Compare & Contrast II

 

This week we have followed the topic of compare and contrast in combination with other pre-writing techniques like the Venn diagram and the chart method. Where the only purpose is to compare 2 or more topics, see the things that those topics have in common and what are the differences between them. This week I chose a topic related to health and lifestyle, and I focused on the few similarities and the huge differences between vegans, vegetarians and other 2 categories that don't fit in any of them.

Are Vegetarians and Vegans the same thing?

 In order to be healthy and environmentally conscious you don’t have to avoid all animal products, however, there’s other people out there that differ with this argument. Some have chosen a different lifestyle for the sake of their own bodies and the planet. If you are one of those people that want to do the same, I’ll break down to you the most common misunderstandings. The differences between a vegetarian, vegans and some others that don’t fall into any of these groups and why people get those terms confused.

Despite the public opinion in regard to both terms, they don't have much in common besides the fact that both groups have diets rich in vegetables, fruits and products coming from nuts or seeds. Vegans, like a religious group, have completely renounced the ingest or usage of any product coming from an animal. This goes beyond a healthy breakfast or a diet to fit into a cute bikini, vegans are against animal cruelty and besides avoiding products coming or produced by any living thing, they also avoid ingredients like: gelatin, honey, carmine, pepsin, shellac, albumin, whey, casein etc.

On the other hand, we have vegetarians that have other branches with different characteristics. Everyone here has their own reason on why they have gone vegetarian. This group is more flexible, nevertheless, not all of them have the same diet; between these branches there are certain differences. For example: Ovo vegetarians avoid animal products, but their diet allows them to consume eggs, unlike Lacto-ovo vegetarians that also avoid animal products but definitely can’t leave dairy products including eggs. And at the end of the barrel, we have the ones that won’t fit in any of those groups, like the Pescatarians that avoid meat and poultry, but they can still eat fish or seafood. In addition to that, we have Flexitarians, like part-time vegetarians, sometimes they go full on veggies and other times they just give in and consume animal products like any other person. In my opinion, a flexitarian sounds like a regular person. Since it’s rare for a person to only ingest animal flesh and products in every meal.