If you’re already seen the “Dairy is Scary” YouTube video (shown above), then you know that dairy is, indeed, scary. If you haven’t…then, well, brace yourself, because you will never look at dairy the same way after. I was already vegan when I watched the video, which only reinforced my commitment to my [relatively] new vegan lifestyle. If you want to learn about my vegan journey, you can get a snapshot of it here, from a post I wrote in 2021, around the time of my 4th veganniversary.
What does it mean to be "vegan?"
Many people are unaware of what it truly means to be vegan. According to Merriam-Webster, the word “vegan” means “a strict vegetarian who consumes no food (such as meat, eggs, or dairy products) that comes from animals” and also refers to “one who abstains from using animal products” (aka wool, leather, etc). The word and concept of a “vegetarian” has been in existence for quite some time; in fact, the earliest recorded reference to vegetarianism is in the 9th century BCE. So, yeah, humans abstaining from the consumption of non-human animals is not exactly a new thing. The word and concept “vegan,” on the other hand, is a bit newer, although it’s fair to assume people were vegan even before the term was invented. In 1944, Donald Watson — member of The Vegetarian Society — created a brand-new newsletter called The Vegan News. Watson and his soon-to-be wife, Dorothy Morgan, came up with the word “vegan” as a new term for vegetarians who didn’t consume dairy (and eggs). And, la voila, “vegan” was introduced into the vernacular.
For more information on veganism and going vegan — it’s much easier than you think! — scroll through the “Veganism” menu at the top of this page and check out each page. If you have any suggestions for another vegan-related page, please let me know.