"Lifestyle" vegans

[the_old_soul]

I have been hearing a lot about the distinction between diet vegans and lifestyle vegans lately. I consider myself a lifestyle vegan, but wonder what they means, exactly. Being vegan I take into account more Greenie principals, like not using plastic bags in markets, buying recyclable material (and recycling anything I can get away with) not

Comments

[vgnwtch]

I'd say it's part and parcel of lifestyle veganism. Veganism tends to include a "green consciousness".

[weizenwind]

I've always understood "dietary vegans" to be people who follow a vegan diet but don't necessarily avoid wool, silk, leather, etc. and possibly not even animal ingredients in non-consumed products like soap. "Lifestyle vegans," on the other hand, would be people who followed a vegan diet and worked to make the rest of their lifestyle as animal-friendly as possible. Based on the official definition of veganism (it's been posted before; I don't know where it is) only lifestyle vegans are truly vegan.

[wefoughthard]

i would say that diet vegans are those who are 'vegans' for reasons other than ethical and moral ones (avoiding animal suffering, being against the slaughter/exploitation of animals), and who might sometimes just not eat animal products, but would use non edible things with animal products in them freely. these people should actually be called 'strict vegetarians', because vegan is a term that is reserved for those who are doing their best to eliminate ALL animal products from their lives FOR ethical and moral reasons first and foremost, among other reasons such as environmentalism, health, etc

[skirril]

What about someone who is vegan for both health reasons and ethical ones?

I was wondering this a short while ago, also, what about people who are vegan when they eat out (resturants, friend's houses) but eat animal products they know to be cruelty free (such as eggs from their own chickens) at home... Do they say "I am vegan" and avoid the complex explanation, or do they have another label...?

And what about if I choose to still have very small amounts of animal products in my diet? I am thinking of beeswax, a very small amount is used to coat certain sweets. Now, I know some people who call themselves vegans consume honey, I don't want to as I don't particularly like it anyway, but these sweets (liquorice: gelatine free and gummy bears: gelatine free) both have the beeswax coating, I wouldn't eat many, but if I chose to still eat them what label should I have?

[wefoughthard]

" eat animal products " = not vegan

vegans do not eat animal products or bi products, period. you're a vegetarian ('animal concious' vegetarian?) if you do that with the eggs.

and the beeswax/honey thing is something that's always been debatable within veganism. because they both come from living creatures that have eyes and hearts and are harmed in the production of harvesting these things, i choose not to use them, but some vegans do, depending on where they come from.

i am vegan for health and ethical reasons, but even if meat was super good for you, i still wouldn't eat it because of that ethical viewpoint.

[skirril]

BUT, what if that person is eating out and someone asks them what they do and don't eat, in THAT instance they would only eat vegan food... I know they wouldn't be vegan, but is there something to define someone who won't eat commercial animal products but will eat cruelty free animal products?

Yeah, I am not sure on the beeswax and honey thing. I reckon if it's easy to avoid I will certainly do it, but if there's a small amount in something that I wouldn't otherwise be able to have, that perhaps it is ok once every few months...

I'm still pretty undecided on it though, I would like to know exact figures concerning what percentage kill the bees over winter etc...

[cailin_t]

i'm a lifestyle vegan as well.. it's too hard these days to be a purist diet-vegan. :x

[tiredshaw]

It's always been my understanding that you can be vegan if you don't eat animal products and don't buy leather, etc. I often hear about people that - for example - have leather shoes that they got before they were vegan, and continue to wear them after making the switch. Personally I don't have a problem thinking of them as being vegan.

Let's see what our good friends at dictionary.com have to say:

vegan

1. n : A vegetarian who eats plant products only, especially one who uses no products derived from animals, as fur or leather.

2. n : someone who eats no animal products at all

So yes, if you consider that to be a definitive source, you can technically be vegan and wear leather. l

[wefoughthard]

i'd go with what the vegan society says over what the dictionary says, as they founded veganism and actually are vegan.