A vegetarian does not eat any dead animals or parts of them. This means no meat, poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks, etc.), fish or other water animals (like shrimp and crabs), or any by-products of these animals, like gelatin or animal fats or cheeses made from rennet taken from the stomachs of calves.

A vegan will not eat any of these either but will also strive to avoid all animal products for food (milk and milk products, eggs, honey) since these also cause pain, suffering to and death of the animals. They also avoid animal products—leather, silk, pearls, wool or even paintbrushes made of animal hair, as well as products that have been tested on animals.

The vegan genuinely believes that “thou shalt not kill” means exactly what it says, no more no less. It certainly does not mean “thou shalt not kill, except for the pleasure of eating the bodies of the slain or drinking the milk intended by nature for the slaughtered calf; the vain desire to adorn the human body with fur, feathers, or skin of another animal; or because it is a very profitable business to breed or catch animals for the experimental laboratory where they will be starved, burned, gassed, poisoned or mutilated and otherwise tortured and then killed. —Eva V Batt