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, registered in 1944.]] Veganism (also '''strict''' or '''pure Vegetarianism ''') is a Philosophy and Lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose.1 '''Vegans''' do not use or consume Animal Product s of any kind.2 The most popular reasons for becoming a vegan are concerns for Animal Rights , the environment, or human health, and spiritual or religious concerns.34 Of particular concern are the practices involved in Factory Farming and Animal Testing , and the intensive use of land and other resources required for animal farming. Various polls have reported vegans to be between 0.2% and 1.3%5 of the U.S. population, and between 0.25% and 0.4%6 of the UK population. '' The Times '' estimated in 2005 that there were 250,000 vegans in Britain. Vegetarian diets, which are similar to vegan diets, have been credited with lowering the risk of Colon Cancer , Heart Attack , High Blood Cholesterol , High Blood Pressure , Prostate Cancer , and Stroke .7 Because a poorly managed vegan diet can lead to reduced levels of calcium, iodine, and vitamins B and D, vegans are encouraged to take Dietary Supplements .http://www.all-creatures.org/mhvs/nl-2005-wi-b12.html DEFINITION The word ''vegan'', usually Pronounced {Link without Title} ,8 was originally derived from "vegetarian" in 1944 when Elsie Shrigley and Donald Watson , frustrated that the term "vegetarianism" had come to include the eating of dairy products, founded the UK Vegan Society.9 They combined the first three and last two letters of vegetarian to form "vegan", which they saw as "the beginning and end of vegetarian".10 The British Vegan Society defines veganism in this way: Other vegan societies use similar definitions.111213 Although these definitions exclude all animal products as non-vegan, some vegans consider the use of insect products such as honey or silk to be acceptable. Vegan Action: Vegan FAQ's - Is honey vegan? DEMOGRAPHICS United States A 2002 ''Time'' / CNN Poll found that 4% of American adults consider themselves vegetarians, and 5% of self-described vegetarians consider themselves vegans. A 2006 poll conducted by '' Harris Interactive '' in the United States listed specific foods and asked respondents to indicate which items they never eat, rather than asking respondents to self-identify. The results found that, of the 1,000 adults polled, 1.4% never eat meat, poultry, fish, seafood, dairy products, or eggs. They were, in other words, vegan (except for possibly honey) in their eating habits. The survey found that about 1.4% of men and 1.3% of women have vegan diets. United Kingdom In 2002, the UK Food Standards Agency reported that 5% of respondents self-identified as vegetarian or vegan. Though 29% of that 5% said they avoided "all animal products", only 5% reported avoiding dairy products. In 2005, '' The Times '' estimated there were 250,000 vegans in Britain. Sweden Various polls and research conducted during the 1990s put the percentage of Swedes being vegan at between 0.27% and 1.6% of the entire population.14 ANIMAL PRODUCTS The term " Animal Product " in a vegan context refers to material derived from animals for human use. Notable animal products include Meat , Poultry , Seafood , Egg s, Dairy Product s, Honey , Fur , Leather , Wool , and Silk . Common animal by-products include Gelatin , Lanolin , Rennet , Whey , Beeswax and Shellac . Animal ingredients can be found in countless products and are used in the production of—though not always present in the final form of—many more;151617 many of these ingredients are esoteric,1819 also have non-animal sources,20 and especially in non-food products may not even be identified. Although some vegans attempt to avoid all these ingredients, Vegan Outreach argues that "it can be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming to shun every minor or hidden animal-derived ingredient," and therefore that doing what is "best for preventing suffering" is more important than identifying and excluding every animal ingredient.2122 ETHICAL CONCERNS See Also: Animal rights Ethics of eating meat Factory farming at an Intensive Pig Farm . Opposition to Factory Farm ing is one of the most common ethical reasons given for veganism.23]] Vegan organizations maintain that animals have certain rights, and as such it is not ethical for humans to use animals in ways that infringe those rights.242526 Practices seen as cruel to animals include Factory Farming ,2728 Animal Testing ,29 and groups which display animals for entertainment, such as Circus es,30 Rodeo s,31 and Zoo s.32 Legal theorist Gary L. Francione argues that Sentience in animals is sufficient to grant them moral consideration and that adopting veganism should be regarded as the "baseline" action taken by people concerned with animal rights.33 Utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer argues that the suffering of sentient animals is relevant to ethical decisions, and advocates both veganism and improved conditions for farm animals as a means to reduce animal suffering.343536 William Jarvis has questioned the validity of the ethical claims put forward by vegans, stating that "the belief that all life is sacred can lead to absurdities such as allowing reasons, stating that the benefit caused by a good taste for the human who consumes animal products is more than negated by the pain felt by the beings who are consumed.Singer, Peter (1979). "The case against using animals for food is at its strongest when animals are made to lead miserable lives so that their flesh can be made available to humans at the lowest possible cost. ... In order to have meat on the table at a price that people can afford, our society tolerates methods of meat production that confine sentient animals in cramped, unsuitable conditions for the entire duration of their lives. ... To avoid speciesism we must stop these practices." Practical Ethics , Cambridge 1979. Chapter 3. Steven Davis, professor of Animal Science at Oregon State University , argues that the number of wild animals killed in crop production is greater than those killed in Ruminant -pasture production. Whenever a tractor goes through a field to plow, disc, cultivate, apply fertilizer and/or pesticide, and harvest, animals are killed.Davis, S.L. (2001). "The least harm principle suggests that humans should eat beef, lamb, dairy, not a vegan diet." EurSafe 2001. Food Safety, Food Quality and Food Ethics. ''Proceedings of the Third Congress of the European Society for Agricultural and Food Ethics''. pp 449-450. Davis gives a small sampling of U.S. field animals that are threatened by intensive crop production, including many Mammal s, Bird s and Amphibians . In one small example, an alfalfa harvest caused a 50% decline in the gray-tailed vole population. According to Davis, if all the cropland in the U. S. were used to produce crops for a vegan diet, it is estimated that around 1.8 billion animals would be killed annually.37 Gaverick Matheny, a Ph.D. candidate in agricultural economics at the University of Maryland, counters that Davis' reasoning contains several major flaws, including distorting the notion of "harm" to animals, and miscalculating the number of animal deaths based on areas of land rather than per consumer. For example, currently nearly 10 billion animals are killed each year in the U.S. for food, more than five times greater than Davis' estimated 1.8 billion for crop harvesting. Matheny says that "After correcting for these errors, Davis’s argument makes a strong case for, rather than against, adopting a vegetarian diet."38 CUISINE under a fur coat"), which is popular in Russia.]] See Also: Vegetarian cuisine For recipes and further information see the . The Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine recommends what they call the "Four New Food Groups." "Vegetarian starter kit" , Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, posted on ''vegsource.com''. They suggest that vegans and vegetarians eat at least three servings of vegetables a day, including dark green, leafy vegetables such as broccoli, and dark yellow and orange such as carrots; five servings of whole grains (bread, rice, pasta); three of fruit; and two of legumes (beans, peas, lentils). The cuisines of most nations contain dishes suitable for a vegan diet, including ingredients such as Tofu , Tempeh and the wheat product Seitan in Asian diets.39404142 Many recipes that traditionally contain animal products can be adapted by substituting plant-based ingredients. For example, nut, grain or Soy Milk s can be used to replace cow's milk43 and eggs can be replaced by applesauce or commercial starch-based substitute products, depending upon the recipe.44 Additionally, artificial "meat" products ( "analogs" Or "mock Meats" ) made from non-animal derived ingredients such as soy or Gluten , including imitation Sausages , Ground Beef , Burger s, and Chicken Nugget s are widely available.45 HEALTH See Also: Vegan nutrition Benefits which normally includes meat and animal products.]] Certain widespread diets (such as the Standard American Diet , which is high in fat and low in fiber and green vegetables) are detrimental to health, and a vegan diet thus represents an improvement,4647 in part because vegan diets are often high enough in fruit and vegetables to meet or exceed the recommended fruit and vegetable intakes. Conversely, studies in Japan found that increased consumption of some animal products coincided with a decrease in risk for some forms of Cerebrovascular Disease and stroke mortality.48 Some vegans feel additional health benefits are gained by eating food with minimal levels of substances such as Growth Hormone s and Antibiotics , which are often given to intensively farmed animals in countries where this is legal.49 Because they are similar to human hormones, growth-promoters such as Anabolic Steroid s that are used in cattle farming in America may affect fetal and childhood development.[505152 Due to this uncertainty, the use of such growth promoters is illegal in the European Community .53 Benefits of vegetarian diets are sometimes also valid for strict vegan diets: according to the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada, diets that avoid meat tend to have lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein, and higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants, such as Vitamins C and E , and phytochemicals.54 People who avoid meat are reported to have lower Body Mass Indices than those following the average Canadian diet; from this follows lower death rates from Ischemic Heart Disease ; lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer. The American Dietetic Association states that well-planned vegan diets can also be appropriate for life cycles requiring high nutritional intake such as pregnancy, lactation, childhood, and adolescence. A . Vegan athletes compete in a variety of sports, including Powerlifting , Bodybuilding , Martial Arts , and long distance running.5556 Multiple Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis has stated that he became vegan in 1990 and achieved his "best year of track competition" in 1991 when he ate a vegan diet.57 Precautions Specific nutrients |
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