Veganism is a philosophy and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. [1] [2] Vegans do not use or consume animal products of any kind. [3] The most common reasons for becoming a vegan are ethical commitment or moral convictions concerning animal rights , the environment, human health, and spiritual or religious concerns. [4] [5] [2] Of particular concern are the practices involved in factory farming and animal testing , and the intensive use of land and other resources required for animal farming.

Various polls have reported vegans to be between 0.2% [4] and 1.3% [6] of the U.S. population, and between 0.25% [5] and 2.24% [7] of the UK population.

Vegan diets (sometimes called strict or pure vegetarian diets) are a subset of vegetarian diets, which are credited with lowering the risk of colon cancer , heart attack , high blood cholesterol , high blood pressure , prostate cancer , and stroke . [8] However, vegan diets can be low in levels of calcium , iodine , vitamin B 12 and vitamin D . Vegans are therefore encouraged to plan their diet and take dietary supplements as appropriate. [9]


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan