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Veganism

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A Vegan is a person that strives to remove all animal products from their lives. A vegan product is one that is free of all animal ingredients. The word "vegan," derived from VEGetariAN in 1944, when Elsie Shrigley and Donald Watson created The Vegan Society, is commonly pronounced vee-gun or vay-gun by its adherents.

Animal products include all forms of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, fur, leather, wool, silk, and byproducts such as gelatin, whey, and the like. The Vegan Society and most vegans include insect products such as honey in their definition as well. There is some debate on the finer points of what constitutes an animal product; some vegans avoid cane sugar that has been filtered with bone char and some won't drink beers and wines clarified with egg whites or isinglass (even though they are not present in the final product). Further, some vegans won't eat food cooked in pans if they have ever been used to cook meat, while other vegans are content to simply remove meat, fish, eggs, and milk from their diets.

While the term was originally coined to differentiate those vegetarians who (primarily for ethical or environmental reasons) sought to eliminate animal products in all areas of their lives from those who simply avoided meat, it has become common to classify those who avoid meat, eggs, and dairy in their diet for health reasons as "dietary vegans" or simply "vegans" rather than the more nebulous "strict vegetarian".

According to the American Dietetic Association's position paper on vegetarian diets, vegans eating a varied diet have ample sources of nutritient, but vegans should pay attention to intake of B12. Vegans generally have lower calcium intake than non-vegetarians but may have lower calcium requirements as well.

A 1997 Roper Poll estimated the number of vegans in the U.S. to be between one-half and two million.

There are several diets similar to veganism, though stemming from different philosophy, including fructarianism, raw foods, macrobiotics. There are also numerous religious groups that regularly or occasionally practice a similar diet, including some sects of Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Christian sects including the Eastern Orthodox church, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Some Vegan recipes

See also

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