At a minimum, people who call themselves vegans avoid products including meat, fish, dairy, honey, gelatin, leather, wool, suede, fur, feathers, and silk—but being vegan means more than simply changing one's dietary habits. It's also a lifestyle.

Beer and Wine Isinglass, a gelatin-based substance derived from fish, is used as a clarifying agent in some beer and wine. Other non-vegan ingredients sometimes used are casein (from milk) and egg whites.

Both types of diet can be considered safe for all stages of life, but vegan diets may even offer additional health benefits. However, it's important for both vegetarians and vegans to plan their diets well in order to avoid health complications over the long term.