Vegan question.?!
Answers: I ask this honestly because I am considering going "vegan". Why don't vegans eat dairy products? Are these animals abused as well? Is it just more healthy not to eat dairy? I can handle giving up meat, but dairy? I don't know.
Adopting a vegan diet isn't completely about protesting the mistreatment of animals (though yes, dairy producing animals are abused). There are a lot of reasons people choose to be vegetarian or vegan - health benefits, economic savings and religious values to name a few. To be vegan is to completely abstain from all animal products. This would include dairy. And leather - many vegans avoid leather purses, shoes and belts.
Technically, female mammals produce milk (lactate) to feed their babies. Baby humans need human milk. Baby cows need cow milk. Are you a baby cow? Though most people tolerate it fairly well, dairy can also wreak havoc on your digestive system and many people find they have less inflamation, bloating and allergy problems after they stop eating it.
You'll often hear people say you "need" dairy for the calcium and protein - which are things your body needs. You can, however, easily meet all of your calcium and protein needs by eating beans, legumes and vegetables. Also - many soy and rice milks are now fortified with calcium.
Do your homework before you make a decision. Check some vegan cookbooks out from the library. Read "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell.
And perhaps tell yourself you're just going to attempt a one month "trial" - rather than "I'm now a vegan for the rest of my life". Otherwise you might give up after a week, thinking, "No way can I do this forever".
Good luck!
its because its basic Principal is not to eat anything from an animal and since dairy does come from an animal they don't eat it..
If you can handle giving up meat, but not dairy, just go vegetarian. It's better for the animals than being a full on meat eater. Vegans do not believe in the abuse or exploitation of animals, so we do not eat any dairy either, or honey for that matter (comes from bees). Yeah, its healthier not to eat most dairy as it is pumped full of hormones and antibiotics, but if you must, get organic and check what farm it is coming from. Chances are if it's being shipped across the country, you should opt for another brand.
Some vegans are lactose-intolerant but some vegans know about some of the companies that treat the cows badly and don't really have a lot of freedom and sometimes they get hurt in the process of machine milking. It doesn't always have anything to do with health but either way being a vegan would mean you would have to not eat any animal products like anything with gelatin but you could eat honey.
There are a bunch of reasons vegans don't eat dairy. There is some evidence that soy milk is way better for you than cows milk, since cows milk is relatively high in saturated fat. Also, the conditons dairy cows live in are pretty horrible. Also, drinking dairy supports the veal industry. In order for cows to give milk, they must have a calf. So the dairy industry artificially inseminates female cows, they give birth, and then they give milk. If the baby cow (calf) is a female, it will be used as a dairy cow. If the calf is a male, it gets shipped off to become veal.
you will have to give up jello also
Why are you considering going vegan if you have no reasons behind it? Vegansm is a lifestyle (not diet) that implies moral concern for animals. If you don't have the ethics behind it, why would you want to pursue it, other than for the cute little label?