Veganism Research

By Sophie Baker

Primary Research

Primary research: Surveys (Non-vegans)

For my first question on my survey with questions aimed more at non-vegans I asked what there age and gender was. The reasoning behind this was to get somewhat of a statistic of what age and gender are more likely to not be a vegan. This was done by making sure that the second question was asking if they were vegan. On average, 80% of women are more likely to become vegans over men. However, there were more women who answered this survey then men. However, the one participant that was a vegan for this survey was a woman.

Q. 1:Q. 2:

Primary research: Surveys (Non-vegans) Q. 3:

The majority that answered the third question understood what it meant to be a vegan. There was a broad understanding about what they were and what they did. But mainly people knew about the diet, which is the main factor of veganism that is advertised. Not really the reasoning behind it but mainly that they don’t eat any animal based products. Some of the people that answered knew about the diet and why they probably do it is because of animal testing. Although, the majority talked about the diet and what points of the diet they don’t eat. E.g. meat, fish, dairy, eggs, etc.

Primary research: Surveys (Non-vegans) Q. 4:

With this question I got much more of a mixed response. Due to the majority of the participants being non-vegans they had strong opinions on not encouraging others to become one. 61.90% of the participants said that they wouldn’t encourage others to become vegans. Reasons were varied. Many talked about how they thought it wouldn’t be healthy, how it would be too expensive, how there are too many restrictions in the diet and they wouldn’t be able to make a meal plan with what they think is too minimalistic a range of food. However, there was a fair amount who found that it would be perfectly fine to encourage others. Mainly because they find it to be a healthy lifestyle.

Primary research: Surveys (Non-vegans)

Q. 5:

This was one of the main topics of conversation I was wanting to know about. The answers surprised me, especially after what people had said on previous questions. The answers for ‘yes’ and ‘no’ were nearly half and half. More people said no, which is what I had expected, and they said the reasoning was because they didn’t want to restrict themselves from so much food which is already available to them which is healthy enough. As well as the fact they didn’t want to lose the nutrients those foods gave them. However, the opposite was said for those who said yes. Those who said that they would consider being vegan was because they liked the diet because it seemed healthy. As well as the fact that they didn’t like the treatment of animals.

Primary research: Surveys (Non-vegans)

Q. 6:

Asking people if they would go vegan go more no’s than agreements but when asking them if they would consider being vegan for just a month 63.64% said that they would. There were terms and agreements behind it. Such as having a strict meal plan for the month. Even though there was a smaller proportion of people who said they wouldn’t be vegan they had much stronger opinions on why they couldn’t. For instance, ‘Without taking supplements, which I can’t do, I don’t think it would be a healthy choice for my body’. However, all in all the results of 14 people willing to go vegan for a month was encouraging for them to use veganuary.

Primary research: Surveys (Non-vegans)

Q. 7:

The people who answered this survey had a lot of knowledge on what veganism was and what it consisted of. I thought that a lot of the answers would have been of weight loss and not a lot of people would answer on the basis of ethics or lifestyle. However, nearly all talked about how the lifestyle of a vegan was healthier, someone said that it was because there was a lack of red meat in their diet. Some of the answers talked about how it would prevent animals cruelty. ‘You stop participating in an industry built on death’.

Primary research: Surveys (Non-vegans)

Q. 8:

The participants were very passionate about the disadvantages of being a vegan were the fact that you wouldn’t be able to eat animal products. Some of the answers were more about social situations as well. ‘People say “bacon” at you. Once you become vegan, you see all meat as an animal and that can upsetting’. Many people find the idea of a diet time consuming and pointless because they can be stressful, some found the idea of a vegan diet to be even more of a task than most diets. ‘You lose sight of the world because you spend your time constantly thinking about what you’re consuming’.

Primary research: Surveys (Vegans)

Q. 1:

When asking people why they became vegan I knew that I would get much wider range of answers. Many answered on the basis of research online to why they were influenced. More than one of the answers was that they were a vegetarian and then as time went on and they read/ researched more they felt more guilty about only doing ‘part of the job’. ‘I was vegetarian and thought being vegan was too far but after some quick research I realized it was worse than the meat industry’. Others commented that it was the environment that influenced them or that it was because of animal cruelty that made them want to give up animal products altogether.

Primary research: Surveys (Vegans)

Q. 2:

Asking this question was more to see how people would be like towards others who aren’t vegan. There’s a stereotype are vegans that they’re pushy and hate anyone who consumes or has any animal product(s). Some of the answers were very bold and confident, ‘It is the best lifestyle. Not harming yourself, animals, and the planet’. Whereas others were much more understanding of the fact that it’s not for everyone. That’s why I added a ‘Sometimes’ option to see if people were more here and there with how they address the topic of veganism (57.14% answered that they only sometimes encourage other). This was mainly because they would only really talk about it if it came up in conversation. ‘Without pushing the issue too much, I try to educate when appropriate’.

Primary research: Surveys (Vegans)

The reason to why I asked this question was because I wanted to know more about the nutritional value of the diet. After doing some research online I knew that there were a lack of nutrients that were naturally found in a vegan diet. A lot of nutrients are only naturally sources in animal based products. This made me wonder to how this much effect growth and if a child were to grow up vegan would they be growing to their full potential. Due to the participants of this survey being vegan 71.43% of them answered that they would encourage children to become vegan because it’s a good lifestyle. Many said they wouldn’t encourage other people children unless the parents were curious or questioned the diet for their child.

Q. 3:

Primary research: Surveys (Vegans)

Q. 4:

Carrying on from question 3 I asked whether or not they thought it would effect the growth of children growing up being vegan. This was purely to talk about the nutritional value and many found that children would be perfectly fine with growing up vegans. ‘No, with proper supplementation children thrive’. ‘No. Concerned parents could easily do some research to identify key nutrients to provide to their growing children’. All of the answers were very positive that the vegan diet would be great, even better than the non-vegan diet, for children and their growth.

Primary research: Surveys (Vegans)

Q. 5:

The answers for this question were fairly even. Half seemed to say that they didn’t find it difficult to convert to the vegan diet. Whereas the other half said that they did find it difficult to get used to it. For those who said that it wasn’t difficult they didn’t really go into much detail at all to why. One mentioned that they had missed certain foods but they got over it. And another said that the most difficult part had nothing to do with the diet food wise but the social aspect of it from family and friends. This was similar to a lot of them who said that they did have trouble adjusting to the diet was going out to restaurants who had a restricted menu of animal products and a few vegetarian options but non for an animal product free diet.

Primary research: Surveys (Vegans)

Q. 6:

I had asked a lot of questions on how the nutrition of the diet must be effecting them badly due to the lack of sources for those nutrients but there are many benefits to the diet and I wanted to know what the early signs of it were. The biggest response was that their weight had dropped quickly. Others talked about the fact that their mood improved a lot. I’m curious to know if that was because of the diet or if they knew that the diet would improve their mood. However, I’m sure it was most likely the diet because of the lack of fatty meats and less salt intake. There was one participant that said that they were a vegetarian for 30 years before they went vegan so by that point they didn’t notice a massive change in comparison.

Primary research: Surveys (Vegans)

Q. 7:

The main element to the vegan lifestyle that seems to be the most difficult to adjust to was the social element of it more than anything else. Friends and going out to dinner was more of a challenge than anything because it was restricting and people would question why they would go to so much hassle. Only two people talked about how shopping for products that were cruelty free was difficult and rather restricting. ‘Yes, because why some products are cruelty free they may have honey or beeswax’.

Primary research: Surveys (Vegans)

Q. 8:

I was curious about a number of topics to do with why people become vegan away from weight loss. One of the reasons I was wondering about was if people were aware of the environmental impact an omnivores diet has and if that’s one of the reasons why they became a vegan. Many of the participants were aware of environmental reasons but that was one of the many reasons to why they became vegans. Only one of the people who answered this question said they were very influenced by a documentary called ‘Cowspiracy’ that informed them about the environmental impact of meat eating.

Primary research: Surveys (Vegans)

Q. 9:

I knew asking anyone about animal testing that their opinions would be that they were against it. Asking a vegan audience was going to give me strong opinions due to their ethics being heavily on animal rights. All of the participants said that they thought animal testing wasn’t needed. I asked as well to know whether or not that was the reason to why they became vegan. Similar to question 8 many said that they were aware of it but they became vegan due to multiple issues.

Primary research: Surveys (Vegans)

Q. 10:

When doing research on vegan food products many people said that they found the products to be expensive. I wanted to know if that was true with people who are vegans and eat these products daily. Many of the participants said that they found that a lot of food was, and is, expensive. However, some argued that there are plenty of decent and affordable foods out there for the vegan community. One person said that a struggle they had was eating out with family because they didn’t want to go and eat and vegan restaurants. ‘Eating out with family – they didn’t want to go to vegan restaurants or check the menu for options all the time. Friends constantly made jokes’.

Secondary Research

What is veganism?

Link – About.com: http://animalrights.about.com/od/animalrights101/a/Veganism.htm

Key words: - Plant-based foods - Dairy analogs - Wide variety - Animals - Minimizing harm - Moral- Animal rights - Omnivorous - Diet

Further research: Further research that can be conducted can be for the topic of why people become vegan (through video sources of interviews).

Summery: This article on ‘About.com’ give a brief summery about the definition of what it means to be a vegan overall. Explaining the fact that they don’t eat any animal products so they minimize the harm to all animals. The article goes onto explain further into the diet of a vegan by saying that they eat plant based foods such grains, beans, nuts, etc. The article goes on to explain a litter further into the fact that can eat a wide variety of foods, just like meat eaters. Such as Italian, Indian and Chinese dishes like take-outs or home-made but can also be more stripped back and simple as well as elaborate.

Quotes:- ‘Veganism is a practice of minimizing harm to all animals’- ‘Requires abstention from all animal products’ - ‘Vegans eat plant-based foods’- ‘“You just eat salad?” is a common comment from non-vegans’- ‘A wide variety of Italian pastas, Indian curries, Chinese stir-fry's, Tex-mex burritos and even “meat”

loaf’

Validation of sources: This website is well respected throughout the internet on giving helpful and factual answers. I trust that their information is truthful from doing further research and the fact that the date of the publication was from last year meaning the information is still valid for this topic.

Why become vegan? Summery: This video by the youtuber ‘LukeIsNotSexy’ talks about why he became vegan three years ago. He goes into detail about the myths and stereotypes of being vegan and how he thought he’d become one of those myths but found out about celebrities that were vegans and saw that they weren’t so it pushed him to go on with it. He also went on to talked about why he didn’t understand the sigma behind being a vegan when all they want are for things not to be killed or treated badly. To end the video he talked about the environmental impact he has by not being a vegan per day. He save 1100 gal. of water, 45lbs of grain, 30 sq ft of forests, 20 lbs of CO2 and 1 animals life.

Further research: Further research that can be conducted can be on what the diet of a vegan entails.

Validation of sources: I trust the validity of this source because the facts that this video are the steps this person took to becoming a vegan. How they did research and made a choice to be vegan.

Quotes:- ‘I do think that humans have an incredible capacity for

change and my generation especially, and probably your generation as well, should not use the way you were brought up as an excuse for anything’

- ‘And the thing is that although I started out being vegan for health benefit reasons, which isn’t really the best reason’

- ‘In the years I have been exposed to so many more things and has completely transformed the way that I see animals’

- ‘They’re like teased about it and told that they’re stupid and weird and at the end of the day all that they’re doing is say that they don’t want things to be killed. I genuinely don’t understand how anyone would have a problem with that’

Link – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNzkC6xqn5E

Key words: - Humans- Change- Exposed- Saves- Lives- Environmental - Understand

The diet:

Link – NHS.UK: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Vegetarianhealth/Pages/Vegandiets.aspx

Key words: - Calcium - Vitamin D- Iron- Vitamin B12- Omega – 3 fatty acids - Nutrients- Sources - Alternatives

The diet:

Link – NHS.UK: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Vegetarianhealth/Pages/Vegandiets.aspx

Summery: This article from ‘NHS.UK’ tells their readers about the necessary precautions when beginning to take a vegan diet. Their article is set out in sections that have headlines that explain what is going to be read next and should be taken note of. Such as making sure you have supplements and alternative resources for calcium, vitamin D, iron, omega-3, etc. to keep your energy and nutrition up to the same standard in comparison to those who get these nutrients from meat and other animal products like dairy. The article goes on the explain how there can be preventions from health issues, such as preventions from heart disease by eating at least five portions of fruit & vegetables (of a variety) everyday.

Quotes:- ‘A vegan diet contains only plants – such as vegetables, grains, nuts and fruits’- ‘Vegans don’t eat foods that come from animals, including dairy products and eggs’- ‘You should be able to get most of the nutrients you need from eating a balanced diet’- ‘ Calcium is needed for strong and healthy bones and teeth. Non-vegan get most of their calcium from dairy foods’ - ‘The body needs vitamin B12 to maintain healthy blood and a healthy nervous system. Vitamin B12 is only found

naturally in foods from animal sources’

Further research: Further research that can be conducted can be for the topic of what are the effects of vegan diet, good or/ and bad.

Validation of sources:The NHS are a well respected sources for health and the questions asked online are specific for the cause and how to prevent any health problems with what’s asked. So when researching into the vegan diet they gave information about how to prevent nutritional effects by transitioning to being vegan from omnivores.

Link – Health.com: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20773383,00.html

Further research: Further research that can be conducted can be for the topic of whether or not the diet is healthy.

Key words: - Vitamin B12- Happy- Omnivores- Changes- Healthy - Loss of appetite - Protein - Growth & Repair - Sources - Supplement

The diet:

Summery: This article from ‘Health.com’ wasn’t very long but they gave a structure to it so that people will follow the headlines to get a clear depiction of what is going to be discussed. Within this article they pinpointed what you need to do to keep your energy up and find supplements for what meat and animal products already give you. Such as protein, vitamin B12, calcium, iron, etc. They also went on to talk about how if not done you health with decrease but if done your health and mood will elevate.

Quotes:- ‘Vitamin B12 occurs naturally only in animal foods’- ‘Deficiencies can lead to tiredness, weakness, constipation, loss of

appetite, weight loss (the bad kind), nerve problems and depression’- ‘Animals won’t be the only ones happy with your vegan move. So

will you’Validation of sources: Even though this website didn’t go into a lot of detail of the diet itself what information they did give was valid, after doing further research, and had links to different websites and books for further information.

Link – JamieOliver.com: http://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-features/features/vegan-diet-healthy/

Is the diet healthy?:

Further research: Further research that can be conducted can be for the topic of what the effects of the vegan diet, then the benefits of the diet.

Validation of sources: This website is from a well respected and known chef so I trust his use of research and information he has provided in the recipes and advice.

Key words: - Nutritionist - Diet- Healthy - Depends- Research - Potential

benefits- Vitamin C- Fibre - Saturated fat- Less- Calories- Consume

Link – JamieOliver.com: http://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-features/features/vegan-diet-healthy/

Is the diet healthy?:Summery: This information is from the JamieOliver.com in which he discusses whether or not the vegan diet is healthy. He explains that the diet will mean that you will lose a lot of nutrients but also can show vast benefits. Such as there is a higher intake of vitamin C, fibre and there will be a lower intake of saturated fats (mainly due to there being no meat in the diet). However, there is a lack of calcium, vitamin D, iron, vitamin B12, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids. Due to the lack of nutrients he goes on to talk about the alternatives that can be consumed to make sure you can get the right amount through specific vegan food sources.

Quotes:- ‘Someone living purely on ready salted crisps or chips, for example, would be technically following a

vegan diet, but it would in no way be healthy’- ‘A recent study indicated that the average vegan diet is higher in vitamin C and fibre, and lower in

saturated fat than one containing meat’- ‘You see, a diet without any meat or dairy products is likely to contain a lot less saturated fat, which is

relayed to increased cholesterol levels and increased risk of heart disease’- ‘A vegan diet is naturally low in calcium, vitamin D, iron vitamin B12, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids’- ‘If someone chooses to go vegan they are more likely to care about what you’re eating and therefore are

more likely to educate themselves on the types of foods they should and should not be eating’

The effects of a vegan diet

Link – LivingStrong.com: http://www.livestrong.com/article/441302-the-negative-effects-of-vegetarianism/

Summery: This article went in to detail about the negative effects of the vegan diet. The article went into how these effects can be prevented but what the will happen if not taken into precaution. When cutting out animal products, meat and dairy, leaves the person with a lack of nutrients. Such as iodine is best found in seafood, as well as dairy and kelp. Being vegan, by cutting out these key foods that provide you with iodine, can cause an iodine deficiency. As well as a lack of vitamin B12, which only occurs naturally in animal products alone, can lead to anemia. The article goes on to talk about the alternative sources such as vitamin supplements.

Key words: - Metabolism - Hormones- Source - Vegetarian- Side effects - Properly function- Appetite - Loss of taste - Animal based

foods- Weight loss

The effects of a vegan diet

Link – LivingStrong.com: http://www.livestrong.com/article/441302-the-negative-effects-of-vegetarianism/

Quotes:- ‘Your metabolism is regulated by hormones in your thyroid, and these require iodine to function

properly’- ‘The function and maintenance of your heart, brain and kidneys also depend on this mineral’ (Iodine)- ‘It may go undetected for a prolonged time due to the high amounts of foliate a vegetarian diet often

contains’ (Vitamin B12)- ‘Signs of a zinc deficiency may include a loss of appetite, unintentional weight loss, loss of taste or sense

of smell, hair loss, poor wound healing and depression’

Validation of sources:The website that I conducted further research into is very well known and talked about online. This made me more sure that the facts were more valid. As well as the fact that they went into a mass amount of information on the effects, such as what they were, what caused them and how they can be prevented/ taken care of.

Further research: For further research I would like to look at the opposite of this research and look up the benefits of being on a vegan diet health-wise.

The benefits of a vegan diet

Link – MedicalNewsToday.com: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/149636.php

Further research: The next topic for further research to look into what the health restrictions are if you have certain dietary needs, such as being a diabetic.

Key words: - Studies- Raise- Risk- Developing- Conditions- Illnesses- Intensive changes- Diet & lifestyle- Good sources

Quotes:- ‘Eating animal fats and proteins has been shown in studies to raise a person’s risk of

developing cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, heart disease and a number of other illnesses and conditions’

- ‘Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes contain no cholesterol and are low in fat, especially saturated fats’

- ‘The fat and protein content in cow’s milk is very different than human milk’

Summery: This article from ‘MedicalNewsToday.com’ talks about the health benefits of becoming a vegan. The main health benefits that have been discussed in this article are about the fact that becoming vegan helps the prevention of many diseases. This is due to there being certain nutrients in meat based products which can encourage and bring on disease, such as the difference in protein in human milk and processed cows milk.

Validation of sources:I’m not entirely sure that I fully believe all of the information on this article. However, it was worth noting down what other people thought a vegan diet could do. Such as veganism preventing cancerous diseases. However, I do trust the fact that it can improve health mentally and physically.

Having health restrictions

Link – TheFlamingVegan: http://www.theflamingvegan.com/view-post/Are-You-Vegan-and-Have-An-Allergy-to-Soy-Heres-What-You-Need-to-Know

Key words:- Allergy- Safety- Responsible - Consume- Avoid - Alternative- Hidden sources

Having health restrictionsSummery: This article from ‘TheFlamingVegan’ was very informative with their information about what to avoid eating if you have a soy allergy and are wanting to become a vegan. They begin the article talking about how soy is a popular alternative for vegans because it gives them a source of protein, iron and calcium away from animal based products which have that naturally sourced. It’s a useful source because soy naturally have protein, iron and calcium so you won’t need to be taking any pills of vitamin alternative for those nutrients. The article is informative that it can be difficult if you are allergic to soy but they list foods that should be avoided, such as bean-curd, edamame, soya, soybean, etc. But go on to talk about the foods they should source to give them the right amount of nutrients. Such as, seitan, beans and legumes, almond milk, nuts, seeds, etc.

Quotes:- ‘However, you need to be responsible for your own safety as a consumer’- ‘Soy often becomes a popular alternative to dairy and meat products for those who consume a mainly plant based diet’- ‘Soy food product offer vegans a high quality source of protein, as well as an available source of iron and calcium’- ‘Soy can be hidden in a variety of the foods we eat’- In addition to avoiding soy based products, like miso, tempeh, soy beverages, soybeans, and tofu – you also need to the

read products labels carefully to avoid accidentally consuming soy’

Further research: Further research that could be conducted are the differences between being a vegan and being a vegetarian. What are the rules and dietary needs for that matter.

Validation of sources: I trust that this website is valid with it’s sources because it’s very informative and goes into a lot of detail about what foods should be avoided and what foods can be consumed (and still informing people to be safe with the labeling of food). They even liked to other websites and books for more information on what to do if you’re allergic to soy and want to be a vegan.

Link – TheFlamingVegan: http://www.theflamingvegan.com/view-post/Are-You-Vegan-and-Have-An-Allergy-to-Soy-Heres-What-You-Need-to-Know

The difference between being vegan and vegetarian

Link – About.com:http://animalrights.about.com/od/veganandvegetariandiets/a/What-Is-The-Difference-Between-A-Vegan-And-A-Vegetarian.htm#

Vegetarian:

Veganism:

Key words:- Considered- Pesco-vegetarian - Pollo-vegetarian - Flexitarian - Lacto-vegetarians- Ovo-vegetarians- Lacto-ovo vegetarians - Diet - Meatless- Radical- Environment- Lifestyle - Ethical

Further research: Further research that can be conducted can be for the topic on lifestyle choices vegans have in comparison to vegetarians and omnivorous.

The difference between being vegan and vegetarian

Link – About.com:http://animalrights.about.com/od/veganandvegetariandiets/a/What-Is-The-Difference-Between-A-Vegan-And-A-Vegetarian.htm#

Summery: This article from About.com talks about, ‘What is the difference between vegan and vegetarian?’ discusses the definition between the two topics; the dietary requirements/ needs and what further steps vegans take in comparison to those who are vegetarian. For instance, vegetarians cut meat out of their diet, not all animal based products like vegans do. The article explains that vegans not only cut meat out of their diet but any food product that an animal produces such as eggs, milk and honey. They go on to discuss further that there are many kinds of vegetarians, such as ‘Pesco-vegaterian’ which are people who eat no meat but fish. This confuses many people, especially vegans, because fish are animals and vegetarians aren’t meant to eat any animal flesh. Vegans however are more strict and stick to one title and guideline of restraining from any animal products, meat from the animal itself or any food products produced by the animals.

Quotes: - ‘Vegetarians do not eat animal flesh’- ‘Someone who chooses to eat vegetarian some of the time but eats meat at other times – is not a vegetarian’- ‘A person who is vegan is generally understood to be someone who abstains from animal products for animal

rights reasons’- ‘A vegan may also be concerned about the environment and their own health’ - ‘Anyone who doesn’t eat meat is considered to be a vegetarian, including vegans’- ‘Veganism is an ethical stance’

Validation of sources:Even though this article was quite opinionated the points that the writer had put across were fair in terms of definitions for what is a vegetarian and vegan and the difference that come with the two diets. As well as the fact that in comparison to other websites, this particular one covered the question I was asking fully and in detail whereas others only explained one diet separately.

Lifestyle of a vegan

Link – VeganSociety.com: https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/lifestyle/school

Further research: Further research that can be conducted can be for the topic of the environmental impact on being vegan and not being vegan.

Key words:- Animal-free- Alternatives - Reduce- Limit- Increasing - Environmental impact- Farmed animal populations- Food provided

The difference between being vegan and vegetarianSummery: This article is from the Vegan Society explains in detail about the lifestyle changes needed to be a vegan. Such as clothing. A lot of fabrics are made from animals, such as leather (cows) and silk (silkworms), and being a vegan not only means to be rid of the dietary requirements but also day to day requirements. Lifestyle choices as well as attitudes. For instance if you are raising your child as a vegan you need to consult with the school they go to and make sure they aren’t encouraged by their peers to change their diets. One of the main topics that came into play was the environmental changes. Due to you helping the environment with reducing animal products from your life but also your car fuel, and visa versa. Why not help the environment food wise as well as with recycling and car fuel?

Quotes: - ‘In a vegan society, the fashion industry, like all other industries, will be animal-free’- ‘It makes you should also look at the most significant factor contributing to your personal carbon

footprint: what you eat’- ‘Simply put, our planet cannot feed both increasing human and increasing farmed animal population’- ‘Parents can help by offering as much support, information and advice as possible to their children’

Link – VeganSociety.com: https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/lifestyle/school

Validation of sources:The main reason to why I trusted the information on this website was because of the reputation of this website, being that they are very trusted by vegan & non-vegans, and the amount of information that they were giving on varied topics of the vegan lifestyle.

Environmental impact

Link – ScienceAlert.com: http://www.sciencealert.com/vegetarian-and-healthy-diets-may-actually-be-worse-for-the-environment-study-finds

Key words:- Greenhouse gas- Emissions- Resources- Compared

Summery: This article from ‘ScienceAlert.com’ talks about the negative impact the vegan diet can do to the environment. All in all the article goes through the points about what an omnivores diet can do to the environment but backs-up their argument explaining that vegetables take up more greenhouse gases than the meat industry. They’re not condoning that the environmental impact from animal based products is good, because it’s not. But they’re simply pointing out that there are bad factors coming from the vegan diet, sometime in worse ways.

Quotes:- ‘“Lots of common vegetables require more resources per calorie than

you would think. Eggplant, celery and cucumbers look particularly bas when compared to pork or chicken”’

- ‘You’re also not wrong – meat production does take a high toll on the environment’

Validation of sources:When researching this topic I didn’t know if this source would be valid but after looking at a few other articles from different websites I began to understand that the points put were more valid than most, it was just on a topic I was unaware of.

- Impact- Environment - Contrast

Environmental impact

:

Link – QZ.com: http://qz.com/749443/being-vegan-isnt-as-environmentally-friendly-as-you-think/

Link – QZ.com: http://qz.com/749443/being-vegan-isnt-as-environmentally-friendly-as-you-think/

Summery: This article from ‘QZ.com’ is used to back-up the statements made from the article in the previous slide. I wasn’t entirely sure if I was just reading about one article from one person with one opinion on the vegan diet. So when researching the environmental impact on being a vegan a number of articles came up talking about the issues with being a vegan. This particular one went into detail about an experiment that had been conducted. The experiment was to see the process on the environment and how many people the diet would feed from those resources. One of those diets was the vegan diet. The vegan diet was pointed out as good for the environment in many ways, however their use of resources wasn’t always needed for what they wanted to grow but could be used to feed the animals they don’t want eaten. Only cultivated croplands were best for growing fruits and vegetables. They conducted a chart overall to see how many people would be fed by all of these diets and vegan came in the middle ground, the top feeder was the ‘dairy friendly vegetarian’.

Quotes: - ‘The vegan diet wastes available land that could otherwise feed more people’- ‘Of course this is not an argument to embrace a meaty diet’- ‘A lot of vegans aren’t in the business of avoiding animal products for the sake of land sustainability’- ‘Cultivated cropland is where you typically find vegetables, fruits and nuts’

Environmental impact

Further research: Further research that can be conducted can be for the topic of the environmental impact on being vegan and not being vegan.

Key words:- Wastes- Produce- Feed more people- Supports- Feed livestock

Validation of sources:After reading the entire article I trust this source because of the factual information that they themselves had gathered from this experiment, such as in graphs showing the amount of data they had collected.

Link – VeganMotivation.com: https://www.veganmotivation.com/32-reasons-give-up-eating-meat-today/

The impact of not being vegan

Key words:- Humanity- Wildlife- Oceans- Rainforests- Land

- Water - Greenhouse gases

Link – VeganMotivation.com: https://www.veganmotivation.com/32-reasons-give-up-eating-meat-today/

The impact of not being veganSummery: This infographic, from ‘VeganMotivation.com’, describes the impact of not being a vegan and the effect it has on the environment by how animal based products are made. One part of the infographic that I found to be particularly interesting was the section on water. They informed the reader that it takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce 1lb of beef. They also go on to explain the capturing of the animals such as the fact that there are approximately 90-100 million tons of are pulled from the ocean. There is also topics on greenhouse gases which compares to the article on ‘QZ.com’ about vegetables taking up more greenhouse gases than meat. According to their infographic on greenhouse gases, ‘Livestock is responsible for 65% of animal-related emissions of nitrous oxide’. All in all this infographic has given more information about the benefits in terms of the environment on being a vegan than any of the websites I looked at.

Quotes: - ‘Private homes in the US consume just 5% of total water usage; animal agriculture consumes 55%’- ‘2-5 acres of land used per cow’- ‘A farm consisting of 2,500 dairy cows produces the same amount of waste as a city of 411,000 people’- ‘Approximately 40% of fish caught each year are discarded’- ’91% of Amazon Rainforest deconstructed is caused by animal agriculture’ - ’10, 000 years ago, 99% of biomass (i.e. zoomass) was wild animals. Today, 98% of the zoomass is made up of humans

and livestock’- ‘6 million animals are slaughtered hourly for food’

Validation of sources:This source can be trusted for it’s validation because of the vast amount of information given in one infographic. As well as the fact that from doing a lot of research into veganism I can trust these facts from previous website, however all this information from many websites is on one infographic.

Further research: Further research that can be conducted can be looking into other infographic and the amount of information they can give.

Infographics

Veganuary

Summery: Veganuary’s website is very informative and shows a lot of information in great detail about what it means to be vegan. This is either done through what they eat, myths & stereotypes, why you should do it, etc. One area of the website that I found to be very interesting was when they discussed the myths and questions brought up about vegans. One of which I often talked about which was, ‘But animals eat each other in the wild, so why can’t we?’ Their argument was that we can’t be compared to wild animals because while some show sympathy many don’t have morals.

Further research: Further research that can be conducted can be of what the ethics behind being vegan are.

Validation of sources:I trust that this website is valid in their findings. Mainly because they are presenting their own work, findings, answers to questions and advice to others.

Quotes:- ‘Eating vegan makes a more positive impact than giving up your car; it can halve

your greenhouse gas emissions and it will save wild animals from extinction’- ‘Globally, more than 290 million cows are slaughtered every year’- ‘Fruits and vegetables may contribute to a decreased incidence of type 2 diabetes

through their low energy density, low glycaemic load, and high fibre and macronutrient content’

Key words:- Vegans- Health- Environment- Myths

Link – Veganuary.com: https://veganuary.com

The ethics of veganism Link – AnimalEquality.net: http://www.animalequality.net/veganism

Key words:- Lifestyle- Suffering- Harm- Death- Sensations- Emotions- Discriminating- Believe - Domesticated- Dependent- Support

The ethics of veganism Link – AnimalEquality.net: http://www.animalequality.net/veganism

Link – AnimalEquality.net: http://www.animalequality.net/veganism

Summery: This article from ‘AnimalEquality’ goes into great detail about what the ethics of being a vegan means. What they believe, what they do for their lifestyles and how they avoid certain elements to their lifestyle due to ethics. The article has been broken down into sections on the topics food, clothing & furnishings, entertainment, domesticated animals and experimentations. With each section they explain the ethics behind these issues and why they don’t use them, with the hope of convincing others. The main focus on this article are the animals that are being used for food, clothing, domestication, etc. and how it’s cruel to use them at a humans own leisure. For instance, using animals for our own joy as pets even though we are controlling them and making them dependent on humans and how we still experiment products such as make-up. Animal cruelty is the main topic for this article and why vegans are against it.

Quotes: - ‘Being vegan is about living a lifestyle that does not cause suffering, harm or death to animals, and allowing animals to

be free to choose the way they want to live’- ‘Other animals are sentient beings like us, with their own needs, desired and interests’- ‘Vegans do not wear or use clothes, shoes or furnishings made with the skins, hair or feathers of other animals,

including fur, leather, wool, feathers and silk’- ‘Animals exist for their own reasons and belong in their own habitat with other members of their species, not in artificial

environments created for human entertainment and profit’- ‘Vegans do not believe in the breeding of domesticated animals such as horses, dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, birds or

fishes’- ‘Domestication is not in the animals best interest, as they are dependent on humans for everything that is important to

them in their lives’- ‘Vegans do not buy cosmetics or household products that have been tested on animals, instead choosing cruelty-free

and vegan products’

Validation of sources: This source isn’t very factual in terms of statics but rather in what it means to be a vegan thought wise. I’m not entirely sure that every vegan does this or if it’s what it means to be a ‘real vegan’. It’s very opinionated so the validity I’m not sure on however I know that a lot of what this article discusses is true. Such as the facts on food & diet as well as on clothing & furniture.

The ethics of veganism

Link – SustainWeb.org: https://www.sustainweb.org/ethicaleats/animalwelfare/

Animal Welfare

Validation of sources: The website is very valid due to the amount of information, facts, examples and backing-up of sources about what animal welfare is how you can know what food is welfare by the labels.

Further research: Further research that can be conducted can be further into the ethics of veganism but more specifically towards is it all needed, such as vegans and honey.

Key words:- Environmental- Organic - Animal welfare- Free range- Assurance- Requirements - Protection- Criticized

- Intensively - No regard- Consumption - Overstocking - Antibiotics- Discomforting

Link – SustainWeb.org: https://www.sustainweb.org/ethicaleats/animalwelfare/

Animal Welfare Summery: This website talks about what animal welfare is and how it can be found. The main subject of the website is what labels indicate what food products meet the standards of animal welfare. The website talked about how the UK shows little regard to animal welfare when it comes to the meat industries. Then went on the explain what you can do, as the reader of the article, to help animal welfare. A key element that was shown throughout the article was to eat less meat. One of the main subjects of the website was how to ‘Buy the best’ to make sure that the animal based products you buy and eat follow the standards of animal welfare. One of the most common labels in the UK is the ‘Red Tractor (Assured Food Standards). This is showing that farmers have followed the legal requirements of food safety, environmental protection and animal welfare.

Quotes:- ‘Much of the meat on sale in the UK is produced intensively, with little or no regard for animal welfare’- ‘The most frequent forms of poor practice include overstocking, which can encourage disease to develop

and spread, and the overuse of antibiotic’- ‘While the number of vegetarians in the UK has remained relatively stable over recent years, evidence

suggests that more and more people are trying to eat less meat’

Link – TheVeganSociety.com: https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/why-honey-not-vegan

Is it all needed?

Animal Welfare Summery: This website talks about what animal welfare is and how it can be found. The main subject of the website is what labels indicate what food products meet the standards of animal welfare. The website talked about how the UK shows little regard to animal welfare when it comes to the meat industries. Then went on the explain what you can do, as the reader of the article, to help animal welfare. A key element that was shown throughout the article was to eat less meat. One of the main subjects of the website was how to ‘Buy the best’ to make sure that the animal based products you buy and eat follow the standards of animal welfare. One of the most common labels in the UK is the ‘Red Tractor (Assured Food Standards). This is showing that farmers have followed the legal requirements of food safety, environmental protection and animal welfare.

Quotes:- ‘Much of the meat on sale in the UK is produced intensively, with little or no regard for animal welfare’- ‘The most frequent forms of poor practice include overstocking, which can encourage disease to develop

and spread, and the overuse of antibiotic’- ‘While the number of vegetarians in the UK has remained relatively stable over recent years, evidence

suggests that more and more people are trying to eat less meat’

Link – TheVeganSociety.com: https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/why-honey-not-vegan

Validation of sources: The vegan society is a well trusted website when it comes back to the fact on being vegan lifestyle and dietary. The website didn’t entirely answer the question but did give a lot of open answers and facts. Key words:- Claims - Consuming - Substitute- Lacks the essential nutrients - Provide - Source