Questions tagged [veganism]

In addition to being vegetarian (do not eat meat, poultry, or fish), vegans do not consume or use any animal products (such as eggs, milk, leather, honey, etc.)

Vegans subsist on a solely plant based diet and also try to, as far as possible avoid animal exploitation. They therefore generally eschew both products made from animals and products that have undergone animal testing.

The vegan society defined veganism in 1951 as

The word veganism shall mean the doctrine that man should live without exploiting animals.

Questions about health, nutrition, the avoidance of animal products, specific questions about the transition to, and statistics about veganism should use this tag.

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How to deal with pressure from family when telling them you are becoming a vegan?

Sometimes explaining to your family that you have decided to become a vegetarian/vegan is not easy, especially when they have grown up thinking that eating meat/fish/dairy from time to time is necessary for a healthy diet. For that reason they might…
A. A.
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Reasons for being vegetarian or vegan other than ethical reasons?

I met a lot of people that, even though they have strong reasons for being vegan or vegetarian, or even work saving or helping animals, etc. have failed to follow their principles and ended up including meat again. Almost every vegetarian or vegan…
I.G. Pascual
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What are the main nutrient deficiency concerns for vegans?

What are the main nutrient deficiencies strict vegans are at risk of and how to avoid them?
kenorb
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Is some sugar not vegan?

White or brown sugar is made from sugar cane, or from sugar beets. Both of those are vegetables. Since sugar doesn't come from an animal, why do some brands of sugar bother mentioning on the package that they are "vegan"?
Erica
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What is a good source of Vitamin B12 for a vegan?

My understanding is that Vitamin B12 is a vitamin that vegetarians and meat eaters get from animals and animal products; how can I obtain this vitamin as a vegan? Can I live without it safely?
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Is there such thing as a vegan pregnancy test?

Some pregnancy tests (as far as I know most/all) use animal antibodies, called monoclonal antibodies. These antibodies are grown/farmed from animals, often mice or rabbits. Because these pregnancy tests use animal products, I don't think they count…
Riker
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Hidden non-vegetarian or vegan ingredients

I imagine there's a (hopefully) short list of items that may appear innocuous on a food label which are in fact of animal origin in same way. Ones I'm aware of include casein (to clarify beer) and gelatin (to make jellies stable). Are there any…
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Is honey considered vegan?

Since vegan diet avoids animal products, does it include natural honey? Does it depends whether some bees are killed while beekeepers gather their honey?
kenorb
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What health reasons might prevent people from becoming vegan?

Often, people say something like "I'd love to be vegan, but I have low iron levels and a vegan diet would be unhealthy for me." I'm not a physician and I can't just say "I assure you, your iron intake will not suffer, but maybe even improve." I…
Turion
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How can I convince my workplace to offer a better vegan menu?

I actually don't have many choices for my lunches since there aren't a lot of restaurants nearby, and none that has a vegan option. My workplace, though, has a restaurant for takeaway. One drawback is that it serves a single vegan "meal": a raw…
Niitaku
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What are some non-sweet options for vegan breakfast?

While I find following a vegan diet really easy to adapt to, ever since I stopped eating cheese and eggs, I have almost run out of my usual breakfast choices and all of the ones I've been left with are sweet ones. Various vegan recipe sites do not…
Alexander Rossa
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Does a vegan diet actually cause weight loss?

I've heard many places (just google the title of this question) that a vegan diet causes weight loss, usually in the context of trying to lose weight. Does a healthy vegan diet actually cause weight loss? i.e. getting all the nutrients I need,…
Riker
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Does becoming vegan need a transition?

I recently decided to be vegan. One of my concerns is the impact on health of a sudden change of eating habits. So, speaking about health, does becoming vegan need a transition? Do I need to "teach my body" to not have animal-related food anymore to…
Niitaku
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At what age can a kid change their diet from vegetarian to vegan?

We usually give kids cow/goat milk, ghee and some products for better health (calcium for strong bones and so on). At what age we can change a kid's diet to vegan from vegetarian without affecting his/her health. If it is a step by step procedure ,…
i--
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Is "protein combining" necessary to be healthy on a vegan diet?

I've heard claims that in order to be healthy on a vegan diet, one must go out of their way to combine proteins from different food sources in order to get an adequate amount of each necessary amino acid. Is this really necessary, or is an…
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