Veganism is a diet that has received a lot of coverage in recent years, but isn’t a new concept. There’s evidence of people choosing to avoid animal products that dates back 2,000 years. The concept of refusing to eat eggs and dairy on ethical grounds started to take shape in 1806 CE, with Dr. William Lambe and Percy Bysshe Shelley. They were some of the first people to publicly object these animal products. In 1944, the term “vegan” was coined by Donald Watson who founded The Vegan Society.
Fast forward to modern day and this plant-based diet trend has increased dramatically. In the U.S. there has been a 600% increase in people identifying as vegans in the last three years. In addition, there have been three times as many searches for vegan than there are for vegetarian or gluten free in the past three years.
What is a vegan diet?
A vegan diet is one that embraces plant-based ingredients while avoiding all animal-based products. This includes not consuming any type of meat, fish and shellfish, dairy, eggs, honey or gelatine.
What are the reasons to go vegan?
There are many reasons that individuals choose to go vegan. Three of the most common reasons for a transition to a plant-based diet are ethical motives, health benefits and environmental concerns.
Going vegan for ethical reasons
These individuals believe that all creatures have the right to life and freedom. They object modern farming practices that don’t grant them these rights. These animal-lovers are saving nearly 200 animals a year by going vegan.
Going vegan for health reasons
In addition to saving animals, going vegan has a multitude of health benefits. It’s reported that adult vegans are an average of 10 to 20 pounds lighter than adult meat-eaters. Not only does this diet cause weight loss, but vegans are less likely to develop heart disease, cancer, diabetes and high-blood pressure than meat-eaters.
Going vegan for environmental reasons
Individuals may choose to go vegan to reduce the environmental impact our food systems have on the earth. Animal agriculture produces 65% of the total amount of nitrous oxide emissions, comprises 35-40% of global methane emissions and creates 9% of global carbon dioxide emissions. It can also lead to deforestation and takes a toll on our natural resources.
10 tips for adopting a vegan lifestyle
No matter your reason for going vegan, the change to a plant-based diet can be a difficult. To help you make the transition, we have 10 tips for adopting a vegan lifestyle. Read through to find advice you can apply to your lifestyle and get insider tips from publicly vegan celebrities.