Whole30 vs Vegan: What’s the Difference?

There are aspects of both Whole30 and vegan diets that offer plenty of potential benefits, but the Whole30 and vegan diets are VERY different diets with few similarities. Where do their similarities overlap, and just how are they so different?

The differences between Whole30 and a vegan diet are too great to easily summarize (we have a handy table explaining it all in this article, though!), but some of the biggest differences are regarding:

• The types of proteins allowed
• Rules about sweeteners, grains, and additives
• Duration of time following the diet

Since Whole30 and vegan diets have more differences than they do similarities, we’ll break down the basics of both and explain how they differ!

Rules of Whole30

Whole30 is an elimination diet that’s meant to be followed for 30 days. Many people like to think of it as a “reset” for your diet to help you identify any potential foods that might be negatively interfering with your digestion, weight, or any other aspect of your health or quality of life.

During your 30 days following Whole30, you’ll need to avoid several types of foods and ingredients (we’ll list them next), and then gradually re-introduce certain foods for ten days after you’re done with the first 30.

Even though Whole30 is technically only 30 days, the goal is that you’d continue to apply things you learned during your 30 days long-term. For instance, while you avoid added sugar during Whole30, you might come to realize that you can cut back on your sugar intake even after you’re done with the first 30 days.

Some of the foods & ingredients avoided during your time following Whole30 are:

• Added sugars and sweeteners, both “real” and artificial. This includes table sugar, honey, coconut sugar, Splenda, and anything that is used to add sweetness to your foods and drinks
• Alcohol in all forms
• Grains in all forms, including grain-based flours, gluten-free flours, and pseudo-grains like quinoa
• Legumes, including peanuts, soy, lentils, etc.; the only exceptions are green beans and most types of peas
• Dairy, except for clarified butter/ghee
• Desserts & baked goods made with “allowed” ingredients
• Carrageenan or sulfites (types of food additives) 

Whole30 also has a “pancake rule” that discourages the use of allowed ingredients to make foods that aren’t allowed – such as using coconut flour to make pancakes. The goal of Whole30 is to step away from potential comfort foods and all grains during the “reset”.

Vegan diet basics

A vegan diet doesn’t have much in common with Whole30. Vegans avoid animal products such as meat (including poultry and seafood), eggs, dairy products, gelatin (sourced from cows or pigs), and honey. While some vegans might choose to avoid other foods such as refined sugars (such as on Whole30), that’s not part of a “standard” vegan diet.

Vegans rely on plant-based foods for important nutrients like protein, iron, calcium, and vitamin B12. Some typical “staple” vegan foods include legumes like lentils and soy to get plant-based protein, iron, and calcium, which aren’t allowed on Whole30.

Whole30 vs Vegan: What’s the Difference?

Whole30 and a vegan diet don’t have much in common, which we’ll summarize in this table below!

	Whole30	Vegan
Avoids refined sugars	Yes	No
Avoids artificial sweeteners	Yes	No
Avoids natural sweeteners like honey	Yes	Only avoids honey; other natural sweeteners are fine
Avoids grains and pseudo-grains	Yes	No
Avoids legumes	Yes	No; often relies on legumes for protein and iron
Avoids meat, poultry, seafood, etc.	No	Yes
Avoids gelatin and other animal-derived ingredients	No	Yes
Avoids dairy	Yes, except ghee	Yes
Avoids certain preservatives, e.g. carrageenan	Yes	No
Avoids alcohol	Yes	No
Allows “comfort food” made with allowed ingredients	No (“pancake rule”)	Yes
Intention	Short-term “reset” diet to help identify potential long-term diet changes and help change eating habits	Lifestyle that is typically maintained long-term without any variance; can be due to health and/or ethical reasons

Vegan goodness…

• The Best Cooking Oil for Vegans
• The Best Milk for Vegans
• 50 Foods Only a True Vegan Would Recognize
• The MOST Vegan City in America! … But not the World!
• Top 10 Vegan States in the USA (#1 Will Shock You!)
• Fact or Myth? Oreos are Vegan

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