Wondering how many people are vegan or vegetarian? About 2% of Americans are vegans, and about 8.9% are considered vegetarians. There are additional sub-groups within the popular plant-based diets, even beyond vegan and vegetarian.
- Vegan diet – excludes meat and animal-derived products like eggs, honey, and dairy products
- Vegetarian diet – excludes meat, fish, and poultry, but includes other products like cheese and milk
- Pescetarian diet – eliminates meat and poultry, but includes fish and animal products like eggs and dairy products
- Flexitarian diet – this diet is considered semi-vegetarian. It emphasizes plant-based foods but occasionally incorporates meat, fish, and poultry
Why Do People Become Vegetarian/Vegan?
Ever wondered why people become vegetarian or vegan? Below are the top five reasons!
Personal Beliefs
Some religions like Hinduism and Buddhism advocate for nonviolence. Therefore, people who tap into those beliefs lead vegetarian lifestyles because eating animals means killing them, which is considered violence.
Animal Rights
Some people adopt meat-free diets because they believe that animals have the right to life and freedom. People who take animal rights in high regard typically go vegan and eliminate all meat and animal by-products, including dairy.
Environmental Activism
Another group of people goes vegan because they want to conserve the environment. They believe that farmers carry out a lot of deforestation and use immense amounts of water to produce meat, and the factory farms pollute the environment and contribute to climate change.
Nutrition
Many people reduce or give up meat consumption because they believe meat contributes to cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses.
Taste
Some other people do not eat meat because they do not like its taste and texture. The preservatives and hormones sometimes injected in meat and meat products change their taste, and some people prefer plant products.
