Can anyone explain the difference between being vegetarian and being a vegan?

THANKS AMANDA!
i really didn't have a clue!

Vegans not only omit all animal products from their diets, but they also eliminate them from the rest of their life. Vegans use nothing from animals, such as leather, wool, and silk.

Vegetarian can eat eggs and some food that come from animals , vegan not... its an extreme !

well, it depends on the type of vegetarian;
Lacto - ovo vegetarians exclude meat, but eat dairy, eggs and honey.
Lacto vegetarians exclude meat and eggs from their diet.
Ovo vegetarians exclude meat and dairy, but still eat eggs and honey.
Vegans do not eat meat, eggs, dairy or honey.
most vegans and vegetarians also exclude food that contains things like rennet (which can be found in gelatin) which come from animals. and in a lot of cases, vegetarians and vegans do not wear or use animal products like wool, leather and silk. for me vegetarianism isn't just a diet, it's also a lifestyle choice.

Vegans - NO meat, or cheese, or dairy, eggs, or anything with bacteria caused by meats.

Vegetarians - Can eat white meat (like chicken, fish, and turkey), chese, dairy, and eggs.

Also vegans don't wear leather.

Vegetarians just dont eat meat, but vegans dont eat anything that came from an animal, like dairy, eggs, and meat

Vegeterians eat no animal flesh, although some of them continue to eat fish and even chicken while they call themselves "vegetarian"!

Vegans eat no meat, eggs, milk, or anything containing animal ingredients, such as casein, gelatin, and whey. Vegans don鈥檛 wear leather, fur, or wool, nor do they buy products from companies that conduct non-required animal toxicity tests:
http://www.caringconsumer.com/pdfs/compa...
Or frequent zoos, rodeos, circuses, or other places where animals are held in captivity or forced to perform.

Amanda is only partly correct. Vegetarian is a diet and vegan is diet plus lifestyle. Here are the only definitions of the two:

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/definitions.h...

http://www.vegansociety.com/html/about_u...

When the flexis stop in here with their fantasies, just ignore them. Everyone else does.

There are varying degrees of vegetarians--some just do not eat meat but do eat dairy, eggs and seafood or any combination thereof.
A vegan does not eat or use anything that comes from animals. No meat, no dairy, no eggs, no fish, no leather products, etc., etc.

Vegans don't eat ANYTHING that has to do with animals. This includes eggs, milk, etc. Vegetarians, depending on the person, may eat fish/milk/eggs/etc. It's basically the level of restrictions.

In addition to dietary restrictions, vegans do not wear leather or fur or use products they know have been animal tested.

It is a lifestyle commitment, not just a dietary one.

Demi-vegetarian: May eat little or no meat, but might consume fish on a regular basis.
Fruitarian: They stick to a vegan diet but rarely eat processed or cooked foods. Their diet consists mainly of raw fruit, grains and nuts. Fruitarians believe that only plants that are not killed when harvested should be eaten.
Lacto-ovo-vegetarian: Sometimes called broad vegetarians, lacto-ovo-vegetarians eat both dairy products and eggs (preferably free-range). This is the most common type of vegetarian diet.

Lacto-vegetarian: These vegetarians may eat dairy products but do not consume any eggs.
Macrobiotic: This is a diet that is followed for spiritual and philosophical reasons. Macrobiotics aim to maintain a balance between foods seen as ying (positive) and yang (negative). Although not all levels are vegetarian, each level gradually eliminates animal products. The top levels eliminate fruit and vegetables, with the ultimate level consuming a diet of brown rice.
Pescatarian: Consumes no meat but eats fish.
Vegan: Sometimes referred to as strict vegetarians, vegans do not consume any animal products 鈥?including dairy products and eggs. Some vegans also refrain from using animal products such as silk, leather, wool, etc.

Lacto/Ovo Vegetarians don't eat meat--cows/pigs/chickens/fish/sealife/go... or other foods that require killing animal, like gelatin. Ovo vegetarians avoid everything on that list, plus dairy. Lacto Vegetarians avoid everything on the initial list plus eggs. Vegans try to avoid as many animal products as possible, both in their diet (no meat, milk, eggs, honey, etc) and in their daily life (no wool, leather, fur, products tested on animals, cosmetics containing animal ingredients, etc).

Vegans don't eat eggs or cheeses or milk products. Vegetarians can eat these things. When I was a vegetarian I did.