Of Being a Pro-Plant

I had to reply in an email recently about options of my preferred or desired dietary meals i.e. vegan, vegetarian, etc. etc.

Both the words 'vegetarian' and 'vegan' caught my attention. Well, im sure you'd know what it means literally but somehow i decided to take a closer look. So i Wikied it.

Vegetarianism is the practice of following a diet based on plant-based foods including fruits, vegetables, cereal grains, nuts, and seeds, with or without dairy products and eggs. A vegetarian does not eat meat, game, poultry, fish, crustacea, shellfish, or products of animal slaughter such as animal-derived gelatin and rennet. A vegan diet is a form of vegetarian diet which excludes all animal products, including dairy products, eggs, and honey. A lacto-vegetarian diet includes dairy products but excludes eggs, an ovo-vegetarian diet includes eggs but not dairy products, and a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet includes both eggs and dairy products. Vegetarianism may be adopted for ethical, health, environmental, religious, political, cultural, aesthetic, economic, or other reasons.

Vegetarian diets should not be confused with various non-vegetarian diets; "semi-vegetarian" diets may consist largely of vegetarian foods, with the addition of poultry or fish (pescetarian). The common use confusion between such diets and vegetarianism has led vegetarian groups, such as the Vegetarian Society, to note that such fish-, or poultry-based diets are not vegetarian.

Veganism is a diet and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. Vegans endeavor not to use or consume animal products of any kind. The most common reasons for becoming a vegan are ethical commitment or moral conviction concerning animal rights or welfare, the environment, human health, and spiritual or religious concerns. Of particular concern to many vegans are the practices involved in factory farming and animal testing, and the intensive use of land and other resources for animal farming.

The word vegan was coined in 1944 by Donald Watson, who combined the first three and last two letters of vegetarian to form "vegan," which he saw as "the beginning and end of vegetarian."

The Vegan Society defines veganism in this way:
The word "veganism" denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practical — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.

So now I guess we could figure out why or on what reason someone could possibly be a vegan or a vegetarian. Hmmm...