Research Guides: Plant-Based Information: VEG

Veggie Organizations

Veggie Research Starters [Log into D2L]

Log into D2L to locate credible resources from BC Libraries.

Vegan A vegan is a person who does not consume or use any animal products. Vegans differ from vegetarians, who do not eat meat. Vegans practice this way of life for ethical, health, and environmental reasons. Veganism is tied to the animal rights movement. Some people are vegan because they want to exclude all forms of animal cruelty and exploitation from their lives; others follow a vegan diet but still use items made from animal products.
Vegan diet The vegan diet can also be called strict vegetarianism because it excludes not only meat and fish but also eggs, honey, and milk (dairy) products. Many practitioners of the vegan diet additionally avoid the use of animal products in other forms, such as clothing (wool, leather, silk), jewelry (pearls) and cosmetics (lanolin). People who adopt veganism may do so for health reasons, ethical considerations, or both.
Vegetarianism Human beings practice many different forms of vegetarianism; not all people who refer to themselves as vegetarians eat the same diet. Traditional vegetarians, also known as lacto-ovo vegetarians, eat no meat but do consume dairy products and eggs. Vegans, sometimes known as pure vegetarians, consume no animal products at all and also do not wear or otherwise use products of animal origin, such as leather and wool. The terms “pescatarian” and “pollotarian” refer to people who eat no mammalian meat but do eat fish and chicken, respectively.
Vegetarian diet A vegetarian diet has many health benefits and may actually reduce the incidence of some diseases. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) states that properly managed vegetarian diets “are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”
Vegetarianism debate Vegetarians do not eat meat. Once considered eccentric, vegetarianism has become a widely accepted, though not widely practiced, dietary choice. Vegans are the strictest vegetarians, as they avoid eating or using any products derived from animals, such as honey, milk, or leather. Several related categories exist, including pescatarians, who eat seafood but no other meat, and people who eat chicken or other poultry but no meat derived from mammals, who are sometimes called pollotarians.
Vegetarianism [Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints] Humans are omnivorous, which means they are capable of surviving on a variety of food sources and thrive on a broad-spectrum diet that includes grains, fruits, vegetables, and protein. People who follow a vegetarian diet, in the simplest terms, do not eat meat. However, different cultures and individuals have distinct understandings of what constitutes vegetarianism. Because the definition of a term like "meat" varies across cultures and regions, one person or culture might consider a diet that includes fish to be vegetarian while another person or culture does not.
Planning A Healthy Vegetarian Diet [World Book Advanced] There was a time when being a vegetarian was considered radical or eccentric. By 2000, however, 7 percent of people living in the United States considered themselves vegetarians, and many other people were regularly including meatless fare in their diets. A poll conducted by the Vegetarian Resources Group in 1999 found that 5.5 percent of people eating out always ordered a dish without meat, fish, or fowl. An additional 57 percent said that they sometimes, often, or always ordered a vegetarian item when dining out.
Veganism [Statista] Vegans practice complete abstinence from the use of animal products in diet or as a commodity. People following the vegan lifestyle abstain from eating meat or meat-derived products and exclude eggs and dairy products as well. Other animal by-products such as gelatin or animal rennet are also avoided. Honey, silk, and other insect products may also be considered unsuitable for use or consumption.

Veggie Articles in Academic Journals [Log into D2L]

The Core Argument for Veganism This article presents an argument for veganism, using a formal-axiomatic approach: a list of twenty axioms (basic definitions, normative assumptions and empirical facts) are explicitly stated. These axioms are all necessary conditions to derive the conclusion that veganism is a moral duty. The presented argument is a minimalist or core argument for veganism, because it is as parsimonious as possible, using the weakest conditions, the narrowest definitions, the most reliable empirical facts and the minimal assumptions necessary to reach the conclusion. / Philosophia; Jun2015, Vol. 43 Issue 2, p271-290, 20p
A Seat at the Table The article focuses on measures to be taken by schools to be more inclusive by understanding the needs of students and building an inclusion budget, as of January 2021. It emphasizes on the prioritization of financial aid and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) health offices by schools. It also offers suggestions to schools on diversity in curriculum, equity in terms of educational programs and social support to students for inclusion. / Independent School. Winter2021, p68-72. 5p.
The Vegan Dynasty The article discusses how China can help prevent climate change by promoting vegan diet and eliminating meat as food. Also cited are the efforts by food conglomerates like Unilever and Cargill to develop plant-based protein, the focus on animal welfare, environment and health in promoting vegan diet, as well as the devastation of animal diseases like African swine fever (ASF) in the pork industry and the avian flu outbreak in the poultry sector. / TIME Magazine. 2/1/2021, Vol. 197 Issue 3/4, p84-89. 6p.
On ‘meatheads’ and ‘soy boys’ For instance, meat advertisements often target men by praising the masculinity of eating meat or by portraying sexualised women alongside meat, implying that both women and animals are consumption products for men. When we think that men, especially male athletes, need meat, or when wives report that they could give up meat but they fix it for their husbands, the overt association between meat eating and virile maleness is enacted'. Violating gender norms If meat signals masculinity, then men who choose not to eat meat might sacrifice more than just their bacon. Promoting images of muscly plant-based athletes, as in The Game Changers, can help to challenge the idea that meat is essential for strength, uncoupling meat from masculinity. / Psychologist. Jan2021, p40-43. 4p.
Vegetarian and Vegan Products - Labelling and Definitions As dietary habits throughout Europe are changing, more and more consumers turn towards plant-based lifestyles. The range of vegetarian products is increasing accordingly. However, crucial food labelling questions remain to be solved. This includes the definition of the terms "vegan" and "vegetarian" for food labelling purposes and questions concerning the use of certain sales denominations formeat and dairy alternatives. This article explores both issues from the perspective of the European Vegetarian Union (EVU) and gives insights into the legal and political situation. / European Food & Feed Law Review. 2018, Vol. 13 Issue 2, p102-107. 6p.
Veganism and Children In this paper I respond to Marcus William Hunt's argument that vegan parents have pro tanto reasons for not raising their children on a vegan diet because such a diet is potentially harmful to children's physical and social well-being. In my rebuttal, first I show that in practice all vegan diets, with the exception of wacky diets, are beneficial to children's well-being (and adults as well); and that all animal-based diets are potentially unhealthful. / Journal of Agricultural & Environmental Ethics. Aug2019, Vol. 32 Issue 4, p647-661. 15p.
Vitamin and Mineral Status in a Vegan Diet Background: In Germany, public interest in a vegan diet is steadily growing. There are, however, no current data on the macro- and micronutrient status of vegans. Methods: In a cross-sectional study entitled "The Risks and Benefits of a Vegan Diet" (RBVD), we investigated the dietary intake, basic laboratory parameters, vitamin status, and trace-element status of 36 vegans and 36 persons on an omnivorous diet. / Deutsches Aerzteblatt International, 8/31/2020; 117(35/36): 575-582. (16p)
Lab-Grown Meat and Veganism: A Virtue-Oriented Perspective The project of growing meat artificially represents for some the next best thing to humanity. If successful, it could be the solution to several problems, such as feeding a growing global population while reducing the environmental impact of raising animals for food and, of course, reducing the amount and degree of animal cruelty and suffering that is involved in animal farming. / Journal of Agricultural & Environmental Ethics. Feb2019, Vol. 32 Issue 1, p127-141. 15p.
The Vegan Society: Veganism and early childhood Nutritional planning is an essential element of giving children a great start. The Vegan Society works with the British Dietetic Association to share the message that well-planned vegan diets can support healthy living in people of all ages, and during pregnancy and breastfeeding (British Dietetic Association, 2017). This is a position supported by the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2016). / International Journal of Birth & Parent Education. Oct2020, Vol. 8 Issue 1, p37-39. 3p.
Vegetarians, vegans and the carbon footprint In recent years, country has seen a rise in new trend in adopting plant-based diets which could be due to a variety of reasons- environmental consciousness, affection for animals, social justice or a bid to end world hunger for materialist society and so on and so forth. / Indian Journal of Health & Wellbeing. Sep2020, Vol. 11 Issue 7-9, p. 387-392. (6p)
Social Conventions and Boundary Work in an Online Q&A The aim of this article is to explore the regulation of social conventions (more or less arbitrary norms of how one ought to act that are based on joint commitments) in online interaction. As the empirical case, the article scrutinises discussions about what it means to exercise vegetarianism or veganism. Drawing on 'naturally occurring' data from the question-and-answer platform Yahoo! Answers, conventions of vegetarianism and veganism are argued to be protected and upheld through symbolic boundaries, primarily in three forms: incompatibility, inauthenticity and non-commitment. / Sociological Research Online; Dec2020, Vol. 25 Issue 4, p609-625, 17p
If Veganism Is Not a Choice: The Moral Psychology of Possibilities in Animal Ethics Discussions about the ethics of buying and consuming animal products normally assume that there are two choices equally available to moral agents: to engage or not to engage in such behaviour. This paper suggests that, in some cases, the experience of those who refuse to participate in animal exploitation is not a choice, but a reconfiguration of their understanding of what animals, and the products made out of them, are. Such reconfiguration involves not seeing animals as something to eat, wear, control, etc. / Animals (Basel). Jan, 2020, Vol. 10 Issue 1
The Pros (and Cons) of Vegetarian Diets A recent poll found that about one in ten Americans say they follow a vegetarian diet. But vegetarianism isn't a single diet. It can mean very different things to different people. For the strictest adherents--vegans--it means consuming no animal products whatsoever. For others, it means eating a mostly plant-based diet, but including eggs and dairy foods. For some it means including fish and seafood, but no meat. For still others it means a plant-based diet, while indulging in the occasional serving of beef or chicken. The reasons people follow vegetarian diets can be as varied as the diets themselves. / Environmental Nutrition (Vol. 43, Issue 11), Nov. 2020
A dual‐process motivational model of attitudes towards vegetarians and vegans Vegetarians and vegans comprise a minority of most western populations. However, relatively little research has investigated the psychological foundations of attitudes towards this minority group. The following study employs a dual process model of intergroup attitudes to explore the motivational basis of non‐vegetarians' attitudes towards vegetarians and vegans. / European Journal of Social Psychology. Feb2019, Vol. 49 Issue 1, p169-178. 10p.
The effects of plant-based diets on the body and the brain: a systematic review Western societies notice an increasing interest in plant-based eating patterns such as vegetarian and vegan, yet potential effects on the body and brain are a matter of debate. Therefore, we systematically reviewed existing human interventional studies on putative effects of a plant-based diet on the metabolism and cognition, and what is known about the underlying mechanisms. / Transl Psychiatry. 2019; 9: 226.

Who Are America's Vegans & Vegetarians? | Statista

Who Are America's Vegans & Vegetarians? Both diets are more common among younger eaters with 7 percent of people aged 18-29 saying they are vegetarian while 3 percent say they are vegan. In the 30-49 age-bracket, 8 percent are vegetarian while 4 percent are vegan. Those figures fall drastically to 3 and 2 percent respectively among over 65s.
more...less...
by Niall McCarthy, Oct 1, 2019, Statista database

Veggie Populations: Gallup Polls

What Percentage of Americans Are Vegetarian?
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept, 27, 2019) -- According to a 2018 Gallup poll, 5% of U.S. adults consider themselves to be vegetarian. Nonwhite Americans (9%) are three times as likely as white Americans (3%) to describe themselves as vegetarian. 11% of self-identified liberals identify as vegetarian, compared with 2% of conservatives and 3% of moderates. Vegetarianism is less prevalent among older Americans: 2% of adults aged 55 and older say they adhere to a vegetarian diet, compared with 8% of 18- to 34-year-olds and 7% of 35- to 54-year-olds.
Snapshot: Few Americans Vegetarian or Vegan
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 1, 2018) -- Animal rights activists have long encouraged Americans to adopt a plant-based diet by becoming vegetarians (abstaining from eating meat) or by becoming vegan (rejecting all animal products). However, fewer than one in 10 Americans adhere to such diets, with 5% in the U.S. now saying they are vegetarians and 3% reporting they are vegans. These numbers are little changed in recent years.

Veggie Restaurants: Happy Cow

Locate vegan and veggie restaurants, shops, markets, and more. - Happy Cow.

Veggie News: Livekindly

Veggie News: Veg News

Veggie News: Vegetarian Resource Group

Veggie News: Plant Based News

Plant Based News
Plant Based News is a mission led, multi-award-winning resource creating awareness about ethical consumerism, sustainability and the plant-based lifestyle. Not a false narrative – but information that empowers people to make better choices. Regulated by IMPRESS: The Independent Monitor For the Press CIC

Plant-Based Information: VEG

VEG: Plant-Based Information

Veggie Organizations

Veggie Research Starters [Log into D2L]

Veggie Articles in Academic Journals [Log into D2L]

Who Are America's Vegans & Vegetarians? | Statista

Veggie Populations: Gallup Polls

Veggie Restaurants: Happy Cow

Veggie News: Livekindly

Veggie News: Veg News

Veggie News: Vegetarian Resource Group

Veggie News: Plant Based News