Veganism Essay

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Veganism Today, more and more people become vegetarian or vegan for health, ethical and environmental reasons. It could be argued that veganism is the way forward for the ethical individual. Veganism is defined as "a way of living that seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing and any other purpose.". A follower of veganism is known as a vegan. (Wikipedia 2001) The history of veganism started in 1806 with Dr. William Lambeerm as the first individual who adopted a vegan diet. The term “vegan” was coined in August 1944 by Donald Watson (1910-2005). He is also the co-founder of the British Vegan Society. (Wikipedia 2001) " Based on the 2000s: Demographics figure, the number of people who become a vegan has dramatically risen year after year. “A 2008 survey for the Vegetarian Resource Group reported that 0.5 percent of Americans, or one million, identified as vegan”. People choose a vegetarian or vegan diet for heath, animal rights and environmental reasons. We can certainly argue that vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters as research has proven that vegetarians or vegans have lower rates of heart disease and some forms of cancer than non-vegetarians. A Journal published by the American Dietetic Association in July 2009 stated that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. (Vegetarian Diets 2009) Contrary to all the the health benefits, many people will argue that a vegan diet tends to lack of protein, vitamins B12 and D, omega-3 fats, calcium, and iodine but fortunately there are many convenient options for vegetarians or vegans today

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