Vegan

We explain what a vegan is, what its difference is from vegetarianism and what foods vegan people consume.

Vegan - veganism
Veganism went from being a minority philosophy to a common one.

What is a vegan?

Those who subscribe to the philosophy of veganism are called vegans, that is, the rejection of the consumption and use of all products of animal origin. The invention of the term in 1944 is attributed to Donald Watson, co-founder of the Vegan Society of England, in the first issue of The Vegan News. There, Watson compared animal exploitation to human slavery and accused lactovegetarianism of collaborating with an unethical paradigm of human nutrition.

Veganism went from being a minority philosophy to a common one in the last decades of the 20th century, as, along with reports of animal abuse in slaughterhouses and intensive breeding farms, medical studies were made public that advised against a meat and high-fat diet making it responsible for many contemporary endemic diseases, such as cancer or diabetes.

In this way, there are different types of veganism, depending on their level of commitment not only to human health, but also to respect for the dignity of other living beings, including animals and plants, for example:

  • Ethical veganism. He who shows rejection of the undignified conditions in which many farmed animals are treated on farms and slaughterhouses, through a moral rejection of the consumption of any product linked to said industries: white and red meat, dairy products, dairy products. leather, etc.
  • Environmental veganism Their main motivation has to do with environmentalism and the preservation of the biodiversity of species, for which they understand the abandonment of all types of consumption of products of animal origin, whether edible or not, as a necessary measure of strength. They view with concern the impact of agriculture and livestock on the environment and deforestation and other industrial activities on the planet.
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Differences between veganism and vegetarianism

The term “vegan” emerged in the 20th century as has been said, a product of the need to distinguish simple vegetarianism, which adheres to a diet free of meat of all kinds, from its most extreme variant, which rejects all food from animals, which includes eggs, milk, honey or any product made with them.

Until then, they were referred to as “total vegetarians.” since they represented a more extreme view of vegetarianism, which simply avoided meat, but not other products of animal origin.

In fact, the vegan philosophy not only covered food issues, but also promoted a paradigm of manufacturing objects that also avoided the use of animals as raw materials: leather shoes and purses, fur coats, etc.

What do vegans eat?

Vegan
Vegans should take vitamin supplements or plan their diet very well.

The vegan diet It is focused on replacing foods of animal origin with others of plant origin which confronts them with the difficulty of obtaining certain essential nutrients, such as vitamin B12 (exclusive to animal feed), vitamin D, calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, iodine, zinc, selenium and iron. Therefore, they must either take vitamin supplements or plan their diet very well.

  • Proteins To obtain protein, vegans generally turn to legumes: soy (and its derived products, such as tofu or soy milk), peas, peanuts, beans, chickpeas (with which they can also be made into flour or a pasta like hummus Arab); or grains: quinoa, rice, corn, barley and wheat. Nuts (almonds, walnuts) or hemp or sunflower seeds are also used.
  • Calcium To replace all types of dairy foods, vegans should turn to fortified soy milk (with added calcium), or almonds, hazelnuts, sesame seeds, vegetables such as broccoli (with low oxalate content), turnips, cabbages , spinach and, above all, they should make sure to consume vitamin D, essential for fixing calcium.
  • Iron An essential element for the transport of oxygen, it can be obtained in a vegan diet by consuming foods such as lentils, black molasses, quinoa, beans and chickpeas. Iron absorption can also be improved by consuming foods rich in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits or cauliflower, and generally avoiding foods rich in tannins such as cilantro, turmeric, chili peppers and tamarind.
  • Essential fatty acids Since they cannot be synthesized in the body, these acids must be consumed and can mostly be obtained from various types of oils, as part of a vegan diet: chia oil, clary sage oil, linseed oil, camelina oil, rosehip oil, and soybean oil. , peanut or canola; as well as chia seeds, walnuts, raspberries or flax seeds.
  • Iodine Iodine, so abundant in fish and shellfish, is vital for the body's hormonal process, but it is scarce in vegetables. Its necessary quota can be met by the use of fortified salts.
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