What does Vegan mean ?

What does Vegan mean ?

What does vegan mean ?.Even though Vegans follow a vegetarian diet many of us misunderstand the term Vegan for a Vegetarian.Recently my betterhalf told me about someone being vegan which intrigued me about the vegan diet his friend was following. Much to the amusement of my husband the term Vegan meant pure vegetarian.

So what exactly does vegan mean?.

Vegan refers to the person whose diet does not include meat,sea food,eggs,dairy products and other animal derived ingredients. Sometimes people refer to the food or diet as vegan which includes dairy free and vegetarian foods.

What do Vegans eat ?.

In recent years Vegan foods are on the rise with commercial market focussing on Vegan cakes,Vegan cookies and Vegan ice creams.So what are the foods which are considered Vegan?. The diet includes grains,legumes,vegetables,fruits and different types of beans. As a substitute to milk Vegans use almond milk,coconut milk and soya milk. If you are a cheese lover you can switch to tofu which is soy based cheese.

Who coined the term vegan?.

In 1944 Donald Watson coined the term Vegan which he referred to non dairy vegetarian but after few years Vegan was refered to the doctorine that a man should live without exploiting animals by the Vegan Society.( source: Wikipedia)

How far can Vegans go to be loyal to the philosophy?

There are strict vegans who tend to follow veganism in life style abstaining themselves from using silk,woollen products and leather products .Sometimes Honey is avoided from their diet list of vegan foods.

What are the risks involved in switching to vegan?

People are advised to follow vegan diet for health reasons but switching to veganism can at times be harmful as it will result in sudden imbalance in your energy requirements. Vegan foods are lower in calcium,zinc,fat,omega 3 ,vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Proper guidance is required while changing to veganism and intake of vitamin supplements and fortified foods can help to maintain balance in our body.

photo credit: meghan hodges @unsplash .com

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