Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. Having a plant-based diet is a part of being vegan, but veganism is more than just a diet. Many people eat vegan diets but would not be considered as vegans.

There are several reasons people choose to go vegan/have a vegan diet. The most common reason is to reduce and prevent animal suffering. The vast majority of farm animals are raised on factory farms, enduring a lifetime of suffering which culminates in a gruesome and painful death. The dairy and egg industries do not receive as much media attention as the meat industry, but the practices in these industries are just as (and in some respects, more) horrific. There are also the environmental implications of having a non-vegan diet. The meat and dairy industries are significant contributors to pollution, deforestation, and water usage. In addition, meat production is incredibly inefficient (in terms of land, water, and energy use); a plant-based diet is much more eco-friendly by default. Finally, many people switch to a vegan diet due to the health benefits (although these people are technically plant-based, rather than vegan). Following a wholefoods plant-based diet has many well-documented health outcomes.

A lot of people find that the transition is much less difficult than they initially thought. In fact, it has never been easier to be vegan - these days, vegan establishments are getting more and more commonplace, and supermarkets are usually well-stocked with vegan products.

It's a common myth that meat is the only way to get protein. In fact, plants are an excellent source of protein. Plant foods tend to be less calorically dense than animal products, so it may feel like you need to eat a lot more food in order to maintain the same amount of macronutrients and calories.

Vitamin B12 is naturally produced by bacteria which are typically found in untreated water and animal products. Vegans are recommended to take vitamin B12 supplements, which are widely available in health stores (e.g. Holland & Barrett). Many meat eaters are also found to be deficient in B12 and should also take supplements. Many foods are now fortified with vitamin B12 (e.g. nutritional yeast, cereals, plant milks), so it is possible to include it in your diet without purchasing supplements.

There are many plant milk alternatives available across the UK these days. The least expensive one tends to be soy milk, but if you can't get used to the taste you could also try oat, almond, hazelnut, coconut, rice, and hemp milk. Most people seem to like oat milk the most, especially when used in hot drinks (as it seems to be the least likely to curdle in coffee!). It's also worth knowing that some of these milks can be bought as "sweetened" or "unsweetened". Unsweetened usually is the best one to try first.

Honey is produced by bees, and therefore not vegan. Bees need the honey they produce to survive, and extracting honey from beehives is neither harmless nor necessary.

It's true that dairy products contain calcium. However, there are plenty of other places to obtain calcium - human adults do not need to get theirs from milk, and certainly not milk designed for baby cows. Dairy consumption often results in many other health issues, so it is worth relying on other sources.

Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton, and Patrik Baboumian (and many others!) have all achieved success while having a 100% plant-based diet.

It could be worth asking for alternative options. However, we know that not all medications have vegan-friendly counterparts. If you need an animal-derived medication to treat or manage a serious health problem, we don't advise that you refuse it (refer back to the "as far as is possible and practicable" part in the definition of veganism). You are still making a world of difference in your choice to avoid animal products wherever else you can. Also, we would much rather have you alive to speak up for the animals and our environment than otherwise!

Like any living organism, plants do respond to external stimuli. However, plants do not have a central nervous system, and therefore lack the capacity to suffer. If you are still concerned about plants' rights and wish to reduce the number of plant victims, then cutting out animal products is actually the way to go - because meat eaters' diets end up killing more plants!