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==Health effects==
==Health effects==
{{main|Vegan nutrition}}
{{main|Vegan nutrition}}
The position of the [[American Dietetic Association]] is that "appropriately planned" vegan diets "are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases."<ref name="adajournal"/> Vegans are potentially at risk for being deficient in nutrients such as [[Cobalamin|vitamin B12]],<ref name="B12veganhealth">{{cite web |url=http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/vitaminb12 |title=Vegan Health: Vitamin B12 |accessdate=2007-02-23 |date=2006-07-26 |work=veganhealth.org |publisher=[[Vegan Outreach]] }}</ref> [[vitamin D]],<ref name="calciumvitamindveganhealth">{{cite web |url=http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/bones |title=Vegan Health: Bone Health |accessdate=2007-02-23 |date=2007-01-09 |work=veganhealth.org |publisher=[[Vegan Outreach]] }}</ref> [[calcium]],<ref name="ejcnveganfracture">{{cite journal |author=P Appleby |coauthors=A Roddam, N Allen and T Key |year=2007 |month=02 |title=Comparative fracture risk in vegetarians and nonvegetarians in EPIC-Oxford |journal=[[European Journal of Clinical Nutrition]] |volume= |issue= |pages= |pmid=17299475 |doi=10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602659 |url=http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/1602659a.html |accessdate=2007-02-25 }}</ref><ref name="calciumvitamindveganhealth"/> [[iodine]]<ref name="iodineveganhealth">{{cite web |url=http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/iodine |title=Vegan Health: Iodine |accessdate=2007-02-23 |date=2006-12-26 |work=veganhealth.org |publisher=[[Vegan Outreach]] }}</ref> and [[omega-3 fatty acid]]s.<ref name="omega3veganhealth">{{cite web |url=http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/fat |title=Vegan Health: Fat |accessdate=2007-02-23 |date=2007-02-20 |work=veganhealth.org |publisher=[[Vegan Outreach]] }}</ref> These deficiencies can have potentially serious consequences, including [[anemia]],<ref name="b12vegansociety">{{cite web |url=http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/b12/ |title=What every vegan should know about vitamin B12 |accessdate=2007-02-22 |publisher=[[Vegan Society]] |quote=Vitamin B12, whether in supplements, fortified foods, or animal products, comes from micro-organisms. }}</ref> [[rickets]]<ref name="vitaminDvegansociety">{{cite web |url=http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/vitaminD.php |title=Vegans and Vitamin D |accessdate=2007-02-22 |publisher=[[Vegan Society]] }}</ref> and [[cretinism]]<ref name="iodinevegansociety">{{cite web |url=http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/iodine.php |title=Nutrition: Iodine |accessdate=2007-02-23 |author=Steven Walsh |publisher=[[Vegan Society]] }}</ref> in children, and [[osteomalacia]]<ref name="vitaminDvegansociety"/> and [[hyperthyroidism]]<ref name="iodinevegansociety"/> in adults. Supplementation, particularly for vitamin B12, is highly recommended for vegans.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/ |title=Healthy choices on a vegan diet |accessdate=2007-02-14 |publisher=[[Vegan Society]]}}</ref>
The position of the [[American Dietetic Association]] is that "appropriately planned" vegan diets "are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases."<ref name="adajournal"/> Vegans are potentially at risk for being deficient in nutrients such as [[Cobalamin|vitamin B12]],<ref name="B12veganhealth">{{cite web |url=http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/vitaminb12 |title=Vegan Health: Vitamin B12 |accessdate=2007-02-23 |date=2006-07-26 |work=veganhealth.org |publisher=[[Vegan Outreach]] }}</ref> Supplementation for vitamin B12, is highly recommended for vegans.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/ |title=Healthy choices on a vegan diet |accessdate=2007-02-14 |publisher=[[Vegan Society]]}}</ref>

===Specific nutrients===
[[Cyanocobalamin|Vitamin B{{ssub|12}}]], a [[bacteria]]l product, cannot be reliably found in plant foods.<ref name="healthyvegan"/><ref name="b12vegetariansociety">{{cite web |url=http://www.vegsoc.org/info/b12.html |title=Vitamin B12 Information Sheet |accessdate=2007-02-22 |date= |publisher=[[Vegetarian Society]] |quote=[Vitamin B12] is exclusively synthesised by bacteria and is found primarily in meat, eggs and dairy products. ... [T]he present consensus is that any B12 present in plant foods is likely to be unavailable to humans and so these foods should not be relied upon as safe sources.}}</ref><ref name="b12vegansociety"/> While it may take one to five years to exhaust some individual's reserves of vitamin B{{ssub|12}}, many people do not have such reserves<ref name="B12mythveganhealth">{{cite web |url=http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/often |title=Vegan Health: Myth about How Often Someone Needs B12 |accessdate=2007-01-02|date=2005-07-22 |work=Vitamin B12: Are You Getting It? |author=Jack Norris, RD |work=veganhealth.org |publisher=[[Vegan Outreach]] }}</ref> and serious health consequences are a risk as a result of B{{ssub|12}} deficiency.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec12/ch154/ch154j.html |title=Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) |accessdate=2006-10-30 |work=Merck Manual Home Edition}}</ref> Additionally, mild B{{ssub|12}} deficiency can develop even with such reserves.<ref name="B12mythveganhealth"/> In a 2002 laboratory study, more of the strict vegan participants' B{{ssub|12}} and iron levels were compromised than those of lacto- or lacto-ovo-vegetarian participants.<ref name="vegparameters">{{cite journal|author=Obeid R, Geisel J, Schorr H, Hubner U, Herrmann W.|title=The impact of vegetarianism on some haematological parameters|journal=Eur J Haematol. |year=2002|pages=275-9|volume=69|issue=5–6|id=PMID 12460231}}</ref> The [[Vegan Society]] and [[Vegan Outreach]], among others, recommend that vegans either consistently eat foods fortified with B{{ssub|12}} or take a daily or weekly B12 supplement.<ref name="healthyvegan"/><ref name="b12vegetariansociety"/><ref name="b12vegansociety"/><ref name="b12vegetarianresourcegroup">{{cite web |url=http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.htm |title=Vitamin B12 in the Vegan Diet |accessdate=2007-02-22 |author=Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D. |publisher=[http://www.vrg.org/ Vegetarian Resource Group] }}</ref><ref name="b12PCRM">{{cite web |url=http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/b12.html |title=Don't Vegetarians Have Trouble Getting Enough Vitamin B12? |accessdate=2007-02-22 |publisher=[[Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine]] }}</ref> [[Tempeh]], [[seaweed]], [[Spirulina (dietary supplement)|spirulina]], [[Organic food|organic]] produce, soil on unwashed vegetables, and [[intestine|intestinal]] bacteria have not been shown to be reliable sources of B{{ssub|12}} for the dietary needs of vegans.<ref name="b12plantsources">{{cite web |url=http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/plant |title=Vegan Health: B12 in Tempeh, Seaweeds, Organic Produce, and Other Plant Foods |accessdate=2007-02-22 |author=Jack Norris, RD |work=veganhealth.org |publisher=[[Vegan Outreach]] }}</ref><ref name="b12intestine">{{cite web |url=http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/int |title=Vegan Health: Are Intestinal Bacteria a Reliable Source of B12? |accessdate=2007-02-22 |author=Jack Norris, RD |work=veganhealth.org |publisher=[[Vegan Outreach]] }}</ref>

Adequate amounts of [[vitamin D]] may be obtained by spending 15 to 30 minutes every few days in the sunlight, although this may be difficult for vegans in areas with low levels of sunlight during winter.<ref name="vitaminDvegansociety"/><ref name="nutritionvegetariansociety">{{cite web |url=http://www.vegsoc.org/info/vegan-nutrition.html#vitd |title=Information Sheet: Vegan Nutrition |accessdate=2007-02-22 |publisher=[[Vegetarian Society]] }}</ref><ref name="healthyvegan">{{cite web |url=http://www.veganoutreach.org/health/stayinghealthy.html#vitamind |title=Staying a Healthy Vegan |accessdate=2007-02-22 |author=Jack Norris, RD |date=2003-04-18 |publisher=[[Vegan Outreach]] |quote=There are no reliable, unfortified plant sources of vitamin B12; therefore fortified foods and/or supplements are necessary for the optimal health of vegans.}}</ref>

A 2007 study showed that vegans have an increased risk of [[bone fracture]]s than both meat eaters and vegetarians, likely due to lower dietary [[calcium]] intake. , but that vegans consuming more than the UK's estimated average requirements for calcium (525 mg/day) had risk of bone fractures similar to other groups.<ref name="ejcnveganfracture"/> It is recommended that vegans eat three servings per day of a high calcium food, such as fortified [[soy milk]] and take a calcium supplement as necessary.<ref name="calciumvitamindveganhealth"/><ref name="adajournal"/>

===Link with eating disorders===
The American Dietetic Association found that vegetarian diets may be more common among adolescents with eating disorders than in the general adolescent population, and that professionals should be aware of adolescents who limit the food choices and exhibit symptoms of eating disorders.<ref name="adajournal"/> The ADA indicates that the evidence suggests that the adoption of a vegetarian diet does not lead to eating disorders, but "vegetarian diets may be selected to camouflage an existing eating disorder."<ref name="adajournal"/> Other studies and statements by dietitians and counselors support this conclusion.<ref>{{cite news |first=Katherine |last=Dedyna |title=Healthy lifestyle, or politically correct eating disorder? |url=http://compulsiveeating.com/PR_vegetarisnismeatingdisorders.htm |work=Victoria Times Colonist |publisher=CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc. |date=2004-01-30 |accessdate=2006-10-30 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | author=O'Connor MA, Touyz SW, Dunn SM, Beumont PJ | title=Vegetarianism in anorexia nervosa? A review of 116 consecutive cases | journal=Med J Aust | year=1987 | pages=540-2 | volume=147 | issue=11–12 | id=PMID 3696039}}</ref><ref>Davis, Brenda. (2002). ''Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet''. p.224. ISBN 1-57067-103-6</ref>

===Vegan pregnancies===
The [[American Dietetic Association]] considers well planned vegan diets "appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including [[pregnancy]] and [[Breastfeeding|lactation]],"<ref name="adajournal"/> but recommends vegan mothers supplement for [[iron]], [[vitamin D]], and [[Cyanocobalamin|vitamin B{{ssub|12}}]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/advocacy_3773_ENU_HTML.htm |title=Nutrition and lifestyle for a healthy pregnancy outcome |publisher=[[American Dietetic Association]] |author=Lucia Lynn Kaiser |coauthors=Lindsay Allen |accessdate=2007-02-14 |date=2002-05-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/home_9812_ENU_HTML.htm |title=The Vegetarian Mom-to-Be |publisher=[[American Dietetic Association]] |author=ADA’s Public Relations Team |accessdate=2007-02-14 |date=2006-10-03}}</ref> Severe vitamin B{{ssub|12}} deficiency in lactating vegetarian mothers has been linked to deficiencies and [[Neurology|neurological]] disorders in their children.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Kuhne T, Bubl R, Baumgartner R |title=Maternal vegan diet causing a serious infantile neurological disorder due to vitamin B12 deficiency |journal=Eur J Pediatr |year=1991 |pages=205-8 |volume=150 |issue=3 |id=PMID 2044594}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Weiss R, Fogelman Y, Bennett M |title=Severe vitamin B12 deficiency in an infant associated with a maternal deficiency and a strict vegetarian diet |journal=J Pediatr Hematol Oncol |year=2004 |pages=270-1 |volume=26 |issue=4 |id=PMID 15087959}}</ref> A 2006 study found that vegan mothers are five times less likely to have [[twin]]s than those who eat animal products.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Steinman |first=G. |year=2006 |month=05 |title=Mechanisms of twinning: VII. Effect of diet and heredity on the human twinning rate. |journal=[[Journal of Reproductive Medicine]] |volume=51 |issue=5 |pages=405-10 |pmid=16779988 |url=http://www.reproductivemedicine.com/online/2006/405.pdf |format=PDF, ''fee required'' |accessdate=2007-02-25 }}</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 20:19, 31 May 2007

Veganism (also known as strict vegetarianism or pure vegetarianism), as defined by the Vegan Society, is "a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practical—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose."[1] A vegan (one who practices veganism) does not consume or use animal products, notably meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products.[2] People become vegans for a variety of reasons, including ethical concerns for animal rights or the environment, as well as perceived health benefits and spiritual or religious concerns.[3][4] Polls have variously reported vegans to be between 0.2%[3] and 1.3%[5] of the US population, and between 0.25%[4] and 0.4%[6] of the UK population.

Definition

The word vegan, usually pronounced [ˈviːgən],[7] was originally derived from "vegetarian" in 1944 when Elsie Shrigley and Donald Watson, frustrated that the term "vegetarianism" had come to include the eating of dairy products, founded the UK Vegan Society.[8] They combined the first three and last two letters of vegetarian to form "vegan," which they saw as "the beginning and end of vegetarian."[8][9] The British Vegan Society defines veganism in this way:

[T]he word "veganism" denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practical — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.

— Vegan Society[1]

Other vegan societies use similar definitions.[10][11][12]

Demographics

A 2002 Time/CNN poll, found that 4% of American adults consider themselves vegetarians, and 5% of self-described vegetarians consider themselves vegans.[3] This suggests that 0.2% of American adults are vegans. Also in 2002, the UK Food Standards Agency reported that 5% of respondents self-identified as vegetarian or vegan. Though 29% of that 5% said they avoided "all animal products" only 5% reported avoiding dairy.[4] Based on these figures, approximately 0.25% of the UK population follow a vegan diet. In 2005, The Times estimated there were 250,000 vegans in Britain, which suggests around 0.4% of the UK population is vegan.[6]

A 2006 poll conducted by Harris Interactive in the United States listed specific foods and asked respondents to indicate which items they never eat, rather than asking respondents to self-identify. The results found that, of the 1,000 adults polled, 1.4% never eat meat, poultry, fish, seafood, dairy products, or eggs. They were, in other words, vegan (except for possibly honey) in their eating habits. The survey found that about 1.4% of men and 1.3% of women have vegan diets.[5]

Animal products

The term "animal product" in a vegan context refers to material derived from animals for human use. Notable animal products include meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, honey, fur, leather, wool, and silk.[2] Common animal by-products include gelatin, lanolin, rennet, whey, beeswax and shellac.[2]

Animal ingredients can be found in countless products and are used in the production of—though not always present in the final form of—many more;[13][14][15] many of these ingredients are esoteric,[16][17] also have non-animal sources,[18] and especially in non-food products may not even be identified.[13] Although some vegans attempt to avoid all of these ingredients, Vegan Outreach argues that "it can be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming to shun every minor or hidden animal-derived ingredient," and therefore that doing what is "best for preventing suffering" is more important than identifying and excluding every animal ingredient.[19][20]

Motivations

Ethics

Sows at an intensive pig farm. Opposition to factory farming is one of the most common ethical reasons given for veganism.[21]

Many vegans take the position that animals have their own interests and therefore it is not ethical for humans to use animals in any way they see fit.[22][23][24] These vegans therefore avoid supporting the cruelty involved in factory farming,[21][25][26] animal testing,[2][27] and groups which display animals for entertainment, such as circuses,[28] rodeos,[29] and zoos.[30]

Legal theorist Gary L. Francione argues that sentience in animals is sufficient to grant them moral consideration and that adopting veganism should be regarded as the "baseline" action taken by people concerned with animal rights.[31] Utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer argues that the suffering of sentient animals is relevant to ethical decisions, and advocates both veganism and improved conditions for farm animals as a means to reduce animal suffering.[32][33][34]

William Jarvis has questioned the validity of the ethical claims put forward by vegans, stating that "the belief that all life is sacred can lead to absurdities such as allowing mosquitoes to spread malaria, or vipers to run loose on one's premises."[35] However, many vegans do not believe that all animal life is sacred, instead following veganism for other reasons. Peter Singer advocates veganism for utilitarian reasons, stating that the benefit caused by a good taste for the human who consumes animal products is more than negated by the pain felt by the beings who are consumed.[36]

Health

Fruit is a staple of a vegan diet.

Some studies have strongly correlated a plant based diet with better health benefits than the Standard American Diet.[37][38][39] Vegans claim additional health benefits are gained by not consuming artificial substances such as growth hormones and antibiotics, which are often given to farmed animals.[40][41][42][43]

The American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada state that "well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals. Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer."[44]

Vegan diets tend toward several nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, and higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, antioxidant vitamins C and E and phytochemicals.[44]

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine says that one small scale study has observed that a vegan diet can reduce blood cholesterol in people with, and significantly reduce the complications of Type 2 diabetes.[45]

Vegan athletes compete in a variety of sports, such as powerlifting, bodybuilding, martial arts, long distance running, and many others.[46][47] Multiple Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis has stated that he became vegan in 1990 and achieved his "best year of track competition" when he ate a vegan diet.[48]

Some studies have found benefits associated with diets rich in whole plant foods, and risks associated with diets rich in animal-based foods. One of the researchers from the 1990 epidemiological study, "The China Study," said "Even small increases in the consumption of animal-based foods was associated with increased disease risk."[37][38] A 1998 Spanish study asserted that "[t]here is a growing body of evidence to show that consumption of fruit and vegetables may protect against development of cerebrovascular disease."[49] Conversely, studies in Japan found that increased consumption of some animal products coincided with a decrease in risk for some forms of cerebrovascular disease and stroke mortality.[50]

There are also claims that industry livestock feeding practices pose health threats to human consumers. According to Dr. Michael Greger [1] in a January 2004 lecture at MIT (which is the basis for Whistleblower, a 2007 documentary film by Jeff Bellamar) each year more than one million tons of animal excrement are fed back to farm animals raised for human consumption to lower the feed costs. He also says that up to 10% of blood from killed animals is mixed into some cattle feed, and up to 30% of some poultry feed is made up of the blood. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, is believed to be caused by cows being fed with contaminated meat and bone meal, a high-protein substance obtained from the remnants of butchered animals, including cows and sheep. In most parts of the developed world, such remnants are no longer allowed in feed for ruminant animals, and the World Health Organization recommends a complete ban on ruminant-to-ruminant feeding, but the practice persists in a few countries.[51]

Resources and the environment

People who adopt veganism for environmental reasons do so on the basis that veganism consumes fewer resources and causes less environmental damage than an animal-based diet.[52][53][54] Animal agriculture is linked to climate change, water pollution, land degredation, and a decline in biodiversity.[53][54][55] Additionally, an animal-based diet is far less land,[55][56] water[57] and energy efficient than a vegan diet.[55][58][59]

A 2006 study by Gidon Eshel and Pamela Martin, assistant professors of geophysics at the University of Chicago, found that a person switching from the average American diet to a vegan diet would reduce CO2 emissions by 1,485 kg per year.[60]

The United Nations released a ground breaking report in November 2006 linking animal agriculture to environmental damage. The report, titled "Livestock’s Long Shadow–Environmental Issues and Options,"[61] concludes that the livestock sector (primarily cows, chickens, and pigs) emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to our most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global. It is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases - responsible for 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalents. By comparison, all transportation emits 13.5% of the CO2. It produces 65% of human-related nitrous oxide (which has 296 times the global warming potential of CO2) and 37% of all human-induced methane (which is 23 times as warming as CO2).

Steven Davis, professor of animal science at Oregon State University, argues that the number of wild animals killed in crop production is greater than those killed in ruminant-pasture production. Whenever a tractor goes through a field to plow, disc, cultivate, apply fertilizer and/or pesticide, and harvest, animals are killed. [62] Davis gives a small sampling of field animals in the U. S. that are threatened by intensive crop production, such as: opossum, rock dove, house sparrow, European starling, black rat, Norway rat, house mouse, Chukar, grey partridge, ring-necked pheasant, wild turkey, cottontail rabbit, gray-tailed vole, and numerous species of amphibians. In one small example, an alfalfa harvest caused a 50% decline in the gray-tailed vole population. According to Davis, if all of the cropland in the U. S. were used to produce crops for a vegan diet, it is estimated that around 1.8 billion animals would be killed annually. [63]

Gaverick Matheny, a Ph.D. candidate in agricultural economics at the University of Maryland, claims that Davis' reasoning contains several major flaws, including distorting the notion of "harm" to animals, and miscalculating the number of animal deaths based upon areas of land rather than per consumer. Matheny claims that vegetarianism actually kills less animals, promotes better treatment of animals, and allows more animals to exist. [64]

Vegan cuisine

For recipes and further information see the Wikibooks Cookbook article on Vegan Cuisine.

The cuisines of most nations contain dishes that are suitable for a vegan diet, as are specific traditional ingredients such as tofu, tempeh and the wheat product seitan in Asian diets.[65][66][67][68] Many recipes that traditionally contain animal products can be adapted by substituting vegan ingredients, e.g. nut, grain or soy milk used to replace cow's milk;[68][69] eggs replaced by substitutes such as products made from starch.[68][69][70] Additionally, artificial "meat" products ("analogs" or "mock meats") made from non-animal derived ingredients such as soy or gluten, including imitation sausages, ground beef, burgers, and chicken nuggets are widely available.[68][71]

Similar diets and lifestyles

Diets such as raw veganism, freeganism and fruitarianism are related to veganism, but have significant differences from standard veganism. There are also numerous religious groups that regularly or occasionally practice a similar diet, including some Buddhist traditions,[72] Jains,[73] Hindus,[74] Rastafarians,[75] and the Seventh-day Adventists.[76]

Health effects

The position of the American Dietetic Association is that "appropriately planned" vegan diets "are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases."[44] Vegans are potentially at risk for being deficient in nutrients such as vitamin B12,[77] Supplementation for vitamin B12, is highly recommended for vegans.[78]

References

  1. ^ a b "Memorandum of Association of the Vegan Society" (PDF). About Us. Vegan Society. 1979-11-20. p. 1. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d "Criteria for Vegan food". Vegan Society. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  3. ^ a b c "Time/CNN Poll: Do you consider yourself a vegetarian?". Time Magazine. 2002-07-07. Retrieved 2006-10-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b c "Types and quantities of food consumed: Vegetarian/vegan" (PDF). National Diet & Nutrition Survey: Adults aged 19 to 64, Volume 1 2002. Food Standards Agency. pp. 11, 23. Retrieved 2006-10-30.
  5. ^ a b "How Many Adults Are Vegetarian?". Vegetarian Journal. Vegetarian Resource Group. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  6. ^ a b "Donald Watson". Times Online. Times Newspapers Ltd. 2005-11-16. Retrieved 2006-09-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "vegan". Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  8. ^ a b "Vegan Society: History". Vegan Society. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  9. ^ "Vegetarians in Paradise interview with Donald Watson". Vegetarians in Paradise Web Magazine. Vegetarians in Paradise. 2004-08-11. Retrieved 2006-10-31.
  10. ^ "What is Vegan?". American Vegan Society. Retrieved 2006-09-15.
  11. ^ "Introduction to Veganism". The Vegan Society of New Zealand. Retrieved 2006-10-30.
  12. ^ "About Vegana". The Danish Vegan Society. Retrieved 2006-10-30.
  13. ^ a b "Vegan FAQs". Vegan Outreach. Retrieved 2007-03-11. Is refined sugar vegan? It depends on how you define 'vegan.' Refined sugars do not contain any animal products, and so by an ingredients-based definition of vegan, refined sugar is vegan. ... However, if one accepts a process-based definition of vegan, then many other familiar products would also not be considered vegan. For instance, steel and vulcanized rubber are produced using animal fats and, in many areas, groundwater and surface water is filtered through bone charcoal filters.
  14. ^ "IVU FAQ: Drinks". International Vegetarian Union FAQ. International Vegetarian Union. 2006-08-03. Retrieved 2007-03-11.
  15. ^ "Information Sheet: Alcohol". Vegetarian Society. Retrieved 2007-03-11. The use of animal derived products in the production of alcoholic beverages is fairly widespread not because no alternatives exist, but because they always have been used and there is little demand from the consumer for an alternative. ... The main appearance of animal derived products is in the fining or clearing process, though others may be used as colorants or anti-foaming agents.
  16. ^ "IVU FAQ: Ingredients". International Vegetarian Union FAQ. International Vegetarian Union. Retrieved 2006-10-30.
  17. ^ "IVU FAQ: Animal Derived Ingredient List". International Vegetarian Union FAQ. International Vegetarian Union. 2006-08-03. Retrieved 2007-03-10.
  18. ^ "IVU FAQ: Maybe Animal Derived". International Vegetarian Union FAQ. International Vegetarian Union. 2006-08-03. Retrieved 2007-03-10.
  19. ^ "On Living With Compassion". Vegan Outreach. Retrieved 2007-03-10. Our desire to oppose and help end cruelty to animals can help guide our choices, as well as provide a simple, easy-to-understand explanation of our actions. The question isn't, "Is this vegan?" but, "What is best for preventing suffering?"
  20. ^ "On Living With Compassion (Old version)". Vegan Outreach. Retrieved 2007-03-10. We believe that framing veganism as the avoidance of a specific list of "bad" ingredients is not the best way to achieve results. When looked at closely, any ingredients-based definition of vegan collapses into inconsistencies. This is why we stress that the essence of being vegan is working to end cruelty to animals.
  21. ^ a b "Factory Farms". Why Vegan. Vegan Outreach. Retrieved 2006-09-15.
  22. ^ "About Veganism: For the Animals". Vegan Action. Retrieved 2007-05-29. Veganism emerges as the lifestyle most consistent with the philosophy that animals are not ours to use.
  23. ^ "PETA's History: Compassion in Action". People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Retrieved 2007-05-29. PETA operates under the simple principle that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment.
  24. ^ "About Mercy for Animals". Mercy for Animals. Retrieved 2007-05-29. Mercy For Animals is a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal advocacy organization that believes non-human animals are irreplaceable individuals with morally significant interests and hence rights, including the right to live free of unnecessary suffering.
  25. ^ "Cruelty to Animals: Mechanized Madness". GoVeg.com. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Retrieved 2006-09-15.
  26. ^ "Exploitation". Vegan Society. Retrieved 2007-05-29. The vast majority of these animals will have spent their brief lives in the cramped, distressing conditions of the factory farm. Their close confinement and the overworking of their bodies will have led to increased susceptibility to injury and disease. They will have been reared on an unnatural diet designed to increase productivity and many will have undergone various painful and traumatic procedures.
  27. ^ "Testing". Vegan Society. Retrieved 2007-05-29. Every year, millions of animals are subjected to the most horrifically painful experiments just so people can have a new brand of shampoo or a differently scented perfume.
  28. ^ "Circuses: Three Rings of Abuse". People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Retrieved 2007-05-29. Colorful pageantry disguises the fact that animals used in circuses are captives who are forced, under threat of punishment, to perform confusing, uncomfortable, repetitious, and often-painful acts.
  29. ^ "Rodeo: Cruelty for a Buck". People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Retrieved 2007-05-29. In reality, rodeos are nothing more than manipulative displays of human domination over animals, thinly disguised as entertainment.
  30. ^ "Animal Rights Uncompromised: Zoos". People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Retrieved 2007-05-29. PETA opposes zoos because zoo cages and cramped enclosures deprive animals of their most basic needs. The zoo community regards the animals it keeps as commodities, and animals are regularly bought, sold, borrowed, and traded without any regard for established relationships.
  31. ^ Francione, Gary (2006-12-27). "Mission Statement". Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach. Retrieved 2007-05-29. This site also seeks to make clear that the moral baseline of an animal rights movement is veganism.
  32. ^ Clyne, Catherine (2006). "Singer Says". Satya. Retrieved 2007-05-29. If you read the book, it does make clear that going vegan is a good solution to a lot of the ethical problems. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  33. ^ Gilson, Dave (2006-05-03). "Chew the Right Thing". Mother Jones. The Foundation for National Progress. Retrieved 2007-05-29. In 1975 he published Animal Liberation, a pioneering defense of the rights of animals that concluded that veganism is the most ethically justifiable diet.
  34. ^ Broudy, Oliver (2006-05-08). "The practical ethicist". Salon.com. Salon Media Group, Inc. Retrieved 2007-05-29. If you can be vegetarian or vegan that's ideal. If you can buy organic and vegan that's better still, and organic and fair trade and vegan, better still, but if that gets too difficult or too complicated, just ask yourself, Does this product come from intensive animal agriculture?
  35. ^ Why I Am Not a Vegetarian By Dr. William T. Jarvis
  36. ^ Singer, Peter (1979). "The case against using animals for food is at its strongest when animals are made to lead miserable lives so that their flesh can be made available to humans at the lowest possible cost. ... In order to have meat on the table at a price that people can afford, our society tolerates methods of meat production that confine sentient animals in cramped, unsuitable conditions for the entire duration of their lives. ... To avoid speciesism we must stop these practices." Practical Ethics, Cambridge 1979. Chapter 3.
  37. ^ a b Segelken, Roger (2001-06-28). "China Study II: Switch to Western diet may bring Western-type diseases". Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved 2006-09-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ a b "China-Cornell-Oxford Project On Nutrition, Environment and Health at Cornell University". Division of Nutritional Sciences. Cornell University. Retrieved 2006-09-15.
  39. ^ Henry, Susan O. "Milk: Is it Really Our Best Source for Calcium?". Americal Fitness Professionals & Associates. Retrieved 2006-09-15.
  40. ^ "Bovine Growth Hormone". EJnet.org. Retrieved 2006-09-15.
  41. ^ Cohen, Robert. "52 good reasons to abandon milk and dairy!" (TXT). NOTmilk. Retrieved 2006-09-15.
  42. ^ "How To Win An Argument With a Meat-Eater". VegSource Interactive, Inc. Retrieved 2006-09-15.
  43. ^ Kradjian, Robert. "THE MILK LETTER : A MESSAGE TO MY PATIENTS". Americal Fitness Professionals & Associates. Retrieved 2006-09-15.
  44. ^ a b c "Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: Vegetarian diets". Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 103 (6): 748–765. 2003. doi:10.1053/jada.2003.50142. Retrieved 2006-09-15. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  45. ^ Nicholson, Andrew (2005-02-15). "Diabetes: Can a Vegan Diet Reverse Diabetes?". Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Retrieved 2006-09-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  46. ^ "OrganicAthlete's Pro-Activist Team". Retrieved 2006-10-30.
  47. ^ "Vegetarian and Vegan Famous Athletes". Retrieved 2006-10-30.
  48. ^ Lewis, Carl. "Carl Lewis on Being Vegan". Introduction to Very Vegetarian, by Jannequin Bennett. Retrieved 2006-10-30.
  49. ^ Rodriguez Artalejo, F (1998). "Consumption of fruit and wine and the decline in cerebrovascular disease mortality in Spain (1975–1993)". Stroke. 186 (8). PMID 9707192. Retrieved 2007-02-28. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  50. ^ "Possible protective effect of milk, meat and fish for cerebrovascular disease mortality in Japan". Japan Epidemiological Association. 1999-08-09. Retrieved 2006-09-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  51. ^ "WHO Consultation on Public Health Issues Related to BSE and the Emergence of a New Variant of Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease" (PDF). Weekly Epidemiological Record. 71 (15): 4. 1996-04-12. Retrieved 2007-03-27. All countries should ban the use of ruminant tissues in ruminant feed.
  52. ^ "Animal Products and the Environment: Solutions". Vegan Society. Retrieved 2007-05-29. Switching to a plant-based vegan diet will not 'save the world,' but it is a significant step towards limiting your individual impact on our increasingly fragile environment.
  53. ^ a b "About Veganism: For the Environment". Vegan Action. Retrieved 2007-05-29. Animal agriculture takes a devastating toll on the earth. It is an inefficient way of producing food, since feed for farm animals requires land, water, fertilizer, and other resources that could otherwise have been used directly for producing human food.
  54. ^ a b "Environmental Destruction". Why Vegan?. Vegan Outreach. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
  55. ^ a b c "Factory Farming: Mechanized Madness". People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Retrieved 2007-05-29. Factory farms are harmful to the environment as well. Each day, factory farms produce billions of pounds of manure, which ends up in lakes, rivers, and drinking water. ... Of all the agricultural land in the U.S., 80 percent is used to raise animals for food and grow the grain to feed them—that's almost half the total land mass of the lower 48 states. ... it takes more than 1,250 gallons of water to produce a pound of cow flesh, whereas it takes about 235 gallons of water to grow 1 pound of wheat.
  56. ^ "Environment: Land". Vegan Society. Retrieved 2007-05-29. In all, the raising of livestock takes up more than two-thirds of agricultural land, and one third of the total land area.
  57. ^ "Environment: Water". Vegan Society. Retrieved 2007-05-29. If we put all of these figures together, we find that whilst wheat provides us with an average 27.5 kcal for each litre of water used, beef provides only 0.76 kcal per litre. This means that - based on the data presented to show that other figures were "overstated" - beef still requires 36 times as much water per calorie as wheat.
  58. ^ "Environment: Energy". Vegan Society. Retrieved 2007-05-29. A plant-based vegan diet uses substantially less energy than a diet based on animal products. This energy is virtually all derived from fossil fuels, making meat and dairy consumption a contributing factor in air pollution, acidification, oil spills, habitat destruction and global warming.
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  60. ^ Eshel, Gidon (2006). "Diet, Energy and Global Warming" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-05-29. We conclude that a person consuming a mixed diet with the mean American caloric content and composition causes the emissions of 1,485 kg CO2-equivalent above the emissions associated with consuming the same number of calories, but from plant sources. Far from trivial, nationally this difference amounts to over 6% of the total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  61. ^ "Livestock's Long Shadow–Environmental Issues and Options". Retrieved 2007-01-04.
  62. ^ Davis, S.L. (2001). "The least harm principle suggests that humans should eat beef, lamb, dairy, not a vegan diet." EurSafe 2001. Food Safety, Food Quality and Food Ethics. Proceedings of the Third Congress of the European Society for Agricultural and Food Ethics. pp 449-450.
  63. ^ Davis S.L. (2003) "The least harm principle may require that humans consume a diet containing large herbivores, not a vegan diet". Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics. (16)4. pp. 387-394.
  64. ^ Gaverick Matheny (2003). "Least harm: a defense of vegetarianism from Steven Davis's omnivorous proposal". Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics. 16: 505–511. doi:10.1023/A:1026354906892.
  65. ^ Shurtleff, William. "History of Tofu". LA Tofu Festival. Retrieved 2007-02-18.
  66. ^ Jacobs, Leonard (1994). Cooking with Seitan: The Complete Vegetarian "Wheat-meat" Cookbook. Avery. pp. 5–6. ISBN 978-0895295996. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  67. ^ "History of Tempeh". tempeh.info. Retrieved 2007-02-18.
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  71. ^ Bryanna Clark Grogan. "Vegan Meat Analogs, Dairy Substitutes, and Egg Alternatives". Bryanna's Vegan Feast. Retrieved 2007-02-23.
  72. ^ Karma Lekshe Tsomo (2006), Into the Jaws of Yama, Lord of Death: Buddhism, Bioethics, and Death, SUNY Press, ISBN 0791468313
  73. ^ "The role of religion in protecting the Earth (Jainism and the environment: precursors of modern ecology)". Forum 2004: Parliament of the World's Religions. Universal Forum of Cultures. 2004. Retrieved 2007-02-22. Naresh Jain, Co-Chair of the Interfaith Committee of Jainism Associations in North America, said that the difference lies in Jainists' strict approach to the vegetarian (or vegan) diet. "Jainism is the only religion that materialises the ideal of non-violence through the vegan diet" he said.
  74. ^ Jyoti Mehta. "Veganism and Hinduism". The Young Indian Vegetarians. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
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  76. ^ Fraser, Gary (1999). "Associations between diet and cancer, ischemic heart disease, and all-cause mortality in non-Hispanic white California Seventh-day Adventists". American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 70 (3). 532S-538S. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
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  78. ^ "Healthy choices on a vegan diet". Vegan Society. Retrieved 2007-02-14.

See also

External links

General
Health/Nutrition
Ethical