Veganism vs. Plant Based: What’s Best for You?

Has this ever tripped you up? Embarrassingly enough, it took me probably two years before I figured out the difference between being vegan and being whole food plant based (WFPB.)

Here’s a run down of some related ways of eating:

• Vegan – Someone who doesn’t consume animal products (i.e. meat, diary, eggs, fish, etc.)
• Vegetarian – Someone who won’t eat food in which animals we’re killed, but will eat animal products like eggs and diary
• Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) – Someone who doesn’t eat processed food or animal products
• Whole Food Plant Based No Oil (WFPB NO) – Someone who doesn’t eat processed food, animal products, or oil
• Pescatarian – Generally someone who is a vegetarian but also eats fish

These are very general overviews and people get pretty heated about it. For me I started being vegan for the animals and the environment, then later on for my health. Processed substitutes like vegan nuggets and cheese have been a lifesaver given that I serve a mostly vegan diet to my kids, but I know I’d be better off with less processed alternatives.

Let’s have a look:

You’ll see that the column on the left is made from minimal ingredients that are as close to their natural form as possible. The column on the right, (serious shoutout to the column on the right 🏆), while convenient and delicious, has spent more time in a factory than we’d prefer. In most vegan homes, however, there is a place for these.

What about you? Are you more of a right or left column vegan?

I think the best approach is the one that will help you stick to being vegan in the long run. Or maybe a mix? What do you think?