she had lots of health AND behavioral issues after starting cows milk. What we found out by accident was it was the conventional produced milk causing the issues.

Now, our family only drinks milk straight from the farm where the cows are grass fed, no pesticides are used anywhere in the area, no hormones or drugs are given.

We can still enjoy milk and the health issues have left and only arise now when she goes to visit her friends and we forget to tell them about no milk.

Natalia

Dear Kym, do you really believe that a diet full of highly refined sugars, carbohydrates, processed meats filled with nitrates , artificial additives and sweeteners are much safer for children than a raw food diet?

cereal

She never said that a diet containing all those things are better than your raw diet; so I don't see your point.

What scientific proof do you have that rebuts current knowledge too lead you to believe that sugar(refined or not),carbohydrates, or nitrates are harmful to our health in either overall mortality.

Just to save you some time, nitrates are found in higher doses outside of processed meat, and has shown no detrimental effects on our health. Sugar has been studied for quite some time now and it too has not been linked to any of the things that people commonly try to blame it for. Carbohydrates wow, how wide of a net can you cast! Studies on diets both low in carbohydrates versus those that were not restricted in carbohydrate consumption showed no real difference in overall weight loss or disease prevention.

Remember we're talking about real studies not information you got from a diet book or some whole food spin. if you want to rebut please have some real information.

Booni

Thank you, I couldn't have put it any better !

Sarah

Actually Kym thats interesting what you say about milk being unavoidable because you're completely wrong.
There are many substitutes for milk, such as soya milk, rice milk or almond milk, which can be drunk on their own or used in cooking and baking cakes etc. and they are, in my opinion, much tastier.
Drinking dairy milk is in fact not natural, as it comes from cows; a different species. Cows' milk is intended for calves not humans. Milk can actually be very bad for your health. Also the production of cows' milk is severely unethical as the cows are treated with no respect and suffer greatly. For more information, visit this page. It is very useful for information on milk's dangers to your health: http://www.vegetarian.org.uk/campaigns/whitelies/index.html

Drew

I have seen vegetarians that don't eat enough vegetables. Yes you can suck back a V8, but that leaves room for pop tarts and packaged snacks. Its like having a multivitamin for dinner and going right to the dessert table.

The best feature of vegetables is not what they are, but what they are not; high calorie and low nutrient junk food.

Never teh Bride

I've been a vegetarian for years now, for a wide variety of reasons. My husband is also a vegetarian, though I'd wager all but one or two of our friends are meat eaters. We're adventurous eaters when we have the time to experiment, and we've tried all manner of vegetables and recipes we never would have contemplated when we had meat to fall back on. We're both careful about getting yearly check-ups, and we've both been declared as healthy as can be by our doctor.

There is some faux meat in our diet, but most of the time what we eat is just stuff omnivores would be happy to order in a restaurant. My dad used to think vegetarianism was totally out there, until high cholesterol forced him to eat more veggies and I pointed out that he ate plenty of vegetarian meals each week without even thinking about it!

Merry

Great post!
I liked the point about being careful with raw food diets, especially with regards to children. Raw honey can cause botulism in small children.

Bob Garon II

Raw Honey is actually very safe and it is an old time remedy as well. No living organism can survive in organic raw honey. It used to be used medicinally for infections. It is actually better than anti-biotics because the body will never adapt to it.

Next time you have a cut rub a small amount of real organic raw honey and you will have it heal clean in no time.

Alchemist

Well, yes. But as far as young children are concerned, an unqualified no go.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/infant-botulism/HQ00854

Mystery

The problem is, the link you gave never made mention of raw honey. It just said honey. Honey is heated and filtered, unless otherwise indicated. Heating the honey renders it a totally dead animal liquid full of dead sugar. That is the perfect place for dangerous stuff to grow. This page is on raw versus cooked too, remember. Get some people who research food better.

Methuselah - Pay Now Live Later

I think there is a distinction to be drawn here between 'can be perfectly healthy' and 'is optimal'. I have much respect for people who, for moral reasons, seek to avoid animal products and although a meat-eater myself, I make every effort to do so ethically.

However, whilst it is possible to follow a vegan or vegetarian diet in a way that carefully ensures the correct balance of nutrition, that is not the same as it being the best diet for humans. I would argue that eating fish and meat is too fundamental a part of our evolutionary past for it not to be a more optimal way to eat.

Matt

Eating meat is more a part of our evolutionary mythology than our actual evolutionary past. As primates (who are predominately vegetarian) humans haven't eaten meat for very long and are not well adapted to eating meat. Rather than get into this lengthy subject in a short comment section, I recommend reading this rather good site about it here: http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.html

Methuselah - Pay Now Live Later

Thanks - interesting article. Specifically in relation to the question of our ancestral diet, you might want to read this as a counterbalance: Plant-animal subsistence ratios and macronutrient energy estimations in worldwide hunter-gatherer diets

60 in 3

@Methuselah
I think eating meat can be a part of a healthy diet but only if you do it right. Most people eat too much meat and especially too much processed meat. If you focus on lean, organic meat and limit your intake of it, you're perfectly fine.

That's what I do. I am mostly (99%) vegetarian, but I will occasionally eat some fresh fish or a piece of free range chicken. It's better for me, better for my wallet and better for the world around me.

Gal

Spectra

I don't eat a lot of meat or animal products, but I do eat eggs and some dairy. I think there are healthy vegetarian diets and unhealthy vegetarian diets, just like with any food plan, you'll be able to find junk to eat that fits in with the guidelines. I know vegetarians who eat a very plant-based diet and others who live on mac and cheese.

I think classifying people who eat 60% raw food or more as raw foodists is a little too generous...on a regular basis, I only cook probably about 20% of what I eat yet I wouldn't classify myself as a raw foodist.

Fat Loss Tips

I think we have to acknowledge that different people have different "diets" they are on for religious or other reasons.
With the vegetarian and vegan diets i think it is important to keep an eye on the supply of nutrients like iron in mind. I use Iron as an example that easily comes to mind, just the noticable number of vegans with iron deficency. Often only borderline

Tyler

Hey, just wanted to remind you, there is an ample amount of iron found in legumes and greens...

So if anyone is interested in a Vegetarian or Vegan Diet, do your research and find out which legumes, or greens are specifically rich in the important nutrients that you previously depended on through animal products. In fact, if you are interested in any diet, do your research on anything you are eating, so you know what and how much of it to consume on a daily basis.

SeeAirUhh

I consider myself vegetarian, I do not eat meat, eggs occasionally if im at a restaurant (usually just egg substitute if at all), and cheese here and there.
Everything in moderation is my thing.
I do follow some more 'vegan' practices - such as not eating gelatin, rennet, etc..and not purchasing leather/fur.
Generally for protein I eat soy "fake meat", beans, and when I feel like my body needs it [low on energy - getting sick easily] and the soy isn't doing it for me - I may eat a bit of fish (mostly shellfish)...too me its much healthier than other meats, and fish are not put through the same kind of treatment as cattle, pigs, and chicken are. And to be quite blunt - I dont feel as bad eating fish: they dont feel pain to the same degree, they dont feel for their families the same way, and their brains and memories aren't as developed and complex.
Some people may disagree, some call it hypocritical...but all "vegetarian/vegans" have their own set of beliefs.

All in all - If I believe its more healthy and morally right, I'm obviously going to do it.
Everyone has the right to choose their own lifestyle and what they wish to put in their bodies and why.

Mystery

What kind of egg substitutes are you getting in restaurants? Tofu scrambler?

Fish do have long term memory. Vertebrate fish have a spine and a well developed nervous system and can feel pain too.

I do not care if any animal eats another, I just like what's said to be understood before written as a fact.

P. Venkatraman

I am a vegeterian and have milk and eggs like many people do in India. Under the reasons for being a vegeterian one reason that was missed was 'religious reasons'. Being born a Hindu I am a vegeterian by birth. Being a cardiac patient I am a vegeterian by choice too. Indian diets have a whole lot of vegeterian options. Western diets are built around the meat as the main ingredient. When I travel abroad, the problem of food is acute since most places will have a vegeterian choice of one dish. But still it has changed over the years and at least now, folks know what is vegeterianism.

P. Venkatraman

Mystery

You can eat your milk and eggs raw. It really might be better for your heart. Real organic raw honey can also help strengthen the heart muscle. Do you eat honey? If you do, don't mix it into anything hot. Heated honey is bad for weak people. You can usually tell if it's heated, by the fact that they heat it to filter it. If the honey is clear, it's been filtered and heated. If it's whipped honey, that is also a usual indicator that it's been heated.

Thank you for the article!

I've been vegan since the end of 1997. The more plant-based my diet the more the health benefits I've had. I've now been a raw foodist since 12/00. I no longer get migraines and have no need for the prescriptions I used to take. I no longer have high blood pressure, which started in my 20's. No more meds for that either. It is rare for me to get any cold or flue symptoms. If/when I do, they are very mild and short-lived. When I stick to raw living plant-based foods I get no flu symtoms. While most main stream doctors and nutritionists may not suggest the diet, the experiences from those following the raw food diet overwhelmingly show benefits to the diet.

JR
Seattle, WA

Sahil

NONE... diets don't work in the long run, a BALANCED eating life style DOES!

Plus being a vegan will rob you of so many vitamins and minerals that you will have to supplement with.

I say stop jumping from one extreme to another, and find some balance in your foods. You'll be better off in the long run.

Sahil M
flawlessfitnessbook.com

Actually, a raw vegan diet appears to be more in line with our ancestors diet (tens of millions of years of raw foods, at least predominantly plant-based). If anything, the standard American diet, predominantly cooked and full of animal products, robs us of nutrients. One example of the excess protein in such a diet with throws off our mineral balance and contributes to osteoporosis (loss of calcium).

Regarding weight loss, while most people drawn to the raw food diet may be interested in improved health (and find it), weight loss seems to be fairly easy. While people eat all the raw food they want (with increased energy, improved sleep and health, etc.) they tend to lose excess weight. I, personally, know three people who have lost at least 100 pounds on raw foods. I know many others who have lost varying amounts of excess weight. They have kept it off. This is not a "fad diet", this is a lifestyle and balanced diet. One misperception is that humans should include animal products and cooked food for "balance". That is not how the human body evolved. And YES, the raw diet DOES work in the long run. If someone were to only use it during the weight loss, then went back to a S.A.Diet, then they would likely gain it back.

Kim

Seriously too many people hear the word "Diet" and jump to conclusions. You have to take it into context.

"Diet" has many different meanings and the one used here is "the foods eaten, as by a particular person or group: The native diet consists of fish and fruit." as in simply the sum of the foods that a person eats.

NOT the same at the common idea of "going on a diet".

FunnySunny

I have been a vegan for over 2 and a half years. I went vegan for moral reasons, but I cannot tell you how much more energy from when I was vegetarian and when I was an omni. I can tell by how I feel if I accidently got something I wouldn't normally eat. I am interested in trying a raw food diet, but am intimidated by it, so for right now, I will stick to just being a vegan.

I agree that it is possible to eat a vegan diet and not be healthy...after all coke and most (unflavored) chips are vegan. So are oreos.

And Kym- I would have agreed with you about the vegan diet being too "over the top" just about three years ago. But the more research I did, the more it made sense.

Dr. J

There are many paths to the top of the mountain. If yours got you there, that's great! Really though, if you have to make statements that are false to support your dogma, you are falling off the other side.

Bob Garon II

Ah yes, but there is ONLY one path that is the absolute best!

That's the one I want to take.

medical information

Thanks for sharing this post! Very helpful! :D

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