Some people label them as ‘vegan’; some call them to be a follower of ‘plant-based’ diet while some tag them as ‘Whole food, plant-based’ diet follower. If you are often confused with these terms, you will find the answer in the following paragraphs, and here we are right into it.

A vegan diet is one that restricts animal. All the animal products like meat, fish, eggs and even honey. Vegan works on a cruelty-free concept. Anything that harms animals in some way or the other is out from the Vegan list. Some clothing made from animal skin, such as leather, is not considered to be a vegan product. This idea extends to the use of make-up as well. Make-up products that are tried and tested on animals are also out from this list. In all, Vegan is not just a diet; it is a way of living, a lifestyle.

On the other hand, Plant-based diet means including more plants, whole grains and plant protein in the diet while cutting back on animal products. In this diet, one can take little meat if the person wishes to have some. Unlike Vegan, switching to other animal-friendly lifestyle factors such as clothing, personal care products, etc., are optional.

Whole food plant-based diet followers also increase their intake for fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (aka plants), just like a regular plant-based diet. They may wish to have meat sometimes if they feel like having it. The difference between simple Plant-based diet and Whole grain plant-based diet is that the latter excludes the use of more processed foods such as oils or highly processed foods. In a whole food plant-based diet, there are no restrictions for other lifestyle factors such as clothing and personal care products just like simple plant-based diet.
One can practice a Vegan diet and whole foods plant-based together by increasing the amount of whole-grain intake or vice versa, however these two are not interchangeable.