A vegan diet is one that consists of all organic plant matter. Not only is being a vegetarian a diet, it is a lifestyle as well. Not only do vegans not eat any animal products, they also don’t use anything that is made from animal products. This would include things like clothing, food and beverages.

Some people follow a vegan diet because of strict religious beliefs or spiritual issues. Many choose veganism because of moral and ethical issues regarding animals. The main concern is the handling and processing of the animals used in food and other products. These are the forefront fighters against animal testing and they argue against factory farming.

A vegetarian is a slightly less strict form of veganism. A vegetarian will use products with animal products, and while they will consume products like eggs, milk and cheese, they stay away from meat. Some vegetarians only refrain from eating red meat, but will eat poultry or fish. It is a much less strict lifestyle than the vegan.

While the vegan diet lacks in many important vitamins and nutrients, it is still a relatively healthy lifestyle if maintained properly. Vegans who properly plan and execute their diets can satisfy essential nutrient needs. Meats contain many vitamins that the body needs to survive, but there are other options.

Some missing nutrients from a vegan diet are calcium, vitamins B & D and iodine. However, these can be found in nutritional supplements. This is the best way to get the key nutrients you need daily. Make sure when choosing your supplement it does not contain animal products.

In case studies with adolescents, it has been shown that many vegan adolescents use the diet as a way to mask an eating disorder. However, on the other hand, a vegan diet does not lead to eating disorders. As a parent it is important to know why your child has chosen this lifestyle. Be involved and know what they are eating, as well as what they aren’t.

Diets similar to vegan, but in a much smaller niche, are raw veganism and fruitarianism. The raw vegan eats basically the same as a standard vegan, however, the difference is they don’t eat foods cooked over one hundred eighteen degrees Fahrenheit. This goes for all nuts, grains, fruits, vegetables, fruit juices and herbs consumed. The raw vegan dieter who eats at least seventy-five percent of raw foods is still thought of as a raw vegan.

The fruitarianism vegan diet is probably one of the smallest niche groups of vegans. As the name entails, the main ingredients in this diet are fruits along with nuts and seeds, grains and vegetables. As with the raw vegans, people who consume fruit as seventy-five percent or more of their diet are considered fruitarians.

Unlike these smaller niche groups, the vegan vegetarian diet can have great health benefits if maintained properly. For people living outside the U. S., most cuisines are set up for the vegan. Products like tofu, tempeh and seitan are common ingredients in many East Asian diets. Common cow milk is now being replaced by soymilks and eggs are being replaced by applesauce as a starch in cooking. All of this information just goes to show that those who choose and maintain properly balanced vegan raw food diets can live a healthy and satisfying lifestyle.