The ultimate guide to eating, drinking and living vegan

With recipes, meat alternatives, and animal-free products, it is easier than ever to become a vegan

Long gone are the days that announcing you are vegan was a cause for ridicule - as more and more people around the world are electing to adopt a vegan lifestyle.

Part of the reason for the increase in veganism is the knowledge that you are helping animals, the world, and your own health.

And it has never been easier to be a vegan - with a multitude of foods and products to choose from and hundreds of resources dedicated to helping people make the switch, the choice to live a plant-based lifestyle is as easy as deciding to.

To make the process even easier, we have answered some of the most common questions about going vegan.

What is veganism?

A vegan is a person who does not consume animals or use animal products.

People who live a vegan lifestyle typically choose to do so on the basis of protecting animals, as well as for the benefit of humans and the environment.

You can learn more about going vegan here.

How does it affect your body in the first year?

Once you make the switch to a vegan lifestyle, the plant-based diet will result in various changes to your body.

In addition to an initial boost in energy, acne may clear up, bowel movements may become more regular and you will likely lose weight.

This is how a vegan lifestyle affects your health (Stock)

A few months of a vegan lifestyle can also have a significant impact on cardiovascular health, and lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

To find out what other changes to expect, you can learn more here.

Is it difficult to be vegan?

Making the switch to veganism is actually quite simple and easy once you decide to do it.

According to brothers Matt and Phil Letten, who wrote the book: Vodka is Vegan: A manifesto for better living and not being an a**hole, “If you’re opposed to animal cruelty, you’re already 90 per cent vegan. Your diet is just the last 10 per cent.”

You can read more about the brothers’ philosophies and advice here.​

What are the best meat substitutes?

As more and more people become vegan, the food industry has responded by creating a variety of meat alternatives.

In addition to omitting animal products, some plant-based alternatives such as tempeh, jackfruit and soya are also good for you.

To see what other popular meat alternatives exist, you can read more here.

Can you do the keto diet as a vegan?

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat weight loss method designed to put your body in the optimum metabolic state for fat-burning, known as ketosis.

It is nearly impossible to combine the two, as the keto diet relies on eating many foods that a vegan diet omits such as meat, yoghurt, and cheese.

To learn more about following a vegan keto diet, you can read about The Independent’s seven-day trial here.​

How does going vegan affect the planet?

In addition to impacting your health, veganism also has an immense impact on the planet.

Researchers have found that avoiding meat and dairy could reduce your carbon footprint by nearly three-quarters.

To learn more, you can read about the impact of veganism here.

How many people are vegan?

There are, surprisingly, millions of vegans living in the UK.

A recent survey found that more than 3.5m people currently identify as vegan in the UK or roughly seven per cent of Great Britain’s population.

Millions of people are vegan (Stock)

You can read more here.

Is nail polish vegan?

Not all cosmetics and beauty products are vegan, however, many brands are embracing the lifestyle and incorporated it into their products.

To make sure that your favourite nail polish brand doesn’t test on animals, you can find a list of popular vegan brands here.​

Can you still eat BBQ as a vegan?

While the days of eating meat-based burgers and hot dogs are behind you once you go vegan, it doesn’t mean that grilling has to be.

With a plethora of meat alternatives on the market, designed to bleed and grill like meat, vegans can still BBQ as much as they did before.

For delicious and animal-friendly vegan BBQ recipes, read more here.​

Are there vegan makeup brands?

Not all makeup is vegan but some brands have committed to creating sustainable, vegan products.

One company that is dedicated to saving the world and reducing the impact made by humans is Lush, which recently launched vegan foundation.

You can learn more about the best vegan and cruelty-free makeup products here.

Can you still eat pizza?

With almost-identical vegan versions of most animal-free dairy products, there are no longer foods restricted to non-vegans.

Whether it is pizza, foie gras, or katsu curry, chefs have found a way to create versions that don’t harm animals.

What countries are easiest to visit as a vegan or vegetarian?

Travelling abroad isn’t always the easiest with a restricted diet, but there are certain countries such as Switzerland and Finland that make it surprisingly easy to stick to a plant-based lifestyle.

For a full list of countries to visit, you can go here.