| Depending on one's level of commitment | | | | and proteins has been linked to heart |
| this can include not using certain | | | | disease, colon and lung cancer, |
| medicines because they are tested for | | | | osteoporosis, diabetes, kidney disease, |
| safety on animals. A Vegan will not buy | | | | hypertension, obesity, and a number of |
| or use animal products whether that's a | | | | other debilitating conditions. Cows' |
| steak, an egg, bread with milk in it or | | | | milk contains ideal amounts of fat and |
| leather shoes. The overall goal of | | | | protein for young calves, but far too |
| veganism is to reduce animal suffering, | | | | much for humans. According to Gill |
| environmental damage, hunger in the | | | | Langley, a Ph.D. in biology and author |
| developing world and risks to our own | | | | of Vegan Nutrition, "it is clear from |
| health. Veganism takes all those | | | | the example of many thousands of vegans |
| advantages just a little further. For | | | | worldwide that a varied plant-based diet |
| very many people concerned about any or | | | | not only supports health and well-being |
| all of these problems, it seems the | | | | but, additionally, can have positive |
| natural step to take from vegetarianism. | | | | health benefits" (Langley 1995). A vegan |
| Why do people choose to become Vegan? | | | | diet is protective against such major |
| Animal Welfare - Despite the common | | | | killers as heart disease and cancer. |
| belief that drinking milk or eating eggs | | | | Eating fewer animal products is a good |
| does not kill animals, commercially | | | | choice for the environment and your |
| raised dairy cows and egg-laying | | | | conscious. Animal agriculture produces |
| chickens, whether factory-farmed or | | | | surprisingly large amounts of air and |
| 'free range,' are slaughtered when their | | | | water pollution, and causes 80 percent |
| production rates decline, not to mention | | | | of the world's annual deforestation. It |
| the appalling conditions to which they | | | | also requires large amounts of water, |
| are kept. There is an ongoing debate on | | | | and livestock worldwide consumes half |
| the finer points of what constitutes an | | | | the world's total grain harvest. |
| animal product; The Vegan Society and | | | | How Do I Know it's Vegan? |
| most vegans include insect products such | | | | When shopping, look out for the vegan |
| as honey in their definition as well. | | | | society logo. It appears on thousands of |
| The environment - Animal agriculture | | | | animal free products that have been |
| takes a devastating toll on the earth. | | | | registered with The Vegan Society. |
| It is an inefficient way of producing | | | | You will need to examine the packaging |
| food, since feed for farm animals | | | | and labelling carefully of all non |
| requires land, water, fertilizer, and | | | | registered products to ensure that you |
| other resources that could otherwise | | | | avoid animal by-products such as gelatin |
| have been used directly for producing | | | | and rennet which can be found in |
| human food. | | | | everyday items such as children's |
| Health - The consumption of animal fats | | | | sweets. |