Veganism 101

The shortest possible definition

Vegan: someone who avoids using animal products — in what they eat, wear, and buy — as far as is reasonably practical.

The 'reasonably practical' part is from the Vegan Society's original 1944 definition and it's the part most people miss. Nobody expects you to refuse a vaccine, check the glue in your shoes, or interrogate every restaurant. The goal is reasonable, sustained avoidance — not perfection.

Vegan vs vegetarian vs plant-based

• Vegetarian — no meat or fish, but eats dairy and often eggs.
• Vegan — no animal products at all in food, plus the same principle for clothing and beauty.
• Plant-based — usually used to describe the diet only, with no ethical or lifestyle component. A plant-based diet is what a vegan eats, but a plant-based eater might still wear leather.

Why people do it

There's no single reason and no required reason. The most common three:

• Animals — most people, once they know how dairy and eggs are actually produced, stop wanting to fund it.
• Health — well-planned vegan diets are linked to lower rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and several cancers.
• Environment — animal agriculture is one of the biggest drivers of greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and land use.

Most people who stick with it long-term end up caring about all three, in some order.

A few edge cases

• Honey — produced by bees, so most vegans skip it.
• Wine, beer — often fined with isinglass (fish bladder) or egg. See the alcohol guide.
• Refined sugar — some white sugar (in the US) is filtered through bone char. In India, this isn't standard. Indian sugar is generally vegan.
• Figs — yes, vegan. The internet rumour is wrong.