What is Veganism? Why is Going Vegan becoming a Trend?

In the past few years, veganism is becoming very popular among people and even several celebrities have gone vegan. The number of vegan products has also been increased in the market. However, many people are curious to know about the eating pattern of vegans. People want to know about what vegans can eat and what they cannot.

In 1944 a small group of vegetarians broke away from the Leicester Vegetarian Society in England to form the Vegan Society. The people from this society chose not to consume dairy, eggs or any other products that originated from animals. ‘Vegan’ was chosen as the term by combining the first and last letters of ‘vegetarian’. Currently, veganism is defined as a way of living that attempts to exclude all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty, be it from food, clothing, or any other purpose.

Generally, people become vegans to avoid animal products or for one of these reasons.

Some people shift to a vegan diet for its possible health effects. A vegan diet may reduce your risk of heart attack, type 2 diabetes, cancer and also premature death. By lowering the intake of animal products your risk of Alzheimer’s disease or dying from heart disease and cancer also reduces. Several people also choose to be vegans to avoid the side effects that are linked to the antibiotics and hormones that are used in modern animal agriculture. Finally, people also choose to be vegans as studies show that vegan diets tend to lower body weight and body mass index.

There are people who become vegans because they strongly believe that all creatures have the right to life and freedom. Therefore, they are against animal cruelty and they believe that there are alternatives to all animal products. These vegans also oppose the psychological and physical stress that the animals may undergo as a result of modern farming practices. Ethical vegans are against keeping the livestock in small pens and cages. The livestock rarely live for a short period as they are slaughtered as soon as possible. They are also against farming industry practices, which include grinding male chicks by the egg industry or forcefully feeding the geese and ducks for the foie gras market. Ethical vegans express their opposition by protesting, raising awareness and by choosing products that do not involve animal agriculture.

Another reason why people may choose to avoid animal products is because of the environmental impact of animal agriculture. In 2010, a report in the United Nation argued that these products usually require more resources and cause higher greenhouse gas emissions than plant-based resources. For example, animal agriculture causes 65% of global nitrous oxide emissions, 35-40% of methane emissions, and 9% of carbon dioxide emissions. These three gases are the most important greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Furthermore, animal agriculture is a water-intensive process and a lot of water is also wasted. For instance, 550-5200 gallons of water is required to produce 1 pound of beef. This is 43 times more water than that required to produce the same amount of cereal grains. Animal agriculture can also cause deforestation as forested areas are burned for cropland or pastures. This is the reason that people try their best to avoid animal products and become vegans.

These people become vegans due to their religious beliefs. For example, Jainism is a religion where its believers follow a strict vegan diet. It is an ancient Indian religion and its followers abhor all violent activities. They strongly believe in their principles and if they do not abandon all violent activities their religious behaviour is rendered worthless. Their highest religious duty is non-violence and this extends to their diet which means they consume a non-violent vegan diet. Jainism is widespread in Thailand and there is a vegetarian festival every year where there is a week full of vegan foods. There are plenty of religious vegans in Thailand which means that there is an abundance of delicious vegan foods in Thailand. There are also a few Buddhists who are vegan but all Buddhists are not vegans. There are numerous schools of Buddhism and some of these include religious vegans. Some schools of Buddhists recommend a vegan diet and prohibit their monks from eating the flesh of any kind.

In this vegan diet, individuals consume only uncooked vegan food. As it is clear from the name, vegans eat their food raw. The main reason why these vegans eat the food raw is that by cooking the food at high temperatures the food may lose many nutrients. This does not mean that these vegans eat cold food. Raw vegans heat their food up to 40-degree Celsius. Besides plain salads, vegans also eat raw vegan foods like raw vegan lasagne and raw vegan cheesecake.

A gluten-free vegan diet consists of no animal products or any gluten-containing ingredient. Gluten is a common name for the proteins that can be found in wheat, rye and barley. It helps foods in maintaining their shape and acts as a glue that holds food together. Several years ago people believed that it is impossible to be vegan and gluten-free. But nowadays many people follow a vegan diet that is gluten-free.

Individuals who follow a fruitarian vegan diet only eat fruits, seeds and nuts. Several fruitarians only eat what has fallen naturally from a plant. Some people also believe that it is not right for humans to eat plant seeds as they contain future plants. Yet there are vegans who follow a fruitarian diet and they also include pulses such as lentils, peas and beans in their meal.

Individuals who stick to this type of diet favour diet rich whole foods. Whole foods diets mainly consist of vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts. Whole-food vegans try their best to avoid processed vegan foods.