This document discusses what a vegan diet is, including that veganism excludes all animal products such as meat, eggs and dairy. It notes that a vegan diet requires supplementing vitamin B12 from non-animal sources and provides some pros and cons of adopting a vegan lifestyle, such as potential health benefits but also social challenges. The document also explores various myths and misconceptions about vegan diets.

1. Vegan

2. What is a vegan?
Link: (Image and quote)
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/glossary/g/Vegan.ht
m
Quote
“Veganism is a type of vegetarian diet that excludes
meat, eggs, dairy products and all other animal-derived
ingredients.”
Summary
This article is an effective basic guide that teaches you
how to follow a vegan life style and what a vegan is. As
a result it covers the basic points that are needed to be
a vegan covering some of the basic food sources that
you are not allowed to consume. As well It also
mentions some of the materials that are discouraged
from being purchased such as wool and leather.
One point that this article does not go into depth about
seafood and the debate if shellfish would be classed as
being vegan suitable food as a result of their lack of a
nervous system.
Despite the fact that it mentions how honey is not decided
if it is suitable or not to vegans. One of the main reason to
why I believe this to be an trust worthy source of
information that would help convey to the reader non bias
information is due to the fact that this site in particular
does not just specialise in vegan food but also in vegetarian
and omnivore diets. As a result of this I deem the
information on this site to be trust-worthy as a result of it
not being bias.
Tags
Veganism
Food
Dairy

3. Why be vegan?• Links
• (Quote) http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianvegan101/f/waterpollution.htm
• Quote
• “Meat production is inefficient as it requires the consumption of an extensive amount of resources over many months and years before becoming a
usable food product.” “Go vegan. It’s better for your health; it’s better for the environment; and, most importantly, it’s the morally right thing to do.”
- Gary L Francione
• Health benefits
• One of the main reasons to why people become vegan is due to the fact that there are many different health concerns that come with eating animal
products. One of the main reasons to why a lot of people choose not to eat meat is as a result of the health implications that can arise. One example
is as a result of meat being a common factor in high cholesterol as well of cardiovascular disease, these health risks can also lead to high blood
pressure which can also result in life threatening issues such as stroke or even heart failure.
As a result of a high fibre consumption you will have healthier bowels you will also have a lower chance of having colorectal cancer, this is mainly
due to the fact that you will be consuming a large amount of beans and lentils.
• Environmental impacts
• One of the greatest impacts that can occur to taking on a vegan life style is the impact that you have on the environment. One of the main impacts
that can occur is the amount of water that is needed to create the products that you are eating. Over 11,000 litres of water would needed to have
been outputted in over to create 1 pound of meat where as only 100 litres of water would only be needed to product the equivalent amount of
wheat.
Tags
Health
Fibre
Water

4. Dairy• Link: (Quote) http://www.vegan.com/dairy-free/
(Source) http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthy-kitchen-11/dairy-truths
• Quote: “Dairy products are deeply problematic on both health and ethical grounds. On the health side, countless people
who’ve quit dairy found that their chronic congestion, digestive problems, ear infections, or acne vanished within a few
weeks.”
• Summary
• Dairy is a product that is commonly obtained from female cows that are artificially inseminated. One of the main reasons to
why dairy is farmed to such an extent is as a result oh the high calcium content. As a result of this you can
• For vegans there is a significant variety of different substitutes that can replace dairy, such as soy, coconut milk, almond
milk. Despite the fact that these milk substitutes do not contain the same nutritional factors that are present in dairy they
still contain a significant amount of nutrients that are present in dairy with soy still containing similar amount of protein
and fat. Despite this dairy substitutes do not contain any vitamin B12 which is vital for normal brain and immune system
performance.
• Cons
• Despite this there are a number of different issues that are concerned with eating / drinking dairy based products. For
example consuming dairy can result in an increased chance of infections, as well as an increased chance in having high
blood pressure.
• Pros
• The greatest benefit to dairy is its high calcium content as well as being an easy to acquire source of fat, protein and
carbohydrates. As a result of this dairy allows you to be able to easily reach your daily digestive needs, especially in that of
children.
• Tags
• Dairy
• Infection

5. Vegan Diet
• Link:
• (Image) http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/diets/vegan
• ( Referenced information ) http://goodworkswellness.com/surprising-facts-you-need-to-know-about-vitamin-
b12/
• Quote
• “A vegan excludes all products derived wholly or partly from animals. This means that a vegan will not eat any
meat, poultry, game, fish, dairy, eggs, shellfish or crustacea, or any slaughter by-products.”
• Summary
• A vegan diet means that you are not allowed to consume any products that have had any animal content used
during their manufacturing. As a result of this meat, eggs, dairy E.C.T. cannot be consumed. Despite this it is still
possible to have a varied diet as a vegan, via the use of supplements and substitutes.
• For example vitamin B12 is a rare nutrient that is commonly found in red meats, its required for a healthy and
responsive immune system. Long periods of time without consuming B12 can result in a large range of different
side effects such as; becoming more prone to illness and tiredness. This is all due to the fact that B12 holds a
prominent role in the product in red blood cells, transporting oxygen, metabolism and maintenance of nerve
cells.
• There are also a range of different foods that can be consumed in order to replace foods that you will be missing
out on in your diet. Some popular examples of meat substitutes included that of Quorn and lentils. This is due to
the fact that Quorn is claimed to have a similar taste and texture to that of the meat that is being mimicked,
despite the fact that it is made out of fungus, despite this it does not contain the same nutrients that are
present in meat. Lentils on the other hand is a completely different bag of fish, as they have a completely
different texture and taste that is very comparable to that of oat / grain. Despite this lentils do contain a
substantial amount of proteins and can be used as a healthy substitute for meat in this factor.
• Tags
• Diet
• Supplement
• consume

6. Misconceptions / Myths
Links:
(Image) https://veganuary.com/myths/
(Quotes) https://authoritynutrition.com/top-11-biggest-lies-about-vegan-diets/
• Quotes
• “Vegans like to blame meat and animal foods for these health problems. However… meat is an old food and these health problems are relatively new.”
• “Humans Are Not “Designed” to Eat Animals”
• “Vegetarians and Vegans Live Longer and Have a Lower Risk of Killer Diseases.”
Summary
There are a lot of myths and stigma about having a vegan life style, as a result of this a large amount of people believe certain myths around this “culture”. As a result of this a
lot of people are detoured from choosing a vegan life style as a result of this. Some examples of different myths that are commonly associated with vegans is that
Veganuary does an extensive job at trying to cover all of the major myths that people suggest about being veganism with over 60 different misconceptions and myths about the
vegan diet being covered. Veganuary first quotes the myth and then goes into a reasonable amount of detail attempting to debunk prevalent myths about vegans with each of
their points.
As well authority nutrition is also a good sauce for discovering new sources of information on vegan diets, this is as they do not just cover the bad points that are being falsely
advertised about the vegan diet that are commonly found on sites such as veganuary. But they also cover good misconceptions such as “Humans Are Not “Designed” to Eat
Animals” ,and “Vegetarians and Vegans Live Longer and Have a Lower Risk of Killer Diseases.”
Tags
Animals
Vegan
Diet
Food

7. Misconceptions/Myths

8. infographics
Tags:
Vegan
Meat
Health
Save
Eat

9. Infographics
• One of the main factors that is present in infographics from what I can tell
from the above infographics is that they use a range of different stats and
figures in order to convey the information that they want to show you.
Another main factor that is evident in these infographics is that of a colour,
for example in each infographic there is evidence of colour themes being
present that represent the spoken topic. For example the ,“Be vegan save
the Earth” infographic shares a great range of colour themes with that
which are commonly associated with the Earth, with blue, green and
brown being the most commonly used examples. I find this to be a very
effective use of conveying your point across to the audience, as a second
method of conveying your point to the audience indirectly, as well as the
already stated points effectively utilising colour in an infographic can

10. B12
• Vitamin B12 is a very important nutrient that people take for granted, this is due to the fact that it allows for a better nerve and immune system development thus equating
to better health in the long run. A deficiency in B12 can result in permanent damage to in the immune system and pregnancy issues. But for vegans this is a very different
story.
• One of the main reasons for this is due to the fact that vitamin B12 is easily sourced from animals as a result of bacteria absorbing sunlight, on top of this Vitamin B12 is also
responsible for normal brain and nerve functions. As a result of this it’s a good idea for vegans to artificially increase their intake of B12 Signs that you need vitamin B12
include loss of vision, depression, memory loss, feeling weak, heart palpitations and tiredness.
• As a result of this it is essential for a wide range of different functions in the human body that are essential for healthy and normal bodily functions. For example your
immune system is more vulnerable whist there is a lack of B12 in the human body, one of the main reason for this is due to the fact that the body slows down the
production of red blood cells. As a result of this the human body slows down the amount of oxygen that can be acquired.
• Links:
• (image) https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/vitamins-minerals-and-nutrients/vitamin-b12-your-key-facts/what-every-vegan-should-know-about-
vitamin-b12
• (Source) http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/vitamin-b12-deficiency-symptoms-causes#2
• (Reference) http://goodworkswellness.com/surprising-facts-you-need-to-know-about-vitamin-b12/

11. Events
• Links:
• https://veganuary.com
• (image) https://veganuary.com/why/
• (Refrence) http://vegfest.co.uk/
• Quote
• “Veganuary aims to reduce the suffering of animals by inspiring and supporting people across the globe to go vegan for the
month of January”
• Summary
• Attending events is one particular way to understand more about what it means to be vegan, for example Vegfest, this
particular event is a great method to meet a large range of different people whom have the same diet as you if you are to
take up a vegan diet. There are also a wide range of different events that you are welcome to take part in such as
• Veganuary is an event that was developed in recent years that aims for people to try out a vegan diet for January. Not only
does veganuary aim to help people try out a vegan diet but they also try to help vegans have a more stable diet as well as
reduce the amount of suffering that happens in the meat industry by not consuming meat.
• Tags
• Veganuary
• People
• Event

12. Advantages of being vegan
• If you were to become vegan there are likely to be a large amount of different improvements to your health in
the long / short run. For example Anna Magee a writer from the telegraph tried out the vegan lifestyle for 60
days. As a result of the experiment she noticed that after taking out saturated fats and processed foods from
her diet that she was on a kind of high as a result of the increase of vitamins and nutrients in his diet, after this
she felt, “deficient in certain nutrients.”
• To conclude she goes into detail about how the last 2 months have affected her life style, including how she
now finds that ever since her vegan trial ended that she is now, “flummoxed by the fact that I simply don’t want
to”
• link:
• (Image) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/149636.php
• (Anna Magee) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-health/11767954/I-went-vegan-for-60-days-
and-it-changed-my-life.html
• Quote
• Summary
• Tags : lifestyle

13. Disadvantages of being vegan
• Link: https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/vitamins-minerals-and-nutrients/vitamin-b12-your-key-facts
• Summary
• One disadvantage to being vegan is that commonly brought up are the different nutrients that are hard to find in nonvegan foods. For example
vitamin B12 is a nutrient that is commonly found in meat and dairy, unfortunately these minerals are not found in vegetables. As a result supplements
have to be taken as a part of a healthy balanced diet, as a result of this forgetting to take these supplements over a long period of time can result in a
large range of different negative side effects, that can lead to a range of different side effects. One such example is a lower metabolism, this is an
effect of the lack of oxygen that will be circulating around your body as a result of the lack of B12.
• There is also your social life that will likely be jeopardised, to some extent. for example if you are planning on eating out with a group of friends, then
you will have a more limited variation of where to eat, this is a result of the fact that most places do not have a varied range of vegan alternatives, or
in some cases no options at all, thus it is likely that when you are eating out with friends that you will not be able to attend a meal with them as a
result.
• aTags
• Supplement
• B12
• Meat
• Dairy
• Social

14. Survey
• I decided that I also needed a primary source of information to utilise for
my final product, as a result of this I decided to base it on what people want
out of becoming vegan, what they know about the diet and what they want
to learn about it. As a result of this I made sure that my questions were
aimed at a non-vegan audience as my final product will be aimed towards
this audience.
• One of my most important questions was, what is your main turnoff to
being vegan, the most common comment was that there are social
limitations to becoming vegan, as well as a lack of food options compared
with that of being an omnivore. As a result of this I will make sure that I will
cover these points in my final product and show how these are issues that
can be overcome.
• Another comment that came up prominently was that they enjoy the taste
and texture of meat. As a result of this I will make sure that my final product
will contain information on the different substitutes that are available if you
are taking up a vegan life style, I shall make sure to include a range of
brands such as Quorn in order to back up my points and to inform my
audience on the different benefits that are available with consuming
substitutes, over red meats.