Veganism may be defined as a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.

In dietary terms it refers to the practice of dispensing with all animal produce - including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, animal milks, honey, and their derivatives (e.g. gelatin).

Since yeast is neither animal nor plant, only a few vegans avoid eating yeast and thus only eat unleavened bread.

Abhorrence of the cruel practices inherent in dairy, livestock and poultry farming is probably the single most common reason for the adoption of veganism, but many people are drawn to it for health, ecological, spiritual and other reasons.

note: This w/u is a reply to two that have been nuked since. But I think it stands as is because it addresses some common errors in defining veganism

Wrong wrong wrong.

Veganism is a dietary preference that excludes meat, dairy, eggs, and other animal derivatives from the diet.

It is not a philosophy, although there are often philosophical reasons for adopting this dietary preference.

It is only a lifestyle or way of living in as much as any dietary regimen is a lifestyle or way of living.

It in no way impedes one’s ability to obtain proper nutrition. On the contrary, if carried out properly, it makes a diet high in good things like protein, vitamins, and unsaturated fats, and low in bad things like saturated fats, salmonella, recombinant growth hormones, and prions, almost impossible to avoid.

The adoption of this dietary preference is lightweight only if you consider better nutrition, ethics, aesthetics, environmental responsibility, and better food ‘lightweight’ concerns.

A well planned vegan diet should include:

  • A complete protein source in every meal,1 such as beans and grains eaten in combination, or soy products like tofu and tempeh.
  • A wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables
  • Beneficial fats like olive oil and nut products
  • Soy Milk, soy yogurt, and other calcium sources
  • Spices, herbs, and other good stuff


1It is now known that it is not actually necessary to get every essential amino acid in ever meal, but rather just to accumulate them all over the course of a day or two. But hey, why not go for the gold and get them all every time?

Donald Watson started it all. He is the inventor of the word vegan. Vegan taken from the word vegetarian. The word was decided together with his wife by taking the first three letters and last two letters of 'vegetarian'

His story begun when he was young at the farm of his uncle. When he witness and responded to the harshness and brutality which he observe in the industrial and farming community. He was surrounded by interesting animals and finding out the purpose of each one. And when he saw a pig slaughtered he realize what purpose the pigs served and his life changed. At the age of 14 he bacame vegetarian as a new years resulotion.

Being a vegan then is the one that does not consume or use of animal products. People bacame vegans because they have concern for animal rights and environments and also perceived health benefits, and spiritual concerns.

As far as I know, vegans avoids consuming animal products from ingredients to by-products. Some avoid food cooked with the equipment thats has been used to cook non-vegan foods. Another thing was that they avoid toothpaste with pcalcium] extracted from animal bones, if they are aware of it. Being vegan requires hardwork and determination.

According to American Diet Association vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C, vitamin E and phytochemicals. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine says that one small scale study has observed that a vegan diet can reduce blood cholesterol in people with, and significantly reduce the complications of Type 2 diabetes. Likewise properly planned vegan diet presents no significant nutritional problems. But they are potentially at risk for being deficient in nutrients such as vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, iodine and omega-3 fatty acids and this is mostly taken from animals.

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