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Thinking of going vegan? What you need to know first
author

Warren Wong |

December 29, 2022

Thinking of going vegan? What you need to know first

The consumer shift to plant-based alternatives has changed fast food and grocery options, as Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat have become massive companies capitalizing on the trend. According to a 2017 study, as many as 6% of US consumers say they are vegan, compared to just 1% in 2014.

I chose to follow a vegan diet partly for environmental reasons and partly for health reasons

Rebecca Roitman, a nutritional sciences at Cornell University

Like Roitman, many choose to go vegan for its health benefits. In fact, studies have found that similar to vegetarian diets, vegan diets have a lower risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and cancer, according to Sharon Palmer, a registered dietitian nutritionist and plant-based food and sustainability expert. Another main motivation is the fact that vegans have the lowest impact on the environment, according to Palmer. And yet others simply wish to follow a vegan lifestyle for ethical reasons.

A vegan diet is more than simply a “plant-based” diet

A vegan diet is much more stringent than flexitarian eating, or even vegetarianism. In fact, a vegan diet is 100% plant-based, meaning it’s devoid of all animal foods, including dairy (cheese, yogurt, milk, cream, butter); eggs; meat, poultry or seafood; and for many, honey, explained Palmer.

A vegetarian diet excludes all animal flesh (meat, poultry, seafood) but allows for dairy, eggs and honey. Flexitarian eaters focus on plant-based foods but may still include animal-based foods in limited amounts, including meat, poultry and fish, as well as dairy and eggs.

Though some people, including food bloggers, may use the terms “plant-based” and “vegan” interchangeably, plant-based is an “umbrella term” and does not equate to being vegan, added Kimberlain, who is also a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For example, while all vegans are plant-based, not all plant-based eaters are necessarily vegan. “Plant-based eaters may have a small portion of cheese or other animal protein,” Kimberlain said.

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