WHAT TYPE OF VEGAN?

It’s not simply a question of being vegetarian or vegan any more

CLASSIC VEGAN Eats an entirely vegetarian diet, which extends to any food produced by animals, such as eggs, dairy products and honey.

PLANT-BASED VEGAN Believes in a strictly plant-based diet and follows this lifestyle for health purposes. Typically tries to steer clear of junk food and focuses on eating unprocessed or minimally processed vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds. May not have strong views on animals so could consume honey or fish oil, wear leather or fur, and use products that contain animal by-products. Not to be confused with the ‘clean-eating’ trend, which is about eating whole foods, or ‘real’ foods — but that can include dairy and meat. JUNK FOOD VEGAN Has probably chosen this path for ethical (usually animal rights) rather than health reasons. Any food is allowed (including chips), as long as it doesn’t include animal products – just because you are vegan, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are healthy.

RAW VEGAN Eats unprocessed raw vegan foods that have not been heated above 115F (46C), believing this kills its enzymes, thus a significant amount of nutritional value. Also includes fruitarians (who exclusively eat fruits, berries, seeds and nuts), sproutarians (whose diet consists mainly of sprouted seeds) and juicearians (who process raw plant food into juices).

FLEXITARIAN* Dabbles with a vegan diet part time, so eats a plant-based diet with the occasional meat meal thrown in. See Mark Bittman, whose book VB6 (Sphere) advocated eating vegan meals only before 6pm, and then eating as you would normally in the evening.