A common question asked now days is "What is the difference between a Vegan and Vegetarian". This is a good question. A question that we have to take a little trip in history to find out (Not to far in history). Veganism is defined as abstaining from animal products but this is actually a modern term of another word and concept that needs to be revisited. In the past, people who did not eat animal product engaged in a plant based diet. This means that their food regime consisted of foods grown from the earth (Fruits, Vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, sprouts, ligaments, etc). These people were called vegetarians because their food intake was only from food that grew from the earth and no animals. The word has its foundation in the fact that the person's consisted of vegetation, hence the word vegetarian was born. However, the term has been modified due to the times and and manipulation of definitions. Now you will find vegetarians who not only do not consume only plants but eat chicken and fish (Which by the original definition is not vegetarian)!
It started with people who fit the original definition of a vegetarian with the acceptation of consuming dairy products such as milk and eggs. These people started labeling themselves as vegetarians because the word around society was associated with not eating meat but not necessarily dairy. At this point, the original definition had lost some of its original meaning. A few years later, various sources of scientific research were staring to confirm and label meats in categories based on how they affected the body. Meats such as Beef, Lamb, and pork were labeled as "heavy meats" that are very hard for the body to digest and shorten a person lifespan if eaten too much in abundance. Meats such as chicken, turkey and fish were labeled as "Light meats" that were much easier for the body to digest and was seen as preserving life. The other part of the story was that the NOI (Nation of Islam) started enforcing the notion of leaving pork and in some cases beef alone and leaning towards chicken, turkey and fish. Anyone who cared about their health at the time gravitated towards eating only chicken and fish for one of these reason. At this point, the modern fast food restaurants were in the middle of their formation. It was public knowledge that the food wasn't the best for you but its quick and convenient. People who had dietary protocols were seen as coming from another planet because they were conserving the art of cooking instead of going with the fast food crowd. In many cases, these people only ate what? You guessed it, Chicken, Turkey and fish. Since the word vegetarian was associated with someone with better dietary protocols, and NOT the original definition, the group of people that say" I'm a vegetarian. I don't eat meat. I only eat chicken, turkey and fish" were born. A person who consumes dairy products and eggs but no meat is what became known as a ovo-lacto vegetarian. The term “Vegan” is the modern term for what used to be known as vegetarian.
What does this mean for today?
Now that were done with health history 101, we can sum it up like this.
Vegan (Dietary) = abstaining from consuming any animal products including dairy and eggs
Vegetarian: abstaining from eating meat but still consumes dairy and eggs.
What about the people who eat only eat chicken, turkey and fish?
What is the criteria for what is meat? If what you are eating had a tail or had a mother and a father, its meat.
If I'm a Vegan, that means I'm really a vegetarian, right?
Yes and no. You are by the original definition but by the societal modern definition you're not. You are the original vegetarian or "OV" for short