Vegan Guide
Short answers to real-world questions about veganism — food, health, shopping, and everyday life.
Vegans base their diet entirely on plant-derived foods, excluding meat, fish, dairy, eggs and honey. Everyday meals are built from a variety of nutritious plant foods.
Veganism is a way of living that seeks to exclude — as far as possible and practicable — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.
No. An egg is a hen’s product, whether the cage is cramped or the bird ranges a backyard. Welfare matters — it does not change the vegan definition.
Yes. Most people do not switch overnight. A common path: meat first, then dairy and eggs, then honey, labels and clothes.
Meat: legumes, tofu, tempeh, seitan, plant burgers on the grill. Dairy: fortified plant drinks, coconut or soy yoghurt, hummus instead of cream cheese. Eggs: tofu scramble, aquafaba and flax in baking.
No, you absolutely do not need to know how to cook to go vegan. There are now plenty of ready-made products, alternatives and shortcuts that make a complete plant-based diet possible without spending hours in the kitchen.
No. Mussels, oysters and other molluscs are animals, and veganism excludes animal products. Some people eat them, arguing that bivalves probably do not feel pain, but that is a separate choice, not veganism.
No. Milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter and cream come from animals, so they are not vegan. Plant milks and cheeses — oat, soy, nut-based — are.
No, despite the popular belief that 'fish is not meat'. Fish have a developed nervous system and feel pain and stress, so ethically veganism makes no exception here. People who eat fish but not the meat of land animals are pescatarians — a different diet category, often confused with veganism.
Usually easier than it looks at the start. A large share of what you already eat — groats, pasta, bread, fruit, vegetables, legumes — is plant-based. The hard part is habit and labels, not “living on salad”.
Usually through one of three gates: animal ethics, climate and land, or health. The core of veganism is ethical — the other two are common starting points, not rival definitions.
A flexitarian eats mostly plants but sometimes meat or fish. Plant-based describes a diet, not necessarily a whole lifestyle. Cruelty-free means not tested on animals. Speciesism is treating beings worse because of their species. Fortification means adding vitamins or minerals to food.
A plant-based diet is only about the plate – eating without animal products. Veganism is broader: a way of living that avoids using animals, as far as possible, also in clothes, cosmetics and entertainment. You can eat 100% plant-based and not be vegan.
Vegetarian diets exclude meat and fish, but allow eggs and/or dairy. Veganism also excludes eggs, dairy, honey and other animal products. In shops, “vege” is not vegan.
Eat what you already like, in a plant version: spaghetti with lentils, chickpea curry, bean tacos. Add B12 if dairy is going too. Do not experiment with twelve superfoods at once.
It is normal. Taste retrains over weeks, not days. Fat and umami help (tahini, mushrooms, soy sauce, analogues), not salad alone. A craving does not mean “the body requires meat”.
Swap one meal a day to legumes or tofu, learn three sauces, read one new ingredient a week. You do not have to “become vegan” on day one. B12 matters once dairy and meat are gone for good.
Donald Watson coined “vegan” in 1944 when he founded The Vegan Society in the UK. The practice of avoiding animal products is much older.
