7 Unexpected Facts About Vegans 0 7

Vegans completely exclude animal products from their diet. Unlike vegetarians, they do not eat seafood, dairy products, or eggs. This makes their diet quite strict and limited. However, with the right choice of foods, one can maintain health and not experience a deficiency of essential vitamins and minerals. Moreover, studies show that people who adhere to veganism are 32% less likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, they often refuse clothing, footwear, and household items made from leather or fur.

However, these are just well-known facts. Next, we will look at more interesting and sometimes unexpected moments from the history of the community that has rejected animal products.

Fact 1. How did vegans react to World War II?

Vegetarianism existed in the USA and Europe as early as the 19th century. However, people who completely rejected animal food only appeared in 1944, when vegetarians from the UK, including Donald Watson and his like-minded individuals, founded a new society that rejected the use of animals in nutrition and production.

Fact 2. The rise of the movement in the early 2000s

Today, veganism is protected by the European Convention. The first vegan society in the USA was founded in 1948. In Denmark, the first international festival took place in 1981, which has since become a tradition and is held every two years in different cities around the world.

In 2005, the book "The China Study" was published, presenting the results of 20 years of research on the benefits of veganism. From that moment on, numerous restaurants, shops, and specialty stores promoting this lifestyle began to open.

Fact 3. About 2% of the population in Western countries are vegans

According to research conducted in the USA in 2012, 2% of Americans consider themselves vegans, and the same percentage is observed in the UK. In Germany, known for its meat traditions, about 1% of the population does not consume animal products. In Israel, this figure reaches 4-5%, where 250 restaurants offer a variety of vegan dishes.

Fact 4. Is honey a vegan product?

Many believe that honey, with its beneficial properties, should be included in the diet of vegans. However, strict adherents of veganism consider honey an animal product, so it is prohibited, just like dairy products. Nevertheless, some vegans still include honey in their menu. For the same reasons, they avoid pearls, silk, and cosmetics containing insect by-products.

Fact 5. Vegans and alcohol

Although many vegans do not refuse alcoholic beverages, some contain prohibited ingredients. For example, Baileys liqueur includes cream, and Campari contains a dye derived from crushed insects. Drinks made from plant-based and artificial sugars can be consumed, but beer produced on an industrial scale is often clarified using glue made from albumin and casein, making it unacceptable for vegans.

Fact 6. Sugar and veganism

For most people, sugar does not contain animal components. However, strict vegans consider this statement incorrect, as refined sugar is processed using charcoal made from animal bones. Therefore, they prefer cane sugar, stevia, and syrups made from Jerusalem artichoke and agave.

Fact 7. Vegans and deforestation

One of the main products for vegans is soy, of which Brazil is the world leader in production. Tropical forests are cut down to create soy plantations, which negatively impacts the planet's ecology. Therefore, the assertion that vegans actively fight for ecology is debatable.

Source: dietology.pro