Vegan Talk: What does it mean to be Vegan to YOU?

What does it mean to be vegan?

In this Vegan Talk, we want to know if you think there should be a distinction between vegan and plant based eaters.   Let us explain…

It’s interesting how many ‘versions’ of vegetarians and vegans there are these days. We all know there are ovo-lacto vegetarians and so on, but did you recently hear that many vegans don’t want to be called vegans, but prefer to simply say they are eating a plant based diet – without using the term vegan.

To some the words “vegetarian” and “vegan” are synonymous with “activism” and “political” , which are not always comfortable terms. We’ve heard from a number of vegans who insist they are eating vegan for their health as their main focus, and while they do choose organic foods and cruelty free products, their main reason for their change of lifestyle was not for the protection of animals, so they choose not to use the word vegan to describe themselves. One person even told us that they hid the fact they were eating a vegan diet from their friends because they were afraid of the negative judgements.  Yet another managed to take control of serious health concerns by eating a vegan diet, but when they told their family, their family mocked them and asked them at what point they would be unbearable to be around. How terrible! Really, what one person eats is their own choice and as radical as a purely vegan diet may seem, dying from unnecessary health complications due to the SAD (Standard American Diet) is pretty radical, too. Why roll your eyes at someone who chooses to eat a healthy, cruelty-free diet for their own reasons, yet who chooses not to be a strong activist and wave the vegan flag loudly and proudly? Is being a quiet vegan not okay to the extent where vegans do not want to be identified?

On Being Vegan we talk about what it means to be vegan, from health and healing through to spiritual choices and, yes, activism.

So what does being vegan really mean? We would love to know your opinion. Let’s talk Vegan! Please post your comments below and let’s talk about it.