The Lexicon of the Living: 30 Terms to Navigate the Vegan Universe with Clarity

Lexicon of the Living — Synthesis

This glossary opens the door to the world of conscious plant living and offers a precise vocabulary to navigate between ethics, food practices, transformation processes, and vibrational concepts.

1. Food Philosophies

• Vegan / Veganism: A way of life that excludes all animal products (food, clothing, cosmetics, entertainment). It's a global ethic, not a mere diet.
• Vegetarian: No meat, no fish, no seafood, but keeps eggs and dairy. Often a transition stage, but not the destination of Le Végétalien.
• Plant-eater (French "Végétalien"): 100% plant-based eating, without necessarily embracing the broader ethical commitment of veganism.
• Raw / Crudivore: Foods uncooked or heated below 42°C to preserve enzymes and vitality. Widely practised in naturopathy.
• Frugivore: Eating centred on fruits, notably for cellular detox (Dr Robert Morse).
• Flexitarian: A marked reduction of animal products without total exclusion. A transitional term, without judgement.

2. Qualities and Processes

• Unpasteurised: No thermal treatment that would destroy enzymes and beneficial bacteria (cold-pressed juices, raw-milk plant cheeses, raw honey).
• Fermented: Transformation by living micro-organisms (kombucha, kimchi, miso, sauerkraut, tempeh): pre-digestion, probiotics, improved bioavailability.
• Lacto-fermented: Fermentation by lactic acid bacteria, unrelated to animal milk (sauerkraut, kimchi, true pickles).
• Living food: A food still carrying enzymes, flora, and "biological intelligence", as opposed to ultra-processed.
• Ancient varieties / Heritage: Non-hybridised, non-GMO seeds, with superior nutritional and aromatic richness.
• Organic / Bio: Free of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers. A minimum for Le Végétalien — but can still be ultra-processed.
• Biodynamic: Organic + cosmic calendar + specific preparations (Rudolf Steiner). Expressed notably in Demeter wines.

3. Conscious Beverages

• Natural wine: No chemical inputs, little or no sulphites, indigenous yeasts. A living, pre-industrial wine. Check the vegan dimension too (e.g. Barnivore).
• Biodynamic wine: Made from biodynamic vineyards, certified Demeter/Biodyvin. Viticulture "at the summit".
• Kombucha: Tea fermented by a SCOBY — sparkling, probiotic, with multiple aromatic profiles.
• Kefir: Fermented drink (water or plant milk) with kefir grains, rich in probiotics, passed on as a living heritage.

4. Holistic Approaches

• Holistic: A global vision of the being (body, mind, emotions, environment), as opposed to a purely mechanistic approach.
• Naturopathy: A natural medicine that stimulates vital force through food, plants, water, movement, and stress management (WHO-recognised traditional medicine).
• Ayurveda: Indian medicine based on the balance of the doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) and the global adjustment of lifestyle.
• Sattvic: Pure, light foods that elevate consciousness (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, raw honey), as opposed to rajasic (stimulating) and tamasic (heavy, inert).
• Pranic: Foods rich in prana (vital energy). Sadhguru distinguishes positive, negative and zero pranic foods.

5. Vibrational Concepts

• Vibration / Vibrational frequency: Each food is said to emit an energetic signature; a sun-ripened fruit "vibrates" higher than an ultra-processed product.
• Biotic Unit (UB): A measurement system specific to Le Végétalien, scoring the nutritional and vibrational density of a food or recipe.
• Bovis Scale: A radiesthetic measurement of vital energy (below 6,500: the food takes energy, above: it gives energy), not recognised by mainstream science.
• Dead vs living food: Dead = heated above 42°C, denatured, no enzymes; living = enzymes and flora preserved.
• Superfood: Exceptional nutritional density (spirulina, raw cacao, goji, moringa, chlorella…).
• Adaptogen: Plant or mushroom that supports stress adaptation (ashwagandha, reishi, rhodiola, ginseng, lion's mane…).
• Nootropic: A substance that improves cognitive function. Plant versions: lion's mane, bacopa, ginkgo…
• Enzyme: Protein that catalyses biochemical reactions, essential for digestion, destroyed by heat.
• Microbiome: The community of gut micro-organisms, key to digestion, immunity, mood, and cognition.

6. Integration

This lexicon invites us to live the words rather than merely understand them: each term is a door toward a practice, a sensory experience, and an inner transformation. The choice of words to describe one's eating shapes our relationship with the living, just as much as the choice of foods themselves.

“The vocabulary of the living isn't learned — it's lived, one meal after another, one discovery after another.”