It’s the year 2022. More and more vegan products are springing up like mushrooms and filling the shelves in grocery stores, although a supermarket or discounter. The “Veganuary” campaign every year in January, which is advertised through all media such as magazines and TV advertising and is intended to motivate people to try out the vegan diet. All of this indicates a new trend or probably a change of times. But why are vegans still an underestimated and often misjudged minority in society?
Let’s shed some light on this and look at the 3 main forms of nutrition – mixed , vegetarian and vegan – and also understand their sub-forms.
Mixed diet
The largest and most widespread form of nutrition is the mixed diet or the group of meat eaters who regularly or frequently consume meat and animal products. According to statistics, 49% of women and 66% of men in Germany* belong to this nutritional group and thus form the majority.
Vegetarianism and its subtypes
– Flexitarians: The second largest group with 34% of women and 20% of men in Germany* rarely consume meat, but regularly consume animal products such as milk, butter, cheese, eggs and honey.
– Pescetarian: Since the German jungle camp in 2022, the pescetarian has had a prominent face. In this diet, no meat is eaten, but fish, seafood and animal by-products such as milk, cheese, eggs and honey are eaten. 3% of women and men in Germany* are among them.
– Vegetarians: In 2019, 5% of women and 3% of men in Germany* were vegetarians, but in 2021 already 10% of Germans**. All completely renounce meat and fish, but the vegetarians differ again when it comes to eggs and milk/ dairy products.
- Ovo-lacto vegetarians: As mentioned, they do not eat meat and fish, but eat eggs, milk/ dairy products and honey
- Ovo-vegetarians: avoid meat, fish, milk and milk products. However, they consume eggs and honey.
- Lacto vegetarians: They do without meat, fish and eggs. On the other hand, milk and milk products as well as honey are part of their diet.
Veganism and its subtypes
If I’ve confused you up to this point with all the types and fine distinctions, it doesn’t get any easier with vegans.
They feed exclusively on plant-based foods and completely avoid the following products: meat, fish, seafood, ingredients or processing aids of animal origin such as milk/ dairy products (including lactose and plant-based yoghurts whose lactic acid cultures are grown on cow’s milk), eggs, gelatine (including juice and wine clarified with gelatin) and honey.
In addition, some also refrain from using non-edible animal by-products such as leather goods (e.g. clothing, furniture), animal wool, dyes from insects, silk and products that are tested on animals (e.g. medicines, cosmetics).
The proportion of vegans is 2% women and men in Germany* and also here are small subtleties among vegans.
– vegan: With a vegan diet, highly processed plant-based foods such as chips, biscuits, vegan ready-made cakes, soy sausages and soy cutlet, etc. are eaten.
– wholesome plant-based diet: With this type of diet, processed plant-based foods are avoided and instead everything is cooked, baked and produced in-house.
– Frutarians: They feed exclusively on fruits, seeds and nuts that have fallen from the tree or can be picked without damaging the parent plant. Therefore, they do without roots, tubers and leaves.
– Raw food/ raw vegan: Here, only fresh, unheated to slightly heated (max. 42 °C) food is consumed.
As diverse as people are, so is their diet !
A vegetarian is not equal to vegetarian and a vegan is not equal to vegan.
We all prefer a wide variety of foods, forms of nutrition, diets and, above all, a wide variety of values, views and attitudes to life. Despite everything, none of us are aliens and we all live on the same earth.
Note: For reasons of better readability, I sometimes refrain from using the language forms male, female and diverse (m/f/d) at the same time. All personal designations apply equally to all genders.
* Source: Statista – What is your daily diet? 2019
** Source: Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture – Germany as it eats – the BMEL Nutrition Report 2021
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