Some people swear off meat for moral or political reasons. Some do it for health reasons.

Whatever the reason, it seems that veganism, vegetarianism and rawism are becoming more and more popular.

The three diets are similar, but they aren’t exactly the same thing. Let’s take a closer look.

Veganism

More of a philosophy than a diet, vegans not only avoid eating animals, they exclude using them for clothing and other purposes. Vegans eliminate all animal products and animal byproducts from their lives. This includes items like milk, eggs, honey and gelatin, which is made from animal bones.

Vegetarianism

Similarly to vegans, vegetarians avoid eating meat. But unlike veganism, there isn’t a single definition of what a vegetarian eats. For example, lactovegetarians consume plant-based foods, but also dairy and cheese. Lacto-ovovegetarians eat everything lactovegetarians eat, but will also consume eggs. Pescatarians add fish into their plant-based diets, and some people are also semi-vegetarians and refrain from eating any red meat, but will fish or chicken.

Rawism

Rawism is exactly what it sounds like. Raw foodists believe that heating food above 118 degrees destroys much of the nutrition and enzymes in the food. They believe that by eating food raw, you get the most benefit from those foods. While not all raw foodists stay away from meat, the majority of them are vegan or vegetarian. Also, a person can be considered a raw foodist as long as their diet is over 60% raw so it doesn’t necessarily mean that they never eat anything cooked.

So What Do Vegans, Vegetarians and Raw Foodists Eat?

For the most part, both vegans and vegetarians eat mostly fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds and legumes. They get their healthy fats in the form of nuts, oils and food like avocados.

Mock meat and other plant-based proteins are also readily available. With the growing popularity of these diets, there are now vegan hot dogs, burgers and other “meats” available.

There are also many alternatives to dairy. Milk made from soy, rice, almond, coconut, cashew or hemp are available at most health food stores, and even some supermarkets. There are now vegan condiments such as butter, sour cream and mayonnaise available.

People that follow a raw food diet also eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and nuts and seeds. They make good use of superfoods like flaxseeds, chia seeds, oats and beans. Some raw foodists add whole grains like quinoa and buckwheat into their diets as well.

Veganism, vegetarianism and rawism are three diets that are growing in popularity. They all have similarities, but they do have some distinct differences that make them unique.