Many people see vegans as strange and unusual skinny little creatures who need to ‘get some meat down them’. In fact, vegans live a far healthier lifestyle than meat eaters. Adopting a vegan diet is not only eco-friendly and healthier but it even enables people to live longer. Vegans are far less likely to develop illness and disease and do not have cholesterol problems.

Vegan Definition

An individual who does not consume any meat, fish, dairy, honey or any animal derived product. Most vegans choose to boycott companies that test on animals (see Unethical companies section) and other companies that abuse animals. Vegans also wear no fur, animal skin, leather, silk, cashmere, angora, suede or wool.

Vegan For Animals

Some people choose a vegan diet for the sake of animals. Baby calves are torn away from their mothers at birth so that the maximum amount of milk can be taken from the mother. If the calf is male it is killed, unless bread for beef, and if the calf is female, it is used to produce more milk. In the case of chickens very few cockerels are needed to impregnate females so the males are killed off, often grinded to death. All animals killed in the meat and dairy industry meet a gruesome and inhumane death. In regards to animals used for clothing, any clothing material derived from an animal is more often than not obtained cruelly.

Vegan For The Environment

Going vegan is the best way for an individual to help the environment. The meat and dairy industries produce a tremendous amount of pollution from shipping grain to feed animals to the methane omitted from cows. Waterways become polluted, grasslands destroyed and rainforests chopped down all as a result of the meat and dairy industry. As they say... you cannot be a meat eating environmentalist.

Vegan For Your Health

Meat and dairy clog up blood and arteries making individuals prone to heart disease and cancers. The protein known as Casein, found in dairy products, can weaken the gastric, intestinal, pancreatic, and biliary systems as well as making your body more susceptible to illness. Studies have shown switching to a vegan diet can dramatically reduce health problems as well as counteracting the effects of prostate cancer and arthritis.

Vegans Are Not Unhealthy

Contrary to popular belief, vegans are not actually unhealthy. This belief comes from meat eaters who presume vegetarians and vegans do not consume enough protein. Providing a vegan eats enough of the right foods and intakes enough vitamins, they will be perfectly healthy. It is important to find alternatives to dairy products such as soya cheese, soya milk and soya yoghurts. There are varieties of tasty vegan foods available in health food shops as well as supermarkets. Buying vegan mince, burgers and tofu can help give your body the proteins you need.

Turning Vegan

If you are a meat eater, we would recommend turning vegetarian first so that you can get used to this non-meat diet. Once you are confident being a vegetarian then slowly incorporate soya and tofu products in to your diet to help you get used to the taste. Once you are used to the taste you can then turn fully vegan with more ease.

If you are already a vegetarian, a change in diet will not be as difficult for you. It is best to research the vegan foods out there before making the switch and check out your local stores to see what foods you can buy. Once you know where to get vegan foods then you are ready to start your healthy new diet, 100% cruelty free.

Famous Vegans

Alec Baldwin, Alicia Silverstone, Bill Clinton, Bryan Adams, Casey Affleck, Chelsea Clinton, Chrissie Hynde, Dennis Kucinich, Ellen DeGeneres, Gillian Anderson, Heather Mills, Ingrid Newkirk, James Cromwell, Jared Leto, Joaquin Phoenix, Lea Michelle, Morrissey, Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire, Olivia Wilde, Pamela Anderson, Paul McCartney, Robin Gibb, Stella McCartney & Woody Harrelson.

When Someone Asks Why Your Vegan

Tell people you are vegan because you do not want to be responsible for any animal cruelty like in the dairy industry where calves and chicks are mistreated and killed. Let them know how mother cows are over milked and treated as profit making products. When they can no longer produce enough milk they are killed off. As found in the Conklin Dairy Farm, Ohio cows can be tortured and forced to conform to the debilitating life they must endure. You are far less likely to contract diseases such as cancer and diabetes if you are dairy and meat free. You want to be a champion for the environment and know there is no better way to reduce your carbon footprint than going vegan. You do not believe any animal should be used for clothing because they are abused and killed in inhumane ways. Providing people with reasoning and facts is the best way to help them become more understanding and compassionate.