Veganism:
Various Types of Vegans
For many people, there are fine lines with how a vegan can be defined. Different from vegetarians and other people who modify their diets to be more plant-based, veganism has some subcategories. One of the defining markers of veganism based on the literature is that a vegan must abstain from all animal products in his or her livelihood. This would include the exclusion of any animal products that a person can wear, such as skins and furs, and products that were tested on animals. In this way, veganism is driven by ethical concern for animal welfare. This would inevitably exclude self-claimed vegans who follow a completely plant-based diet, but who do not abstain from using other animal products with differing opinions of ethical grounds. With veganism being a rapidly rising trend, it may be possible that more people will object to such a harsh definition of veganism, particularly since many vegans will have to deal with societal pressures anyway. This paper is a literature review of literature written on veganism, in an attempt to define current definitions. There is also an interview with a vegan that seeks to challenge some of those definitions.
Introduction4
Literature Review4
Choosing to be Vegan.5
Growth of the Vegan Population in a Decade.8
Conclusion9
Veganism: Various Types of Vegans
Not all vegans are the same. In fact, there are several perspectives on how to define a vegan. Being a vegan normally means cutting off all animal products from livelihood for ethical reasons. This definition bypasses people on a vegetarian diet or a plant-based diet. This report will look into the definitions that make up these different perspectives. The report will also be based on an interview with a self-claimed vegan who wears leather. She discussed these different perspectives in order to show that veganism can include much more complex definitions than what it is known to be.
Literature Review
Many vegans are most often confused with vegetarians, although there are strong differences between the two. A vegetarian by definition “excludes meat, poultry, and seafood from their diet,” (Group, 2013). This essentially means that they keep animal products, such as dairy and eggs, in their diet. Vegans, on the other hand, avoid all animal products. Beyond dairy and eggs, vegans do not eat honey. For vegans, this can sometimes result in a vitamin B12 deficiency, since “vitamin B12 is only found in substantial amounts through animal foods,” (Group, 2013). For vegans who want to be able to maintain a healthy balance, they would have to take vitamin supplements. This would also mean that their vitamins would need to be gelatin-free, since gelatin is often made with animal lard (or vegan vitamins).
But among the community of vegans, there is also the sharp contrast between people eating a plant-based diet and a vegan by definition. Strictly meaning, “someone who follows a plant-based diet means that they found this lifestyle for health purposes Sometimes an individual who follows a plant-based diet may still consume honey or fish oil, and may also wear leather or fur,” (Nerisse, 2014). In other words, a person eating a plant-based diet is not really considered a vegan if their actions do not actually contribute to the ethical well-being of animals in their lifestyle choices outside of a diet. This strict definition certainly bothers Lauren Russell, who has been a vegan for three years. “There are many decisions that I make that are for the benefit of animals,” (L. Russell, personal communication, May 14, 2016). She refuses to buy cosmetics that are tested on animals, and she never buys peanut butter or cocoa that is made with palm oil, a product created through deforestation that is endangering orangutans.
According to certain definitions of vegans, however, Russell wouldn’t be able to call herself a vegan. An ethical vegan is a vegan that does “not consume or use any animal by-products,” (Nerisse, 2014), for the ethical concern over animals. This would mean the refusal to wear fur and leather, or consume fish oil and honey. Russell does use honey as a natural sweetener. “It’s a much healthier option than consuming animal-based milk, so why not use it? We are not choking bees to create honey,” (L. Russell, personal communication, May 14, 2016). But she wouldn’t call herself a flexitarian either, or “people who eat meat but are eating less of it,” (Crawford, 2015), considering that she does not consume meat at all. She also does not consider herself a vegetarian since she has cut out dairy products such as cheese, milk, yogurt, and even fish. “If I want a substitute for protein, I will choose either tofu or various types of nuts,” she says.
Choosing to Be Vegan
Russell decided to be a vegan specifically after reading The China Study, a book of research on plant-based diets and how it affects human health. “This book has me totally convinced that I can really make my own health better by just heating organic plants,” (L. Russell, personal communication, May 14, 2016). She has gluten sensitivity and is lactose intolerant. She spent years cutting off certain foods, but after reading the China Study, she has completely overhauled her diet and now feels much better. “I honestly never thought that I can feel this good about eating food,” she says. In comparison to many vegans, who choose this lifestyle for ethical reasons, Russell chose the lifestyle mainly for health. Environmental reasons for her lifestyle are a much-appreciated added bonus.
She uses studies that suggest that animal by-products such as cow milk as leading causes of liver cancer and other illnesses to keep up with her diet. “What protein consistently and strongly promoted cancer? Casein, which makes up 87 percent of cow’s milk protein, promoted all stages of the cancer process. What type of protein did not promote cancer, even at high levels of intake? The safe proteins were from plants, including wheat and soy,” (Campbell & Campbell, 2006, p. 6). Eating animal-based products also contributes to the rise of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and thyroid illness in the United States according to the China Study. Considering that “heart disease can be prevented and even reversed by a healthy diet,” (Campbell & Campbell, 2006, p. 15), a plant-based diet is very attractive for those looking for a healthier way to eat. Instead of cow or goat milk, Russell sticks with consuming almond milk, coconut milk, and at times, soymilk.
For Russell, the hardest part of being vegan is the societal pressure. She often feels out of place in restaurants and when hanging out with friends, since they consider her diet too strict. Hard data about vegans within the United States is scarce, but there are data on the changing behaviors of vegetarians. About 75 percent of people who chose a vegetarian diet end up eating meat again (Herzog, 2011). As for reasons why, 35 percent of those who ate animal meat again did so for health reasons (meaning that they were not getting the nutrients that they needed – something that Russell makes sure to do by consuming vitamin supplements when needed). 25 percent of those people quit a vegetarian diet because of the social hassle. “They complained that it was difficult to find high quality organic vegetables in their local supermarkets at a reasonable price [and] that vegetarianism was taking a toll on their social life,” (Herzog, 2011). Essentially, many people who want to follow a vegetarian, and by extension a vegan diet, will face hardship not only from their peers, but also from the economic system that they find themselves in. It’s not easy to find restaurants that will cater to the vegan diet, which makes Russell feel that there is a cultural system set up against her.
Russell recognizes the social stigmas that have made it hard on her to continue a vegan lifestyle. Of course, her choices depend more on the health aspect than animal and environmental welfare, which are subjects that she cares deeply about. “I believe that if we do not take care of the environment at all, then we will not have one in the future to live in. But I absolutely cannot allow myself to get sick for the comfort of others. I wish people were more open-minded and patient with me. I wish there were more options available to people like me,” (L. Russell, personal communication, May 14, 2016). Since she is also gluten-sensitive, it makes her diet that much more constrictive. Even finding vegan baked products can be a hassle for her if they are made with wheat, which would trigger harsh allergic symptoms for her. “My diet is just so much to handle, and my friends easily get frustrated with me. I hate to be a burden to them,” she says.
Growth of the Vegan Population in a Decade
At the same time, in the past five years alone, Russell feels she has seen a rise in tolerance and acceptance for the vegan diet. Veganism is now seeing a rising trend within the United States, which suggests that society is becoming more inclusive. As shown in Figure 1, veganism has seen an almost 6 percent increase in people who label themselves vegan between the year 2005 and 2015. In other words, within a decade, the United States has seen a population increase from 1 million self-claimed vegans (Vegetarianism in America, 2005) to about 19 million (Crawford, 2015), out of the total U.S. population of 318 million people. This data was gathered based on community surveys directed by different organizations in the years 2005 and 2015 respectively. If this trend continues, then studies will only see a continuing rise in the number of vegans living in the United States. “I am hoping that as long as this continues to happen, then I will be able to go to many more restaurants. I think that if more people keep asking for vegan menus, then more restaurants will catch on to the trend and provide even more options. The only way I see this going is onward and upward,” (L. Russell, personal communication, May 14, 2016).
Conclusion
There is a rising trend in veganism, but what the numbers do not show is the complexity of the vegan definition. For example, Russell buys leather products. “I buy leather products from independent artists that can assure me the leather was acquired ethically, and the adult animal was treated well. The leather would also be stained through vegetarian dyes, so it doesn’t harm the environment,” (L. Russell, personal communication, May 14, 2016). Russell does not use such extreme definitions of veganism to describe herself. “Why that would make me less of a vegan, I don’t understand. I find that kind of definition extreme.” Aside from the extremism of some views on the definition of veganism, Russell is ready to debate with anyone who wants to discuss how she labels herself. “I feel that there is no right way to label me at all. I’m not vegetarian, and I’m not flexitarian. If I walk around calling myself a person on a plant-based and gluten-free diet, I feel that it may come off as pretentious. It’s much easier for me to tell people directly that I am vegan. It makes communication easier, and anyone serving me at a restaurant will understand what the right meals to serve me would be,” she says. In the end, for her, it’s not really about the debate. It’s all about the lifestyle choice and sticking to it. More data needs to be done as far as how complex the vegan definition can be.
References
Campbell, T., & Campbell, T. C. (2006). The China Study. Dallas: BenBella Books..
Crawford, E. (2015, March 17). Vegan is going mainstream, trend data suggests. Food Navigator. Retrieved from http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Markets/Vegan-is- going-mainstream-trend-data-suggests
Group, E. (2013, January 11). Vegan vs. vegetarian: Differences and similarities. Global Healing Center. Retrieved from http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural- health/vegan-vs-vegetarian/
Herzog, H. (2011, June 20). Why do most vegetarians go back to eating meat? Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animals-and-us/201106/why-do-most- vegetarians-go-back-eating-meat
Nerisse, K. (2014, May 16). The types of vegans. Mindfully Bliss. Retrieved from http://mindfullybliss.com/2014/05/16/the-types-of-vegans/
Vegetarianism in America. (2005). Vegetarian Times. Retrieved from http://www.vegetariantimes.com/article/vegetarianism-in-america/
