Veganism 101

So, you want to be a vegan?
Let's back up a second; what on earth is a vegan?
Vegan (noun) - a vegetarian who omits all animal products from the diet.
This means no dairy, meat, eggs, gelatin, animal originated glycerides, and certain kinds of white sugar*. 
Why become a vegan?
This is an excellent question with many, many answers; I encourage all vegans who contribute to leave your own answers to this question here.
Cutie : I became a vegan, because I don't think it makes sense that humans at this point in technological and agricultural development should still be killing and/or taking products from animals. This only applies to those who have access to the proper resources to become a healthy vegan. Not everywhere in the world is so fortunate as the United States to have this option open to them, and if it's not possible, it's not possible and this argument is inapplicable. For where I am located, and for what resources I have available to me it does not make sense for me to take from other living creatures. I seek to stop unnecessary taking from animals, suffering in animals, and abuse of them. 


Basho: I eat (primarily) vegan for many reasons but the primary reasoning is that I believe a diet similar to that found in most developed nations is unsustainable to the health of the planet and the greater human race. Factory farming contributes more to climate change than all of the worlds transportation combined. I also realize that it would be inappropriate to assume that everyone in the world in its current state could live on a vegan diet and I would not wish that, but I believe that people as a whole have developed an unhealthy relationship with their food, and certainly most people living in developed nations should not have too much trouble eating vegan since many people do it successfully. I am not opposed to truly sustainable animal farming, but I believe that is so rare in this country and many others that for me I'd prefer to simply avoid it all together. Oh, and I think it's more fun.


Ali -  if I can afford (mentally/physically/financially) to stay away from animal products, then I will. I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian for about 4 years on-and-off before switching to veganism, partly because I really didn't know it was a 'thing' not to consume dairy or eggs. As dumb as it sounds, I didn't realize animals could suffer if they weren't being killed for their meat. It was actually the book Animal Liberation by Peter Singer that ultimately made me stop consuming animal products. I think that one day I might keep a small flock of chickens and use their eggs, or have some kind of milk-producing animal to love and eat grass in my backyard. But until then, I won't eat/wear/use animal products because I want to take full moral responsibility.


Okay, okay, so how can you be a vegan AND be healthy?
As a vegan you remove a lot of things from your diet, and have to be very careful about finding ways to obtain them. Malnutrition is a serious problem, and becoming a vegan without being properly educated is quite dangerous. 
Protein - this is a very important part of your diet that you need to find ways of getting as a vegan. The most common forms of protein are meat and dairy as a non-vegan, and finding alternative sources can be a challenge at times. One of the most popular and useful forms of vegan protein is tofu. Tofu will assume any flavor that you cook it with, so it is a great source of protein that doesn't have to get old, because you can constantly apply different flavors to it. This is a great source of protein that is usually quite plentiful in most grocery stores. A problem that may arise from tofu is that it contains estrogen. This is potentially dangerous to females eating tofu; it is irrelevant for males. This means that for female vegans you should try not to have an overabundance of tofu; once a day or once every few days is okay, but definitely not every meal. Beans and nuts are also excellent sources of protein. Beans with rice are complementary foods, and eating them together helps better absorption of the nutrients from booth. Nutritionists often debate over whether or not this is true, so some sources may say otherwise.


Iron - Vegan iron sources can be found in the form of leafy, green vegetables, like spinach or bok choy, or can be acquired in the form of supplements.


Vitamin B12 - This is something that cannot be acquired from any non-animal based food aside from B12 enriched drinks like soy milk, almond milk, or rice milk. You can also take B12 in supplements**. B12 is vital to your body, and cannot function without it.


Calcium - Like B12 calcium is hard to find outside of dairy. It can be found in specially fortified soy milk, almond milk, or rice milk, or you can get calcium supplements**.


For more sources and information containing the above go to Veganism 102.






* In the final processing stages of sugar animal bones may be used as the active carbon source to further bleach the sugar to become white. Basically they burn animal bones to make white sugar white. You may avoid this by buying brown sugar, raw sugar, or certified vegan sugar. Sugar in products, such as chocolate or a power bar, will not be white sugar, however. The extra purification process will not be wasted upon sugar that is going into a product and will not be visible.


** Important note about supplements : they often contain gelatin! Make sure to check the ingredients label every time you buy any kind of supplement and make sure it is not animal based at all.