World Vegan Month, 2019

Established in 1994 to commemorate the forward movement of the vegan ideology, as well as the creation of The Vegan Society in the UK in November 50 years prior, World Vegan Month is an annual designation observed in November.

According to DayOfTheYear.com, the date was selected to fall in line with Halloween and the Day of the Dead as a way of honoring those animals who had already passed under the unnecessary cause of supporting human life.

The underlying “rule” to embracing the vegan lifestyle is to eat a plant-based diet. The majority of vegans don’t just avoid meat; they also avoid fish, dairy, eggs, and honey, as well as products like leather or fur.

Whether you are interested in veganism for health-related reasons, due to compassion for the animals or to protect the environment, I invite you to check out the following list of links where you can find more about World Vegan Month, so you can make an informed decision in case you want to get involved:

Vegan.org
NationalCalendar.com
VeganSociety.com

Health benefits of eating vegetables

Here is a list of health benefits that you can experience if you include vegetables in your daily diet. Vegetables, along with fruits, contribute to healing various illnesses and to improving one’s health.

Types of plant-based diets

There are several types of vegetarian or plant-based diets. The terms “vegetarian” and “plant-based” can sometimes create confusion due to the lack of consensus in regards to their official definitions. Here are some brief explanations of what the main types of vegetarians are:

Fruitarian: a person who eats exclusively raw fruits and seeds (or whose diet consists of at least 70% fruits and about 30% vegetables), mostly raw, but sometimes frozen or slightly cooked fruit is acceptable;

Raw Food Vegan: a person who excludes all food and products of animal origin, as well as food cooked at a temperature above 105 °F. It includes raw fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts, grains, legume sprouts, plant oils, sea vegetables, herbs and mushrooms;

Vegan: a person who does not eat or use animal products; vegans eat cooked products from the above list;

Lacto Vegetarian: a person who abstains from eating meat and eggs, but eats dairy products;

Ovo Vegetarian: a person who abstains from eating meat and dairy, but consumes eggs;

Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian: a person who abstains from eating meat, but eats eggs and dairy products;

Pescatarian: a person who does not eat meat but does eat fish;

Flexitarian: one who consumes a plant-based diet with the occasional inclusion of meat, eggs or dairy products;