There are so many different phrases and slang terms that are used to describe a vegetarian lifestyle that often it is hard to determine exactly what Vegan is and what it is not. Many people mistakenly believe that Vegetarianism and Veganism are the exact same thing.
The primary difference between a Vegan lifestyle and that of a typical person primarily is the lack of meat consumed in a Vegan lifestyle. Some vegetarians will still eat dairy products and other similar foods. A major difference between vegetarian and vegan is that people who are true Vegans do not eat any animal related products, they do not encourage the consumption of animal related products and they also do not wear any animal related products. This would include items such as milk, yogurt, butter, eggs, leather clothing and also anything that can cause harm to animals during production.
Some vegetarians will consume animal related products such as eggs, milk, dairy, yogurt and other similar foods that do not particular cause the animal's life to be in danger. Foods such as meat are still avoided though. This is a significant difference from Vegan's who do not consume such foods. In order to really determine which type of lifestyle is best for you and your family, you would need to look over your typical eating habits. Many people discover that Vegan is something that is far too strict for them to abide by on a normal basis and instead opt for a vegetarian or semi-vegetarian lifestyle instead.
Choosing to live a Vegan lifestyle is not always easy. It can make things a bit complicated when it is time to plan meals. Meals will typically involve a bit more planning ahead since you will not be able to easily pull everything for meals straight from the freezer. While it is still possible to use some frozen foods in the Vegan lifestyle, many fruits and vegetables simply do not taste the same once they have been frozen. If this is a problem that you are encountering it may be necessary to invest some money into planting a small garden that you can use to obtain many of your foods so that they will always be fresh.
Initially by taking small steps and changes to your lifestyle you might find a vegetarian lifestyle is much easier for you to handle. This can make a great starting point when you are working to move to a healthier vegan lifestyle for your entire family. Working to improve your health is important and is possible as long as you take the time to study your options. A healthy lifestyle is possible, even if you are not comfortable with the idea of converting to an entirely vegan way of life.