Chef for plant based, vegan, vegetarian, natural and raw food cuisine: what’s the difference?

More and more people, in particular the younger ones belonging to the so-called “generation Z” but also the “Millennials”, are embracing a predominantly plant-based eating style. And there are different diets. For example, what is the difference between plant based, vegan, vegetarian, natural and raw food cuisine? We see it in this article by clarifying the meaning of all these terms, but first let’s delve deeper with some data and discover the reasons that drive this food choice.

According to the Eurispes 2023 report, in Italy 6.6% of the population is vegan or vegetarian. The reasons behind these conscious choices are different, for example: a healthy and healthy lifestyle, sustainable for the environment and ethical towards life and against the exploitation of animal beings.

As far as health is concerned, processed red meat, such as cured meats and sausages, is carcinogenic. This is what the IARC agency of the WHO-World Health Organization says. And a high consumption of red meat, i.e. more than 350 grams per week, is not recommended, also to preserve the cardiovascular system. So there are those who wonder about how to replace animal proteins with vegetable ones, and choose legumes for example.

Regarding sustainability, a topic dear to us at Jopla, the consumption of meat from intensive farming – i.e. 70% of the meat produced – has a significant impact on the exploitation of the land and the use of drinking water as well as on gas emissions, responsible of climate change. To give an example: 1 kg of beef corresponds to 59.6 kg of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere for its production, as stated in the Sole24Ore article, unlike 1 kg of lentils, a source of vegetable proteins , which produces only 0.89 kg of carbon dioxide.

Faced with this food demand, does the restaurant industry offer proposals and alternatives to meat and animal derivatives? Those who follow a vegetarian diet usually have better luck since in any restaurant they can find menu items that satisfy their needs. Vegan people, on the other hand, have fewer opportunities and often end up settling for pasta with tomato sauce or a plate of vegetables.

If you have a catering business and want to best satisfy the requests of all your customers, entrust your kitchen to a chef who also knows how to prepare vegetable and perhaps well-balanced delicacies, or attend one of his cooking courses to learn new and tasty plant-based recipes to include on the menu.

In the meantime, we will explain some terms that can be useful for clarifying the diets that your clients can follow.

Shall we begin?

Those who follow a vegetarian diet do not eat animal meat, therefore they eat plant foods, such as fruit and vegetables, but also milk, cheese, eggs and honey, products of animal origin. Very often, a vegetarian person does not eat fish as they are animal beings, but there are exceptions, such as those who define themselves as a pescatarian person. In this case, the only meat he eats is that of fish, molluscs and invertebrates that live in fresh or salt water.

The term plant based comes from English and literally means “plant-based”. Those who embrace this dietary model, however, do not only eat plant foods, in fact small quantities of animal foods or those derived from them such as meat, fish, eggs, milk and cheese are not excluded. It can be said, to simplify, that it is a vegetarian diet but which also introduces meat and fish in limited quantities and frequency, with attention to health and avoiding elaborate and processed foods.

A person who follows a vegan diet does not magic and does not use animals and their derivatives for ethical and political reasons, such as eggs, milk, cheese, honey, squid ink, isinglass, and the foods and drinks that contain them .

There are many alternatives to replace fats and proteins of animal origin with vegetable ones and there is no shortage of delicious, tasty and balanced recipes. In fact, the following are allowed in the diet: fruit (fresh and dried) and vegetables, legumes, cereals, tubers, seeds, algae, mushrooms, roots, milk and fats and cheeses of vegetable origin, tofu, seitan, sprouts, yeasts and dark chocolate.

Although the term “natural cuisine” may seem synonymous with “plant-based” or “vegetarian” cuisine, a bit like “plant based”, in reality the meaning is of a completely different type.

Following the principles of natural cuisine means eating the products that the earth and nature offer us without processing or sophistication on the part of human beings.

So what do you eat? Seeds and whole grains, seasonal and local fruit and vegetables, foods without colorings and preservatives, but animal proteins are also permitted, in moderate quantities, if raised non-intensively and if the fish is caught and not farmed. Also important are cooking, not prolonged or at high temperatures, the use of unrefined sugars and cold-pressed oils. Therefore this diet differs in many aspects and characteristics from the plant-based and vegetarian diets.

However, there are also people who follow a natural vegetarian or vegan diet.

The answer to this question is no, or rather, on a general level it is no, but there are also raw vegetarian and vegan diets.

Raw foodism responds to a principle: do not cook foods, be they fruit, vegetables, eggs, milk, cheese, meat and fish. So it is, basically, an omnivorous diet. The important thing is not to cook food to preserve vitamins, nutrients, enzymes and mineral salts. However, it is possible to reheat food, for example in a bain-marie, as long as it does not exceed approximately 40 degrees.

If you now have clearer ideas about these different types of diet and cuisine, and you want to expand your clientele by meeting the needs of more people – vegan, vegetarian or following a plant-based, natural or raw food diet -, don’t waste time and start now.

Find an expert chef on Jopla to work in your restaurant business or to train you with a vegan or plant based or natural cooking course! Our chefs are in Milan, Monza and Brianza, Bologna, Ferrara, Rome and Turin.
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