The 4 Types of Vegans – Excellent Reasons for being Vegan

Introduction

Of the many reasons why, you want to become a vegan, it’s important to know there is more than one specific type of vegan and even vegan diet to choose from. We can all agree that being vegan is a lifestyle that isn’t always on the same page according to the 4 main reasons for becoming vegan. Let’s explore the world of veganism and the types of vegans that can further define what can be best for you.

What makes a vegan a vegan?

Among the healthy aspects of being vegan or vegetarian, vegans have a philosophy that goes beyond the dietary requirements needed for being healthy. And though this is not a downside, since many vegans are practicing their right to freedom and expression, the effort to be ethically sustainable has improved many aspects of eco-friendly products that are cruelty-free. There are many fractions of vegans that are now well-known among these top 4 categories.

Ethical Vegans

One of the most important aspects of ethical vegans is the practice of the ethical treatment of animals. As larger awareness groups including PETA, have raised concern over modern farming conditions for animals that are living in terrible conditions. All food products are closely inspected for containing any kind of animal contents or byproducts. By large, the vegan community shares this information online and helps others avoid products that contain animals.

Since the manufacturers of many popular products are quick to advertise their products are vegan (and can be part of a vegan diet), these products are closely examined and often exposed as being non-vegan. At one time this was as simple as spotting animal fats used for frying or finding gelatin listing as one of the product ingredients. Now, this process is scrutinized very carefully which often bleeds over into the GMO ingredients that are being used and commonly found in many imported products.

There is often a cross-over between ethical veganism and environmental veganism which isn’t easy to define because of the ethical feelings involved with byproducts that are derived from animals or insects, and even displacement of both through farming and cultivation.

Environmental Vegans

The practice of environmental veganism is a practical approach to viewing the lifestyle of living as a vegan across all aspects of daily life. This includes looking for products that do not contain any kind of animal byproducts and readily searching for sustainable plant based replacements. While the early model for environmental veganism was to reduce environmental damage by seeking and supporting alternative methods to make vegan products, there is now a sub-category added.

Many new environmental vegans now look to prevent the usage of GMOs and living organisms that are used in the production of food products. This also includes the exploitation of animal labor as a byproduct of select ingredients that aren’t limited to plant pollination using bees, or the collection of certain fruits and vegetables that involve animal labor. There is also a new effort to replace specific types of fungi that are now considered living organisms to avoid eating.

The innovation of utilizing alternative materials for clothing and cosmetics is also considered environmental because of the types of dyes and pigments that have typically come from insects in the past.

Health Vegans

There are perfectly normal reasons why someone can choose to become vegan due to dietary requirements that are medically driven. This can easily translate to those who are seeking to dramatically lose weight or reduce their cholesterol as a recommendation from a doctor. In many cases, increasing a diet that consists of vegetables and fruit can help boost the immune system and remove toxins that were the result of an unhealthy diet.

This is also subject to the increase of popular fad diets that have popped up in recent years which are relatively harmless for short periods. Younger generations have embraced veganism for the healthy living aspect that is also considered trendy. Those who have followed a vegan diet for health reasons often reverse course back to a meat and vegetable diet including well-known celebrities like Harry Eastwood, who has written several cookbooks on this topic.

In recent years, the sudden spike in lactose intolerance is clearly unknown by the medical community. While this is also defined as celiac disease, the ability to digest milk and dairy products is another viable reason for someone to become a vegan. It’s a requirement that those who suffer from celiac disease find alternatives to these byproducts. There has been a rise in lactose-free diets that are not related to any health issue but are purely a health trend.

Religious Vegans

Our world also includes many religions that only eat plant-based foods that are deeply rooted in religious practice. The oldest and better-known religions that practice veganism include Hindus and Buddhists. There are vegan cultures that include portions of Jamaicans, Israelis, and even Christians but a small portion of the religion that only eat plant-based food based on religious practice that is required at specific times of the year.

In the Christian religion, more specifically based on eastern Christianity, the practice of Lent included fasting periods that only allowed plant-based food for a short time between Christmas to Easter (with some exceptions). Similar beliefs among other religions also follow short periods of eating meat and dairy products based on their religious calendar. Many of the earliest models for vegetarianism came from religion, which thus became the extension of veganism.

Is there only one type of vegan diet?

There are sub-categories for vegetarians that are very specific to what a vegetarian diet will allow, and what is considered OK to eat. Vegan diets are different since this follows the non-binary structure that is closer to a spectrum rather than a sub-category. There can be an infinite number of vegan diet categories that are followed and created. This allows those who want to modify their dietary vegan diets needs at any point based on preference and choice.

This may further represent a rainbow spectrum of vegan diets that are embraced by all 4 of these main vegan groups. These diets are further followed by trend vegan diets that have combined one or more categories to create a new version of an entirely new vegan diet. The first 4 groups are listed to give you an idea of how these diets work.

Raw Vegans

Vegan diets of this sort are exclusively a steady supply of uncooked vegan food that seldom ever needs to be heated to more than 104-118 degrees Fahrenheit. The idea is that food will lose vital nutrients that may be lost in the cooking process. Not all raw vegan food is served cold so there is room for exploration and experimentation as long as the food is not completely cooked at high temperatures.

This diet is perfect for those who use cooking methods that carefully control heating and temperature. Which may also benefit from heating foods using Sous Vide immersion cookers that can be set to a select temperature. You will need to vacuum seal your food to get the best results. Which will not overcook or destroy the vitamin content inside veggies, fruits, or prepared raw vegan meals.

Gluten-free Vegans

In addition to those who are avoiding milk and dairy products, the choice to avoid gluten is another form of veganism that cuts out wheat, barley, and rye (essentially the main protein for wheat-based plants). This is often called the glue which is a protein used to make bread and the structure that holds bread together. Those with celiac disease will also need to avoid gluten since this is hard to digest.

Since being introduced, the combination of vegan diets and gluten-free diets can allow a wide variety of substitutes to be used as flour. As mentioned before, this choice is not exclusively a medical recommendation due to celiac disease and is a growing trend for dietary alternatives. Many of the newest gluten alternatives are excellent replacements that can often taste better than something that was wheat-based.

Paleo Vegans

This is also called the Caveman Diet’ and is a type of vegan diets but does not recommend the addition of woolly mammoth steaks. It simply refers to the diet that Paleolithic people may have eaten in the early period known as the ‘Stone Age’. This vegan diet includes many vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds but does have very strict rules that exclude legumes (beans) or grains since these were not discovered until after this period.

This vegan diet is also up for debate since the early Stone Age period was part of the time that discovered fire and the ability to use fire to cook meat that could be caught. Many of the earliest accounts of cooking with fire may have indeed been by accident and the benefits that came with the preservative quality of smoke that came from a burning fire. Some ancient historians believe this is where ancient people learned how smoke flavors food.

Whole Food Plant Based Vegans

These vegan diets include many plant based diet foods like fruits and vegetables that are largely unprocessed and eaten raw or cooked. There is no limit to the order, so this allows whole food vegans to prepare these select foods as they wish. This also includes a good selection of wheat, seeds, whole grains, nuts, and beans that are unprocessed and as fresh as they can be. These whole grains can be further ground up and used as flour but avoid buying any kind of pre-made vegan food.

This vegan diet may also be considered the forerunner of colonial people who lived on farms where they made their own food themselves. Aside from not eating any meat or milk and dairy products, whole food vegans would be closer to early vegetarians that were sticking to a plant-based diet.

Fruitarian Vegans

While this sounds similar to the title of the newest Tim Burton sci-fi movie, Fruitarians vegan diets are dedicated to eating only what has fallen naturally from the tree or plant. This is up for speculation since many do not believe it’s allowed to eat seeds that can create more fruits in the future so that the aspect of cultivation and farming is not completely erased. This is also allowing a wide variety of beans, peas, and lentils in their plant based diet.

Anything located under the surface of the soil is totally off-limits! The same applies to fruit that is still hanging on a tree or plant and not allowed to pick until it naturally falls to the ground to be collected. There is no five-second rule to this diet, so any fruit or vegetable can be washed and/or cooked, so it can be eaten later.

Junk Food Vegans

Within our culture, much of the population has become to rely upon junk food including processed food that is served at fast food restaurants. In recent years, the addition of many meat substitutes that look and taste like actual meat (including the Impossible Burger) has become mainstream at many fast-food outlets for the vegan community. Many advocates in the vegan world warn against vegan junk food for major health dangers.

This has increased the dangers of saturated fats and sodium which can lead to heart disease. And though soy proteins and coconut oil are considered healthy, the processed nature of so many mock meats counter the healthy nature of how they are consumed in moderation. Many additives that also include artificial Heme are now being shunned by vegan groups that have discovered that living organism fungi are used synthetically to give mock meat a realistic flavor.

Raw Until 4pm Vegans

Nutritionists have always recommended that dinner past a certain time in the evening is a bad idea if you want to enjoy a normal sleep cycle. This particular vegan diet only allows a raw vegan diet until 4pm in the afternoon. This is not an easy raw vegan diet to follow since many enjoy warm food around dusk or at least by 7pm at night. This is where the raw vegan diet has a loophole that does allow for hot vegan food cooked at higher temperatures after 4pm.

This may include any variant from the vegan diets that are good for those who would like something filling as part of a plant based diet and more dinner-like after 4pm. As long as you’ve followed the raw vegan diet of only warming food to 104-118 degrees Fahrenheit, you are allowed to enjoy other vegan dishes as you like after 4pm -when they are cooked.

Freegans Vegans

For those who love the freshest fruits and vegetables at the Farmer’s Market, this is where Freegan vegans have made the most of living without the oppression of capitalism. There is an excess of fruits and vegetables that are discarded because they are going limp or cannot be sold to paying customers. They can also be vegan foods that are found rather than bought, which is sometimes not an easy task unless these items are obtained from garbage containers.

If these items are obtained as a form of trade, this is not excluded as long as there is no currency being used. This is a lot closer to bartering which would allow Freegans to obtain fresher fruits and veggies that are traded using a value system of an object or item that can be traded to receive X-number of fruits and vegetables.

The Paris/Convenient Vegan

Perhaps one of the most elusive steps in being a vegan is being thrown into a situation where there are no options of eat true vegan plant based diet food. The next best step is to accept eating a vegetarian dish that is not listed as vegan but has ingredients that are considered vegan. This can happen while traveling through an area where vegan food is not served but includes a wide variety of vegetarian food dishes instead.

Many restaurants offer vegetarian dishes that are completely suitable for vegans that also substitute ingredients upon request if you’re looking to avoid milk and dairy products or wheat-based products. It’s also perfectly fine to request that select ingredients are left out of a dish if they happen to contain something that is not considered vegan.

Virtual Vegans

You can’t always tell what is in your food, but for the sake of visual clues, you cannot always determine what items are in your food. A virtual vegan is a person who doesn’t really care if there are minimal traces of milk or dairy products in their food. As it sounds very superficial, especially when going to restaurants, if you cannot prepare the meal at home, this type of vegan diet is acceptable for those who are more tolerant is special eating conditions.

Goalpost Vegan

This is a controversial type of vegan who will switch between different diet styles that are popular at the moment. This can be attributed to the trend culture for veganism that is promoted through social media and other internet influences. Many vegans who learn about proper nutrition based on vegetarian diets can learn which vegan diet is beneficial for dietary needs.

This type of vegan is not officially considered a dedicated vegan since the movement from one diet to another is not considered healthy by experienced vegans. This is especially relevant when these people are promoting a new vegan diet that is untested or does not follow any practical nutritional values. In other words, a fad vegan diet may be harmful to others due to the lack of experience in understanding nutrition and daily intake requirements of a plant based diet.

Conclusion

There are many reasons why someone might want to become vegan eating a plant based diet.  All of those reasons are good reasons in our opinion.  At Cruelty Free Belts we consider that going vegan can extend from food to also fashion.  We offer the highest quality selection of vegan belts from Recycled Material Belts, Canvas Belts, Vegan Leather Belts, and Cork Belts.

We also have a number of well-written blog posts.  If you’d like to continue reading more of our blog posts, we recommend you read: “The Best Online Vegan Cooking Classes Taught by Vegan Chefs“, “What is Vegan Leather? How is it Made?  Better Alternative?“, “The Best Ever Recycled Material Vegan Belts by Jelt Belt“, and “Klik Belts Strong Indestructible Vegan Belts are the Best“.