A vegan is someone that has a diet and life absolutely free from animal products and lives on a 100% vegetable and tofu diet.
To be a vegan is a way of life that should not be rushed into. If you are seriously thinking about becoming a vegan, you need to be able to show skills of determination and will power. You also have to be willing to have some hairline issues when you go vegan. Some people that decide to become vegan take baby steps, meaning they move into a state of vegetarian first before they become or decide that they would like to try transitioning into a vegan. They don’t need to take big steps to set up a vegetable garden and install a fence to keep the pets out. This way they can see if turning away from meat is something that they really want to do and can do. Will they be able to keep their urges at bay?
Vegetarian and Vegan
A vegetarian is someone that lives on a diet free from meat. They do however consume fish, seafood’s, and dairy products like milk, cheese, eggs, and butter. They also consume products made from dairy products like bread, cakes, scones, donuts, pastries, pies, etc. The only restriction to their diet is animal meat itself.
A vegan is someone that lives on a diet free from all animal products, which include dairy products and products developed from dairy products. They also do not eat fish and seafood. They do not touch anything associated with animals. Their diet consists of consuming only vegetables, fruit and tofu. Some vegans even go a stage further and restrict the use of animals, which means that they are against people’s use of animals like pets, cattle farms, horse farms, etc. They believe all animals should be free from man.
Is Veganism A Religion?
Veganism is not a religion. To have religion there must be a higher power. There is no higher power in veganism. It is just a diet built on certain beliefs. In the 1970’s the hippies used to adhere to vegan diets, and over the years since then more and more people have adapted themselves to become vegans. If the rich and famous celebrities are getting in on the latest craze. Some people get vegans mixed up with pagan beliefs. Yes, pagans are all about nature, but the majority of pagans are meat eaters and they love to have animals as pets.
Veganism Today
The vegan diet has come on a long way since the hippy era. In Europe, food labels have to show any signs that will prevent a vegan from consuming the product. Restaurants now add vegan dishes to its menu’s and some big supermarket chains have separate sections with products just for vegans.
Anti-vegan
There are still a large number of people that are opposed to the way of vegans. Some of these people are actually vegetarians. They think that a vegan diet can be harmful to your health. The human body needs certain nutrients to maintain proper health levels. These nutrients like calcium’s and proteins can be found in dairy products and fish. Although multivitamins can be taken as a food supplement, they are not the same as nutrients found naturally in foods.
Many vegetarians believe that a vegan diet is totally wrong and a vegetarian diet is much better as you are still able to consume fish and dairy products to provide your body with the right amount of nutrients to stay healthy. A lot of first time vegans get admitted to hospital due to an unbalanced diet and they are suffering from vitamin and protein deficiencies.