Vegan: a person who does not eat or use animal products.

I have been wanting to write about being vegan for a while, but sometimes it can be a hot button topic. I think I would like to turn this into a series and each time I will discuss a different facet of veganism. This will make the info a lot more digestible and less overwhelming. Veganism is a topic I am very passionate about and I think there are a lot of misconceptions, so I think for this first piece I would just like to write about what it means to be a vegan, what you can and cannot eat, and address a few common misconceptions.

So what exactly does it mean to be vegan? To put it simply, a vegan doesn't use or eat anything from an animal, but not everyone is clear on what that includes. Vegans do not any kind of meat, from any animal. They also do not eat animal byproducts like eggs, milk or honey. Vegans don't use products made with leather or fur and avoid beauty products that contain animal products or have been tested on animals. Veganism can be a diet or a lifestyle. Some people choose to not eat animal products for health reasons and for them it is primarily a dietary choice. People who live a vegan lifestyle usually do it to live a life of compassion one without animal cruelty. Some people choose veganism because it benefits the environment and helps to protect the planet. Plant based living is another very similar route and those people eat almost the same way but might include honey in their diets. Some people also just prefer the label plant based to vegan because it is a little less controversial. People can sometimes get a little heated about this topic because the way you eat is a huge part of your life, food is celebrated across cultures and it brings people together. Food is a huge part of everything from social gatherings to religion. However, most vegans believe it is morally wrong to kill innocent life just for temporary gratification. This can lead to some pretty hefty debates.

I would now like to address some of the common questions and misconceptions I regularly get so I can clear up confusion and further educate on veganism.

1. Where do you get your protein?/ Can you get enough protein without meat? Lots of foods that we eat regularly have high protein, foods you would never think to consider a source of protein. Beans, lentils, leafy greens, quinoa, nuts and seeds all have lots of protein to offer. Meat substitutes like tofu and tempeh as well as non dairy milks are good protein sources. You would be surprised how many milk substitutes you can get your hands on; almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, rice milk and hemp milk are all choices just to name a few.

2. Isn't being vegan expensive? Only if you let it be! Meat and milk substitutes can be more expensive but items like rice and beans are just about the cheapest thing you can buy in the store. It all depends on how savvy you are being with your buck, just like on any other diet.

3. How do you live without cheese/ ice cream/ any other non vegan product? While it may seem like I'm going without, to me the pros far outweigh the cons. Also, like I mentioned earlier, there are substitutes for everything.

4. Do you not like to eat? I actually love to eat! Eating vegan allows me to eat in abundance while consuming compassionately. Eating plant based allows you to actually consume more food, because it's healthy and less dense than meat or dairy. You have to eat more to fill up your stomach when eating plants only.

I am sure I haven't covered everything and I have so much more to say about this topic, but I hope this first installment in my vegan series is educational and maybe inspires someone to look into veganism further.