Veganism is a cultural practice where people abstain from the consumption of animal products as best as possible. To call it merely a "diet" would be to diminish the broader social context veganism situates itself in. Practicing non-violence, protecting the environment, ending the exploitation and oppression of animals and other people, and improving ones physical and mental health are all aspects of veganism that commonly manifest in those who practice it.

Common products that vegans do not purchase to address the violent commodification of animal bodies are meat, dairy, eggs, seafood, honey, leather, fur, wool, silk, etc.

A diet rich in plant-based foods is full of the vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats you need to be healthy.  Fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes can provide everything you need.  While it is important vegans get an adequate amount of vitamin B12, these are easily found in fortified foods such as oat, soy, or almond mylks; nutritional yeast, and some cereals.

People who follow a plant-based diet are shown to have a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, type-2 diabetes, obesity, and even alzheimer's disease.

Learn more about why veganism is healthy at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine site here.

Also check out Canada's New Food Guide. While it doesn't promote veganism specifically, it has made a tremendous shift away from meat and dairy products for good reason.

Going vegan may be the most significant choice you can make to save the planet.  The production and distribution of animal products for human consumption is the greatest contributor to climate change in the world today.

Animal agriculture is one of the most significant contributors to CO2 emissions in the world today.  It is also the primary cause of animal extinction in the world, and the largest contributor to the destruction of rain forest. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce 1 lb of beef.  1000 gallons of water to produce 1 litre of milk. 
This is just the start and doesn't include all the horrific animal suffering involved in the production and transportation of these beings.

Veganism isn't just good for the environment, it is an imperative to safeguard our future and that of millions of other species, and the planet.

If you haven't seen Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret, it's time.

Or if you like reading scientific papers, here is the link to the UN Report Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Productions and Consumption.

The truth about dairy is that you simply don't need it. It was made for baby cows and unless you are a baby cow you shouldn't be drinking it. All nutrients available in milk are readily available, if not more so, from plant sources.

Often people think dairy is more humane than the meat industry, so they continue to consume it even after they give up meat.  However, whereas animals in the meat industry are killed often much earlier in their lives, dairy cows are forced to produce milk and have calves for years until their bodies are exhausted.  At this point, they are killed anyway.

Their babies are taken away from them often a day or less after they are born, so they do not grow more attached and the milk they need can be taken to give to people. If the calf is male, he will likely be deprived of iron and kept in a small pen to produce veal, and killed very young. If the calf is female, she will be suffer the same fate as her mother.

Dairy is also terrible for the environment by requiring large inputs of water and feed to produce 1 litre of milk, contributing global warming from methane and nitrous oxide output, and polluting fresh water sources with effluent.

No matter how you cut it, dairy is bad for our health, the animals, and the environment.

Here is some background on the Dairy industry from Mercy for Animals for your consideration.

Over 100 billion animals are killed each year for food alone. Animals killed for food are treated with abject cruelty, being deprived of their basic physiological and psychological needs, beaten, mutilated, tortured, starved, exposed to extreme temperatures and neglected. The meat industry is all about the bottom line, and no cruelty is too extreme if it saves them a dollar.

Not only does meat expose animals to some of the worst conditions imaginable, it also is one of the most environmentally destructive forces on Earth. The production of meat is the greatest destroyer of rain forest, polluter of fresh water sources and the ocean, and contributor to global warming. Its exploitation and thirst for resources is unparalleled.

Meat also contributes to the poor health of people around the world. Processed meats in particular can lead to the development of types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and even early death.

It is time for us to leave meat out of our diets for the animals, the environment, and our own health.

Have you seen Earthlings? Dominion? If these two  films don't make you never want to eat animals again, we don't know what will.

The egg industry is not all egg producers will tell you it is cracked up to be.

Chickens can live in a natural environment for up 10-15 years, but in the egg industry they are generally killed after a year and a half when their bodies are spent from constant production It is not unusual for genetically modified hens to lay hundreds of eggs per year in artificial conditions. Non genetically modified hens in a natural setting may produce only 10-15 eggs annually.

Billions of male chicks are killed each year as soon as they are born through a process called "sexing." They are generally killed in large numbers by gassing or being ground up alive.

Chickens are highly social animals which require physical space and mental stimulation. Settings in industrial farming whether battery cages, enhanced cages, or open barns are extremely stressful and deprive them of their basic needs to dust bathe, establish social orders, and even perch.

Humans don't need eggs to be healthy and eating eggs may contribute to poor heart health, developing certain types of cancer, and diabetes.

Learn more about egg production through the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals.