November Is Vegan Month

November is vegan month.  What is a vegan and veganism?  A vegan is a person that tries to live a lifestyle, and consume a diet, that excludes the use of animals for food or clothing or other consumerism or consumption purposes.    

As it relates to diet, vegans try to avoid consumption of direct animal food products like meat, poultry, seafood, dairy products and eggs while also avoiding animal by products like gelatin or beeswax.  Fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains are the staples of a vegan diet.  A vegan diet that is centered around a wide variety of strongly colored fruits and vegetables (think red, purple, orange, blue and dark green) have been shown to provide abundant vitamins and  minerals, critical antioxidants and reduce cholesterol and heart disease.

Per vegansociety.com, "Like any other form of diet, some vegan diets are more nutritionally complete than others. White bread, hydrogenated margarine and chips qualify as a vegan meal, but too many such meals will remove the usual benefit of a vegan diet in reducing risk of heart disease. The starting principle for health is to eat a wide variety of plant foods, including plenty of strongly coloured vegetables and fruits. Each food has different strengths, so the fewer foods you eat the less likely it is that all your needs will be met. Vegetables and fruits provide plenty of many vital vitamins and minerals along with a host of other beneficial plant chemicals. In general, the stronger the colour the better. Dark green leaves such as kale and spring greens leave white cabbage, iceberg lettuce and cucumber in the shade."