Why Aren’t You Vegan If You Are A Vegetarian? The Top 10 Reasons Why

A commonly asked question to vegetarians who don’t consume animal products is “Why aren’t you vegan if you are a vegetarian?” I’ve gathered the top 10 reasons why a vegetarian isn’t a vegan.

The top reasons a vegetarian is not a vegan are not wanting to give up your favorite foods, how you were raised, how your body responds to the vegan diet, availability of cruelty-free dairy products, difficult social settings, cost, food allergies, lifestyle, transition process, and it’s harder to be a vegan.

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Being A Vegan is Harder Than Being A Vegetarian

Any diet that is outside of the standard diet will be met with some challenges to overcome. Being a vegan can be one of the most challenging transitions to make. Here are some examples of what makes it harder to become a vegan.

Eliminating cheese from your diet. Cheese can be a really tough food to stop eating. Some of our favorite comfort foods include cheese like pizza and macaroni and cheese. A life without cheese is sometimes not an option for people.
Eliminating milk can be hard. There are many milk replacements on the market now which can make eliminating dairy milk a lot easier. You do need to be careful about all of the additives in milk alternatives.
Eggs are in many food items. Even if you can easily stop eating eggs, they are still hidden in many foods.
Dining out at restaurants is already difficult for a vegetarian. Being a vegan can be nearly impossible to dine at a typical restaurant.
Gathering together with family and friends for meals is much harder. Even being a vegetarian you can become the “picky eater”. As a vegan, it’s even harder to navigate with your family and friends. Although, they should be understanding it’s also hard for them if they don’t follow a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.
Traveling is harder. This is very similar to dining at restaurants. It takes careful planning when traveling to make sure you will have suitable food options to eat.

Why aren't you vegan if you are vegetarian

Bio-indiviuality And The Vegan Diet

The concept behind bio-individuality is that there is no one size fits all diet. Everyone’s body responds differently to foods and a diet as a whole. Some people may thrive on a vegan diet where others may not have the same results. It’s important to listen to your body and make sure you are fueling it in the best way possible.

I Don’t Want To Give Up My Favorite Foods To Become Vegan

Some people simply do not want to give up their favorite foods to become a vegan versus a vegetarian. There are vegan-friendly replacements on the market but, they are not all created equal. It can be too difficult sometimes to replace those favorite comfort meals.

Vegetarians Can Find Cruelty Free Dairy Products

There are more farmers now producing dairy products in a cruelty-free environment. Many vegetarians seek out products that are made in the most humane way possible.

It can still be hard to find cruelty-free items in stores and if you do they cost a lot more. Some people are able to purchase from a local farm that ensures the treatment of the animals.

How You Were Raised Influences Your Dietary Choices

How we are raised has a big influence on the dietary choices we make. While many of us have been raised in an omnivore household and made a choice along the way to stop consuming animal products. Others may have already come from a vegetarian family or culture that consumes dairy and haven’t made additional dietary changes.

It is Harder Being A Vegan In A Social Setting

It can be hard being a vegan among family, friends, and co-workers. We encounter many social situations that involve food. Holidays, lunch with co-workers, dining out with friends. All of these examples are times when being a vegan can be challenging.

You can bring a vegan dish to your holiday family gathering and try to find vegan-friendly restaurants or options. There still may be times when there isn’t anything you can eat.

You also need to be prepared for the conversations that will happen regarding your vegan lifestyle. People are curious and want to understand. Honestly, you also need to be prepared for some people to be judgemental. People can also be afraid that you are judging them and want to preach your lifestyle to them.

Veganism Is A Lifestyle

The majority of people who choose to become vegan do it for ethical reasons. Being a vegan is more of a lifestyle choice than a diet. A vegan lifestyle excludes all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty, whether it’s for food, clothing, or any other purpose.

It Can Be Expensive Being A Vegan

Some vegetarians say it’s more expensive being a vegan. I think this depends on where you live and the food choices you are making. I still feel you can eat a vegan or vegetarian diet on a budget.

Being A Vegetarian Is A Transition To Being Vegan

For many people becoming a vegetarian is a transitional process and not a cold turkey situation. Many people eliminate animal products slowly over time as it is right from them. A vegetarian may be in the process of becoming a vegan and hasn’t quite reached veganism.

Food Allergies Already Limit The Vegetarians Diet

Some people have food allergies or intolerances that limit their diets. If they were to eliminate more foods to become a vegan their diet would be too limited and void of vital nutrients

Why Am I A Vegetarian And Not A Vegan?

After looking at some of the most common reasons as to why people are vegetarians and not vegans, I figured I should share why I am not a vegan.

I have chosen to be a vegetarian for mostly ethical reasons. I don’t want living creatures to be harmed in order for me to eat. So why not be completely vegan?

Vegetarianism has always been a journey for me. It started off with eliminating red meat and has grown to eliminate more animal products along the way. At times I have been vegan and eliminated eggs and dairy. After a while, my body started to crave eggs. I’m not sure why but, once I listened to that craving and eat eggs again my body felt a lot better.

I do try to purchase dairy products that are as cruelty-free as possible. It’s not perfect and can be very expensive.

As I said, it’s a journey. This is where I am right now. Who knows where I’ll be in the future. There is no right or wrong and I don’t feel like people should judge others for their dietary choices. We are all just trying to do the best we can.

If your having a hard time transitioning to a vegetarian diet please read this article I wrote on how to become a vegetarian for beginners.