What exactly is a Vegan?

[wvjules]

No animal products at all?

 

[Tiggerlover91]

No animal products at all?

That is correct. DH and I had a friend who was a vegan....no fish, no meat, no eggs, no dairy. He was hardcore!

 

[Laura]

That's right. Technically, no eggs, no dairy, no honey, no refined sugar (depends on the person), etc. on top of no meat. Also will not use animal products. I am not a vegan, I am an ovo-lacto vegetarian. I eat eggs and dairy, but I take on some lifestyle aspects of veganism, as I do not buy leather--for example.

http://www.ivu.org/faq/definitions.html

 

[wvjules]

I get the concept of being a vegetarian since I think they see the killing of animals for food/clothing as cruel. But why do vegans not drink/eat dairy? No animal was killed for milk and cheese or honey. (I don't understand the refined sugar thing at all ) Also, does that also mean no wool sweaters or socks?

 

[kirbsam]

i had a vega once. it was actually a nice little car. got good gas mileage. used regualr gasoline and oil. so might have had animal byproducts in it.

 

[sajetto]

My sis knows someone who is an extreme kind of vegan...I can't remember what its called, but they won't eat anything that has been killed including plants. They will only eat fruits and vegetables that fell to the ground on their own....what are they called? I know that there is a market in Atlanta that caters to those people and they actually call the food "naturally dead"

 

[Laura]

I get the concept of being a vegetarian since I think they see the killing of animals for food/clothing as cruel. But why do vegans not drink/eat dairy? No animal was killed for milk and cheese or honey. (I don't understand the refined sugar thing at all ) Also, does that also mean no wool sweaters or socks?

Lots of reasons. They don't think it's healthy, it enslaves animals, and some things indirectly cause the deaths of animals. Like dairy--cows give birth to calves (thus producing milk) and the calves get sold off as veal. And bees are often killed in the production of honey. And yup--no wool sweaters or socks.

 

[Laura]

My sis knows someone who is an extreme kind of vegan...I can't remember what its called, but they won't eat anything that has been killed including plants. They will only eat fruits and vegetables that fell to the ground on their own....what are they called?

Fruitarians

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I have a friend who is vegan. She says she will eat a person before she eats an animal. She cracks me up (but I do think there is a part of her that is serious ).

 

[Sparx]

vegan is no animal or animal by products. (dairy, leather, and the such) I've known several and I was one for several years.

But I've got a question. why do some vegetarians (maybe all, not totally clear on this) eat fish? is fish not seen as a meat?

 

[Laura]

Vegetarians do not eat fish. At least, not the real vegetarians. There are posers out there.

 

[Sparx]

Vegetarians do not eat fish. At least, not the real vegetarians. There are posers out there.

then who eats fish? I've heard of a not so extreme kind of vegetarians that eats fish and eggs? I'm jsut really confused. lol

 

[Laura]

then who eats fish? I've heard of a not so extreme kind of vegetarians that eats fish and eggs? I'm jsut really confused. lol

I guess they would be called semi-vegetarians or pescetarians.

 

[momrek06]

That is correct. DH and I had a friend who was a vegan....no fish, no meat, no eggs, no dairy. He was hardcore!

OKAY, that being said....WHAT EXACTLY IS LEFT FOR THEM TO EAT!!!

and.....

Both my sons each have a friend that is "hard core" (to quote the above poster)(oh, I guess I actually did quote them ) ANYWAY both these lovely girls that are vegans are also very heavy...I am confused...as it seems they would STARVE being a vegan, yet to look at them, you know they have not...

 

[momrek06]

Fruitarians

OH MY LORD...MY DH...that is exactly what he is a FRUITARIAN ..YUP, that is exactly what he is....from early in the morning until bed....

oranges, apples, pears, bananas, raisins, all day and all night....

 

[Laura]

OKAY, that being said....WHAT EXACTLY IS LEFT FOR THEM TO EAT!!!

and.....

Both my sons each have a friend that is "hard core" (to quote the above poster)(oh, I guess I actually did quote them ) ANYWAY both these lovely girls that are vegans are also very heavy...I am confused...as it seems they would STARVE being a vegan, yet to look at them, you know they have not...

What isn't there for them to eat? So many things, I couldn't possibly start listing them.
http://www.veganchef.com/

People are overweight when they eat more calories than they burn. It's less to do with what they eat--more of how much. Or not exercising. Or both.

 

[FlowersChild]

The way I see it is a Vegan is someone who tries their best to not harm any living being. If there is a law to Veganism I would say the main law is to do your best not to harm any living creature. Not buying products tested on animals and not eating meat,dairy,eggs,honey could be laws that have roots in the main law that is to do your best to harm no living being. I hope I am making sense ?

When I buy my products such as soup,toothpaste ect. I do my best to buy products that are not tested on animals and that have no animal by-products in them. Now it's my belief that honey is not Vegan. You see I don't see why honey is different from Cow's milk in the fact that both honey and cow's milk comes from an animal.


Also if I see lizards,bugs,roaches ect. in my house I will not kill them I will take them outside. I don't want to kill any living being. I don't wear leather shoes and I will not wear anything that comes from an animal. Now some say that you can't be 100 % Vegan. I guess it depends on how you look at it. Well no matter how hard we try each of us will somehow harm some living being. We people walk what about the bugs they might step on and this is just one example of what I mean when I say we all will harm some living being. So if you look at it that way I would say that no one can be 100 % Vegan.

Now just because I can't stop all animal suffering that does not mean that I can't stop some of it. So some people will not eat meat,dairy,eggs, they will not buy products tested on animals and they will not kill bugs,roaches,ants and they will do their best to respect all life. Many people will do their best to not harm any living being. So maybe in a way these people are 100 % Vegan.

So Veganism to me means doing my best to respect all life. Many times I say this " I love and adore all animals " > When I say that I love and adore all animals that means that I respect all life and I don't want to see any living being suffer. Also Veganism is my way of showing kindness to animals. When I adopted this little black kitten from an animal shelter I saved her life and I showed kindness to her. Also if one of my human friends is upset about something I would like to help them out if I could and if I help them out and show kindness to them I feel that is a part of my Veganism.

 

[Sparx]

I guess they would be called semi-vegetarians or pescetarians.

Pescetarians. Thats what I heard them called.

 

[momrek06]

The way I see it is a Vegan is someone who tries their best to not harm any living being. If there is a law to Veganism I would say the main law is to do your best not to harm any living creature. Not buying products tested on animals and not eating meat,dairy,eggs,honey could be laws that have roots in the main law that is to do your best to harm no living being. I hope I am making sense ?

When I buy my products such as soup,toothpaste ect. I do my best to buy products that are not tested on animals and that have no animal by-products in them. Now it's my belief that honey is not Vegan. You see I don't see why honey is different from Cow's milk in the fact that both honey and cow's milk comes from an animal.


Also if I see lizards,bugs,roaches ect. in my house I will not kill them I will take them outside. I don't want to kill any living being. I don't wear leather shoes and I will not wear anything that comes from an animal. Now some say that you can't be 100 % Vegan. I guess it depends on how you look at it. Well no matter how hard we try each of us will somehow harm some living being. We people walk what about the bugs they might step on and this is just one example of what I mean when I say we all will harm some living being. So if you look at it that way I would say that no one can be 100 % Vegan.

Now just because I can't stop all animal suffering that does not mean that I can't stop some of it. So some people will not eat meat,dairy,eggs, they will not buy products tested on animals and they will not kill bugs,roaches,ants and they will do their best to respect all life. Many people will do their best to not harm any living being. So maybe in a way these people are 100 % Vegan.

So Veganism to me means doing my best to respect all life. Many times I say this " I love and adore all animals " > When I say that I love and adore all animals that means that I respect all life and I don't want to see any living being suffer. Also Veganism is my way of showing kindness to animals. When I adopted this little black kitten from an animal shelter I saved her life and I showed kindness to her. Also if one of my human friends is upset about something I would like to help them out if I could and if I help them out and show kindness to them I feel that is a part of my Veganism.

THANK YOU, FLOWER....very well said!

 

[Laura]

THANK YOU, FLOWER....very well said!

I agree. It was very well put.