This document discusses veganism and its culture. It defines vegans as people who do not eat meat, dairy, eggs, or other animal products and try to avoid using animal-derived materials like leather and wool. Vegans aim to avoid supporting animal agriculture industries and testing on animals. The document outlines some reasons people become vegan related to health, environment and animal welfare. It then provides examples of common vegan foods and diets before discussing the cruel conditions on fur farms and animal testing in cosmetics industries. Finally, it notes the rise of veganism among teenagers in recent years, attributed partly to social media and online vegan communities providing information and support.

1. The culture of being a vegan
What are vegans? Vegans are people who refuse to eat meat, as well as dairy products such as eggs
and honey. Other things they don’t agree with are wearing leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics and soaps.
They do not want to be promoting the meat industry and increasing the amount of animals that are
being brutally killed or tested on. So anything to do with animals they do not want to be associated
with, as they think its wrong and discussing. Why people become vegans is not only because of what is
being done to the animals but, the lifestyle, health and environment.
The environment has changed dramatically effecting global warming, widespread pollutions,
deforestation, land degradation, water scarcity and species extinction. Also the increase in animals
breading everyday which then farmer are having to make more crops which is using more
environmental resources. And at the same time scientist are diagnosing diseases; it’s like a chain
never ending. The world has doubled since the 1960s so much is being done to the world and people
don’t realize it.
Vegan diet
Even though vegans have restricted them selves from eating meat, it doesn’t mean that they don’t
have a lot food to eat. There are different strategies to have a vegan diet as when people shift to
become a vegan they take it slowly and develop a plan and routine. Vegans tend to eat natural
substances, which contain plant-based food like, vegetable, grains, nuts and fruits. To be a vegan you
need to carry out the balanced diet eating the right nutrients. Most vegans tend to plan what they eat
before the day, which shows you need the right motivation to be come one.
They eat at least five portions of fruit keeping up ‘the five a day’ rule and vegetables; they base there
food around rice, potatoes, bread and pasta which shows that they are eating there carbohydrate
which is there sources of energy which helps them to build up musical. They eat lower fat and sugar
options such as, yogurts and soya drinks.
Being a vegan you are protecting your body from risk of being a diabetic, getting disease, obesity and
cancer.
What kind of foods they eat –
Cereal/granola
Chips and salsa
Bagel with soy cream cheese
Fresh veggies and non-dairy ranch dressing
Fur farm-
Most Fur farms are mostly run in China, being the largest fur farm in the word. Condoning no
penalties for abusing animals, leaving them to be mistreated and tortured. The fur when getting
shipped from china can be mislabelled so there is no ways of knowing what skin you are wearing. It
shows that they do not have a strong structure for the way they carry out there production of fur.
Animals are captured from the wild or of the streets taken to the fur farm where they live before they
get their fur taken off them. Animals are living in small and confined cages where there can be
multiple of animals in there, cramped together not being able to move their bodies. Being bushed
against filthy wired cages. Fur farms are the ‘cheapest and cruellest’ method they use which can
include suffocation, electrocution, gas and poison. Making animals suffer before they die. Some
animals can be driven crazy for being rough handled and being intense confinements. Mother animals
that are pregnant have known where to hide when giving birth and often their babies are killed
straight after leaving them to be traumatised. They are then left sat in blood and diseases. I don’t think
people realise that animals are just like human, they have feeling and emotion and I’m sure if we were
in the same position as them we would hate it.
Many types of animals are being slaughtered for their fur, cat’s dogs, beavers, chinchillas, foxes,
rabbits, raccoons, seals and bears. When the animals are being trapped they can suffer from blood
loss, shock, dehydration, frostbite, gangrene also attacked by the predators that are with them.
Animals can be caught in steel jaw traps, which often slams down on their legs causes the bone to cut
in half leaving them to surer and left for dead. Another one is a conibear trap which crush necks with
90 pounds of pressure per square inch. Last of all water set traps that catch beavers, muskrats

2. struggling for 9 minutes before they drown. Animals can be hanged, bled to death or often skinned
alive.
Cosmetics-
Every year animals are being tested on to help sell customer products by using toxic chemical on rats,
rice guinea pigs, rabbits and other animals. But in match 2013 Makeup testing, soap and other
toiletries have been banned in the European Union, Israel and India. They do not have any kind of
product’s been tested on animals being sold In stores. This shows that companies around the world
have had to abandon animal testing as they would have not been able to sell their products to these
country’s which will cause a decrease in production making and also they would lose money. It has
made it hard for companies to sell their product and bring in consumers as they have been districted.
Now because this has happened a number of animals test have been completely replaced with
superior cheaper and more effective non-animal methods. Companies are now using 3D tissue
structures produced from human cells to put chemicals on, which will allow them to see if an
irritations happen or rashes appear with out hearing or killing animals in the process making it safer
and more reliable.
But unfortunately there has been no ban in the U.S and china and still continue to sell and us
household animals to test on even though other countries are using smarter and more modern
recourse to test theses products
The rise of veganism
Being a vegan has become on the rise since 2006 creating a massive increase to 150,00 people in the
UK. People who become vegan’s start from the age of 15-34 and the risen from social media,
Facebook, twitter, YouTube and vegan webpages. For example ‘not for profit teen vegan network’
basing it just on teenagers, I feel it’s somewhere that they can go for support and help. And within the
last year they’re summer camp has sold out within 34 hours.
So why are many teenagers deciding to become vegans?
Euan Reece 17 south Northamptonshire said ‘It took me a while to go fully vegan – I was vegetarian for
some time before – as I didn’t realize it would be so easy to get into. I don’t believe that celebrities have
played a major role in the expansion of veganism among teenagers. They are likely to have influenced
some people, but the main driving force behind the movement is social media. This has allowed the vegan
message to spread a lot quicker than it would otherwise have done.’ Show’s that he didn’t really know
what veganism was about and by doing research on it he’s seen the productions methods to what
happens to animals and because he was vegetarian before I feels that it wouldn’t of been that hard to
become one.
There has become a wide verity of different webpages that teenagers are allowed to go on, for
instance ‘teenvgn’ there social networking support group for young people. Suggesting that for new
beginners’ they have got something to help them with just start of becoming a vegan by giving them
new recipes and blog.
Its like vegans have become a community and sticking together to spread the word, and help
veganism being more popular and inform people on what it is effecting. There have been events all
around the world, not only in England but also in France and Portugal. Doing this it’s bringing support
system everywhere they go to shows that they’re not alone. It also shows that people are dedicated to
being a vegan and show support in anyway they can.