There are no hard and fast rules about the diets of vegetarians and vegans. In the simplest of terms, neither group eats meat, but vegans also exclude all animal-derived products from their diet. This includes eggs, milk, cheese, gelatin, and other animal by-products. There are even vegans who do not eat honey because of the bees that were exploited during the production process. However, within vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, there are certain gray areas which make it difficult to determine where the line between vegetarian and vegan is drawn.
There is an ongoing debate in the vegan community about the manufacture and consumption of whey. Whey is a by-product of dairy production; cheese making in particular. Because it is derived from milk, many vegans will not consume foods made with whey. While it is relatively easy to avoid cheese, several of the non-dairy spreads that vegans use as a butter substitute contain whey. Some commercial bread is also made with whey. Strict vegans avoid whey-based foods; however, there are vegans who advocate using the whey. They believe that whey is going to be produced whether they buy it or not, and it is better to eat the whey than to let it be discarded into a river.
Some vegans believe that even trace amounts of animal products constitute a breach of vegan lifestyle. If you can successfully eliminate all animal products from your diet and apparel, good for you! I, personally, will admit that I am a cheese lover. No matter how many times I hear about dairy wreaking havoc with the human digestive tract, I just can't resist a slice of smoked mozzarella. It is for this reason that I can never see myself becoming vegan.
If you are attempting to stick to a completely animal-free diet, there are some foods that contain small amounts of animal products that you may not know about. You may buy a "non-dairy" creamer because of the claims made on the label. But are you aware that it may not be entirely dairy-free? A milk protein called casein is in many so-called non-dairy products in very small amounts. Casein has also been found in some soy cheeses. Keep in mind that these are present in very small amounts. If you are vegan because of food allergies, these traces of casein may be a concern; however, they are not present in large enough amounts to present any significant environmental damage.
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