Most people are familiar with vegetarians, people who refuse to eat meat. Vegans, however, take vegetarianism to the next level in that they not only refuse to eat meat, but they also refuse to consume, or wear, any animal by-product. Essentially, if it comes from an animal, they will not use it in any way, shape or form. This includes eggs, leather, and cheese.

The reasons for becoming a vegan are varied. For some people, it’s a choice driven by their religion. For others, it’s their way of protecting animals and the earth itself. Some people make the switch to a vegan lifestyle for their own health. And for many, it is actually a combination of these reasons. Vegan diets are not only actually very healthy, but they are amazingly satisfying to the taste buds. There is a wide range of plant-based substitutes for many dairy products, eggs and even meats. Best of all, people who have tried the vegan diet, such as Olympic athlete Carl Lewis, find that they feel healthier, thinner and more energetic when they are enjoying a vegan diet. Vegan diets can also lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes, making this option even more appealinghttp://www.vegan.org/about_veganism/health.html.

Vegan diets are easier to follow than many people realize. For one thing, many vegan foods are probably already in your kitchen cupboards. Rice, nuts, oats, cereals, beans of all kinds are all popular vegan friendly foods. Fruits and vegetables are staples of a vegan diet. And there are replacements available for many of the animal based foods that are in the modern diet. Soy based foods make excellent replacements for most meats and dairy products. Eggs used in baking can actually be replaced with a wide variety of options including bananas, cornstarch, and arrowroot flourhttp://www.vegan.org/going_vegan/eating_vegan/index.html. Ener-G egg replacer is a product you can purchase that can be used for baking whenever your recipe calls for eggs. They can be used as a replacement for the entire egg, egg whites or egg yolkshttp://www.ener-g.com/store/detail.aspx?section=8&cat=8&id=97.

The growing popularity of Vegan diets has lent to an incredible increase in online resources for anyone wanting to benefit from this philosophy. Online, you can find a multitude of websites offering recipes, as well as cooking tips and ideas. One such site, which includes a wide range of suggestions for eggs, and meat or dairy products is found at www.vegcooking.com.

The increasing numbers of Vegans across the country and around the world also has driven companies to constantly improve and expand their meat replacement offerings. You can now purchase soy and tofu based foods that closely resemble the taste and texture of meats including chicken, pork, beef and even fishhttp://www.vegcooking.com/vegcooking-meatreplace.asp.

The benefits of being Vegan go far beyond merely how healthy or energetic you feel, or even how positive you can feel about doing something good for our world. While it’s obvious that animals benefit from a Vegan diet, the benefits go far beyond them. The farmland benefits, our water supply benefits, our entire environment benefits.

1. Veganism helps animals in very basic ways. Even cattle that are kept for milk and chickens that are used for egg production are kept in cages where their movement is limited and their quality of life atrocious. They are drugged and mutilated to increase production and as soon as production decreases they are butchered for their meathttp://www.vegan.org/about_veganism/animals.html.
2. The environment benefits from more people following a Vegan diet because land is put to better, less stressful use. The land that is currently used to grow food for the animals we will consume, and for those animals to be raised and butchered to live on, can be put to better use simply growing food for human consumption. Land that is used for grazing is overused in the name of profits and winds up being unusable for other natural purposes. Excrement in the fields washes into the ground water, contaminating drinking water sources. Finally, the United Nations reports that a Vegan diet can actually feed more people than a traditional, meat based diet meaning that the overall strain on the land would be decreased. Methane gas and greenhouse gases would also be reduced, extending the benefit all the way to the atmospherehttp://www.vegan.org/about_veganism/environment.html.
3. Vegan diets are also good for our personal health. These all natural, mainly raw, diets are loaded with vitamins and nutrients that are excellent for our organs, helping to reduce the risk of diabetes or heart diseasehttp://www.vegan.org/about_veganism/health.html.

Vegans will not consume animal by-products including milk, eggs, cheese and even honey http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/reason-vegans-honey.html. Keeping this in mind, there are some steps you can take to truly live the fulfilling and morally rewarding Vegan lifestyle.

1. A true vegan does not wear leather, opting for shoes that use man-made materials. There are many stylish options available for Vegans. Payless Shoes are recommended as a good source of vegan-friendly footwear, as are Moo Shoes and Otsuhttp://www.vegan.org/going_vegan/living_vegan/index.html.
2. Take a moment to consider your cosmetics and other beauty supplies. These are typically tested on animals, and this violates Vegan principles. Luckily, PETA has assembled an extensive list of companies that do not engage in animal testing. The link for that list can be found on the PETA websitehttp://www.caringconsumer.com/pdfs/companiesDontTest.doc.
3. Even your dog can join you as you embrace the Vegan philosophy and lifestyle. There is substantial data showing that dogs can live a healthy and full life consuming vegan foods. Many Vegans have extended the diet to their canine companions with excellent, healthy resultshttp://www.vegan.org/going_vegan/veggie_dogs/index.html. Obviously, it is always a good idea to consult with your vet before beginning this diet for your dog. Should you decide to make your dog an Earth-friendly vegetarian, there are many resources available for either purchasing pre-made Vegan dog food, or preparing your dogs food yourself. One such source is West Coast Pet Supply http://www.westcoastpetsupply.com/1/vegetarian-dog-food/. You can also visit Eco Vegan Dog http://ecovegandog.blogspot.com/2009/10/vegan-dog-food-recipes.html for more information on preparing your own Vegan dog food.
4. It should be mentioned however, that while vegan diets have also been tried for cats, the results were not as positive. The cats failed to thrive, so if you have cats in your household, you will need to leave them on a meat-based diethttp://www.vegan.org/going_vegan/veggie_dogs/index.html.