I would think that the big difference between vegans and vegetarians is the cheese and the high content of fats in the animal foods that they do eat. Eggs and cheese and other dairy products are some of the worst cholesterol contributors. Not to say that many vegans don't eat equivalent high fat products and yet I think, in general, many vegans eat a healthier diet than vegetarians do.
When you still eat cheese you often eat a lot of it. When you eat vegan cheese you usually limit the amount you eat because of the expense. I can remember, preOctober of 2016, that if I saw the large blocks of cheddar on sale I would buy one or two and I would not think twice about eating a lot of it. Which partially explains my weight loss postOctober of 2016. Pasta was the excuse to eat parmesan and if I could have gotten away with skipping the pasta and just eating the cheese I likely would have. I/we loved cheese and yet now we LOVE nutritional yeast and the occasional fake cheeze that we add to our food. I no longer have slices of cheese on crackers and rarely have grilled cheeze sandwiches.
All in my opinion, Emma JC