What Is An Industrial Vegan?
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Time to read 4 min
There have been a lot of questions about the new term “industrial vegan.”
So, what is an industrial vegan? Where does this term come from, and what is the difference between industrial vegan & vegan?
It can be a little confusing, so let’s clear it up and answer it in this article.
What Is An Industrial Vegan?
An industrial vegan is a person who doesn’t eat animal products derived from animals raised using industrial methods such as factory farming.
However, an industrial vegan is open to consuming animal products that aren’t raised industrially. For example, they may consume animal products raised by them or on a small local farm.
Where Does The Term Come From?
“Industrial vegan” came from the television show “The Hustler,” where five contestants unite to answer a series of trivia questions. The goal is to build and win a collective prize that increases with every correct answer.
One of those five contestants is the “Hustler” – a person who knows the answers but keeps them a secret. They aim to win the prize in the end, which will happen only if the rest don’t find out who the Hustler is.
Syd, who was the Hustler in one of the show’s episodes, identified herself as an industrial vegan. She explained in the end credits that industrial vegan means when a person is trying to stay away from eating any food grown or raised industrially.
She also created a Youtube video (see below) in which she gave more information on why she chose to call herself an industrial vegan.
After some research, I found no official or exact definition except the one she mentioned. So it seems that she made up the term to describe her diet.
What Do Industrial Vegans Eat?
In the video that Syd created, she described that she eats predominantly plant-based, including many vegetables, plant-based proteins, and leafy greens.
However, a couple of times a month, she also consumes eggs and meat she raised or traded from another local farm.
Overall, an industrial vegan doesn’t eat animal products in large quantities. They limit the consumption of animal products when the origin and the way the animal was raised are unknown.
What Is The Difference Between Vegan & Industrial Vegan
The main goal of vegan people is to exclude as much as possible all forms of exploitation and cruelty to animals for food, clothing, or other purposes. Therefore, vegans do not consume or use products derived from animals.
“Industrial vegan” isn’t truly a vegan because they will still allow themselves to eat meat and animal products. They try to limit any consumption of animal products raised industrially as much as possible. However, animal products are still a part of their diet.
What Are The Different Types Of Vegans?
First and foremost, it is essential to mention that veganism is more than a diet; it is a lifestyle choice that focuses on avoiding the exploitation of animals for any purpose.
There are four different types of vegans: ethical vegans, environmental vegans, health vegans, and religious vegans.
- Ethical vegans: Ethical vegans see no difference between dogs and pigs or cats and fish. This type of vegan wants to not contribute to animal cruelty and exclude any involvement in exploiting animals.
- Environmental vegans: Animal agriculture is one of the most significant contributors to deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and pollution. Some people go vegan for the environment to reduce their negative impact and live more eco-friendly.
- Health vegans: Health is a big reason, and many people go vegan to improve their health and help stabilize blood sugar, lose excess weight, lower cholesterol levels, etc.
- Religious vegans: Some people go vegan due to their spiritual beliefs, and they don’t want to harm animals for spiritual reasons.
What Are The Different Types Of Vegan Diets?
Within those four groups, there are many additional subcategories and various ways to follow a 100% plant-based diet, including:
- Raw vegan diet – A raw diet based predominantly on fruit, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Some even prefer to adopt a Fruitarian vegan diet, where larger quantities of fruit are consumed.
- Gluten-free, vegan diet – Years ago, it was extremely hard to be both gluten-free and vegan, but now, it is easier than ever. There are many gluten-free foods and snacks. You can even check the ones we offer on our Market.
- Whole-food vegan diet – It includes fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. It limits most processed vegan food.
- Junk-food or “dirty” vegan diet – Usually, ethical vegans, who have adopted the lifestyle for the animals, but still wish to indulge in veganized versions of junk food they used to love.
- Paleo vegan diet – Strict paleo vegans eat plenty of fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, nuts, and seeds and restrict legumes or grains.
- Keto vegan diet – This diet focuses on consuming high amounts of fats and limiting the carbs to 50g per day. Learn more about the Vegan Keto Diet here.
The best thing is that going vegan doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice anything. There are hundreds of 100% plant-based products, including cheeses, burgers, ice-creams, chocolates, candies, etc. The list is endless!
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Summary
There are many different ways of eating a vegan diet.
However, the term vegan shouldn’t be misused for other predominantly plant-based diets that still include some animal products.
At its core, veganism is all about reducing as far as is possible and practicable all forms of exploitation or cruelty towards animals for any purpose.
Industrial vegan is much better than traditional American diets regarding personal health.
However, it can’t be genuinely considered ethical because it still includes animal products and meat.
What do you think about industrial veganism? Do you believe there is a better name for such a diet? Let us know in the comments below.
Merilin Vrachovska
Merilin is a 25-year-old imperfect zero waste advocate, passionate about sustainability, veganism, and living harmoniously with nature. In her free time, she loves developing recipes for healthy & vegan sweets, traveling, and practicing yoga.
