Research and Describe What Exactly is Veganism?

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Experiences of a Vegan
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January 9, 2018
Introduction
For most people, Veganism is simply seen as a kind of lifestyle that is solely based on food preferences. This is because, in its core definition, Veganism refers to “a type of vegetarian diet that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products and all other animal-derived ingredients” (Hackett). Nonetheless, as I learned more about the aspects of Veganism, I found out that being a vegan refers to a multitude of other things that makes it more than just a lifestyle, but something which could even be deemed as a “philosophy”. In this article, I would then explore some of the reasons why I believe that Veganism is more than one’s preference over food. This includes how vegans think, react, and perceive the things around them. Specifically, the data that was compiled in this article came from an interview of two Vegans (Joe and Mika), whom I knew from our neighborhood. On one hand, Joe is an African American Seventh-day Adventist, in his Mid-twenties, and is working at a local tire-repair shop near our plane. On the other hand, Mika is a Caucasian student in his early twenties who is taking up liberal arts in a University in the city. These individuals were chosen purposively as both of them are not close to each other and does not belong to the same ethnicity, class, and religion. I believe that this is important in order to mitigate the possibilities of a “response bias”, which could happen if the two participants belong to the same group (Choi and Pak). Nevertheless, I believe that veganism as a philosophy starts from one’s preference over his/her diet and develops as one changes his/her view about the different things in life.
What Exactly is Veganism?
As stated earlier veganism refers to one’s strict preference towards foods which are not “derived from animals”. This stringent lifestyle does not only limit itself towards the main ingredients of their foods but also to the ingredients that they used to prepare it. In contrast to vegetarianism, Veganism is considered to be one of the subsets of this lifestyle. The other types of vegetarianism are the Lacto-ovo vegetarians and the lacto vegetarians, whose diets include eating eggs and dairy and dairy only, not eggs, respectively (Atasteofhealth.org). Following from this, it could be seen that vegans (or vegan-vegetarians) are considered as the most of rigorous type of vegetarianism. While studies have said that veganism is also the most healthy type amongst the three, given that this diet is done effectively, it must be noted that veganism is also the most difficult to ascribe to because one must be able to maintain a constant vigilance towards understanding the very ingredients that are included in what he/she eats.
How Veganism Affects our Mind
According to Ede, while Vegan diets are proven to help the body especially in terms of digestion and fitness, the same could not be said towards its effects on the mind. The reason for this is because our body is predisposed towards eating both meat and plants, w...