Category Archives: Veganism

Veganism is a type of vegetarian diet that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products and all other animal-derived ingredients. Many vegans also do not eat foods that are processed using animal products, such as refined white sugar and some wines.

Vegan refers to either a person who follows this way of eatingor to the diet itself. That is, the word vegan can be an adjective used to describe a food item, as in, "This curry is vegan", or, it can be used as a noun, as in, "Vegans like cookies, too."

Although there is some debate as to whether certain foods, such as honey, fit into a vegan diet, if you are cooking for other vegans, it is best to err on the side of caution and avoid these foods.Most vegans extend the definition of veganism to go beyond just food and will also avoid the use of all personal and household products tested on animals, and avoid purchasing and using all animal-derived, non-food products, such as leather,fur, and wool. There is some debate as to whether second-hand animal products, such as a leather jacket from a thrift store, can be included in a cruelty-free vegan lifestyle or not.

This is perhaps the most common question about veganism. A vegan diet includes all grains, beans, legumes, vegetables and fruits, and the nearly infinite number of foods made by combining them.

In addition, many vegan versions of familiar foods are available, so you can eat vegan hot dogs,ice cream,cheese,non-dairy yogurt andvegan mayonnaisealong with the more familiar veggie burgersand other meat substitute products like vegan chicken recipes.Many foods are associated with veganism, such as soy milk, non-dairy milk substitutes, and tofu, but many non-vegans also enjoy tofu.You certainly don't have to like tofu in order to eat vegan.

Vegans also eat many of the same common and familiar everyday foods that everyone else does, such as a green salad, spaghetti, peanut butter sandwiches, cornbread, and chips and salsa. For example, foods such as a vegetarian burrito without cheese or sour cream would be vegan. A vegetarian Thai curry made from coconut milk is vegan. Pasta with tomato sauce or another non-meat and non-dairy sauce is vegan. Most bread is vegan as well.

Some people easily go from eating meat to vegan right away, while others struggle with their new commitment, or choose to go vegetarian first and then slowly omit eggs and dairy. There's no right or wrong way to do it, but you may want to learn about what's worked for other people. However you do it, keep your goals in mind and remember why you are choosing to adopt a vegan diet.

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What Is a Vegan? What Do Vegans Eat? - thespruceeats.com

As with any mammal, cows produce milk only when pregnant and stop after their calves have been weaned. When a dairy cow delivers a female calf, the calf becomes a dairy cow herself, born to live in the same conditions as her mother. But when a dairy cow delivers a male calf, the calf is sold to a veal farm within days of birth, where he is tethered to a stall, deprived of food and exercise, and soon slaughtered for meat.(6)

Since it is unprofitable to keep cows alive once their milk production declines, life is only a few years longer for dairy cows, and are usually slaughtered at 5 years of age.(7)Thus, a cows normal lifespan of 25 years is cut 20 years short just to cut costs and maximize production.

On U.S. farms, an average of 7 egg-laying hens spend their entire lives in a battery cage with a floor area the size of a vinyl record cover.(3)

Living on wire floors that deform their feet, in cages so tiny they cannot stretch their wings, and covered with excrement from cages above them,

these chickens suffer lameness, bone disease, and obsessive pecking, which is curbed by searing the beaks off young chicks.(4)

Although chickens can live up to fifteen years, they are usually slaughtered when their egg production rates decline after two years. Hatcheries have no use for male chicks, so they are killed by suffocation, decapitation, gassing or crushing.(5)

Todays farms are not like the ones most of us learned about in school; they are mechanized factories where an animals welfare is of little concern compared to profit. Veganism emerges as the lifestyle most consistent with the philosophy that animals are not ours to use.

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About Veganism - Vegan Action

People sometimes express concern about whether or not a vegan diet is healthy. It has now been studied over many decades and the consensus is overwhelming: a vegan diet can not only be healthful for most people, but can also reduce the risk of some of the most dreaded diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.

In 2009, the American Dietetic Association, now the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, issued a position paper on vegetarian diets stating that

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.

Kaiser Permanente, the largest HMO in the United States, is now recommending that people follow a plant-based diet.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)has guidelines for vegan diets on p. 82 of theirDietary Guidelines for Americans. They also have an extensive list of nutrition resources.

Other organizations from around the world have affirmed that vegan diets are healthy:

The Mayo Clinic

Dietitians of Canada

The British National Health Service

The British Nutrition Foundation

The Dietitians Association of Australia

The National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia

What about all the claims you hear about the unnaturalness of vegan diets, deficiencies in vegan diets, and the lack of wholesome cholesterol?

It seems strange to call a vegan diet unnatural and a diet based on factory-farmed animals natural. More importantly, just because something is natural does not mean it is ethical or optimal for health. Humans are omnivores, which means that we can eat animal products, but we dont have to. So with all the evidence about the healthfulness of vegan diets, why harm nonhuman animals when we dont have to?

Vegans are vulnerable to deficiencies in vitamins B12 and D, omega-3 fatty acids, and calcium. But they have higher levels of vitamin B1, folate, vitamins C and E, and magnesium. Vegans need to supplement B12 because there is no reliable source in their diet. But B12 and D deficiencies are common in everyone, not just vegans, and doctors recommend supplementation for older people with all diets because our ability to assimilate vitamins weakens as we age.

Everyone needs to eat a well-planned diet. A well-planned vegan diet includes legumes (beans, lentils, peas, and peanuts), vegetables, fruit, whole grains, seeds, and nuts.

What about the claims floating around that we need plenty of wholesome cholesterol and saturated fat to be healthy? These have been debunked, but theyarent entirely based on wishful thinking. Because of individual variations in cholesterol levels, observational studies do not show a correlation between diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol and heart disease. The biggest, most carefully produced meta-analysis in the world will fail to show a correlation from observational studies. Dietary change studies are needed to provide the evidence. Another major problem is related to the sick population concept if everyone is already at high risk, small changes will make little difference. Studies that purport to show that lower cholesterol levels dont reduce these risks are flawed because the amount of cholesterol is too high in both the high cholesterol group and the low cholesterol group.

Ready to go vegan but not sure where to start? Try Going Vegan: Where to Start

Try some easy recipes.

Want something fancier? Try Vegan Dads blog , or try some recipes from the Shannons, who veganized the Betty Crocker Cookbook.

To learn more about veganism, which is more than a diet, see What is veganism?

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veganism.com