A vegan /vee-ghin/ is a person who lives without consuming animal products. A vegan does not eat meat, eggs, or dairy products and does not make use of such materials as fur or leather.
A vegetarian /vej-i-tair-ee-un/ is a person whose diet consists mainly of vegetable products.
Vegetarians whose diets include dairy products and eggs, i.e., products that may be obtained without killing the animal, are called lacto-ovo vegetarians.
In addition, some people adopt a primarily vegetarian diet while still eating fish and poultry.
People choose to be vegans or vegetarians for various reasons. In some countries, such as India, vegetarianism has been practiced by large numbers of people for centuries. World-wide, the practice is growing.
About one percent of Americans are vegans. About three percent are vegetarian. In Canada, about four percent of the population is vegan and ten percent vegetarian.