Four myths about the vegan movement

1. “Veganism is just a diet.”

Veganism is most often associated with a plant-based diet. However, veganism is far more than just a diet—it’s a lifestyle. A vegan is someone who strives to cause the least amount of harm as humanly possible. It's true that vegans don’t consume any animal products, because worldwide, more than 70 billion land animals are killed each year for food, and vegans don't want to contribute to that number.

But vegans also don’t use any cosmetics that contain animal products or that have been tested on animals. (The Humane Society reports that 500,000 animals die worldwide every year in cosmetic testing.) And vegans don’t wear animal fur or skins, nor do they support the domination of animals for entertainment (e.g., zoos and circuses) or work. It's estimated that around 1 million animals live in captivity worldwide, and animals who perform in circuses are chained or kept in cages for 96% of their lives.

The ultimate goal of a vegan is to cause the least amount of suffering, which is why they don't support any industry or company where animals are exploited for human gain.

2. “White people are more likely to be vegan.”

According to a 2016 Pew Research Center survey, Black Americans are nearly three times more likely than other Americans to eat a strict vegan or vegetarian diet. A recent poll by Gallup found that in 2020, 31% of non-white Americans had reduced their meat consumption, compared to just 19% of white Americans. African Americans compose the country's fastest-growing vegan demographic.

The most common reason for reducing meat consumption is health-related. Gallup found that 9 in 10 Americans chose to cut back on eating meat mainly for health-related reasons. A vegan diet can help reduce the likelihood of developing chronic illnesses like heart disease and diabetes, which according to the CDC’s 2020 National Diabetes Statistics Report, are disproportionately plaguing non-white Americans, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic.

But remember: Veganism is more than just a diet; it's a lifestyle, and it's one with a long tradition in the Black community. Amirah Mercer writes, "Plant-based eating has a long, radical history in Black American culture, preserved by institutions and individuals who have understood the power of food and nutrition in the fight against oppression." The things we buy and eat are political statements, expressions of our values. They are votes. For Mercer, "plant-based eating is probably one of the Blackest things I could do. As a Black woman in America, my veganism is, in fact, a homecoming."

3. “Vegans feel that they're ethically superior or pure.”

A person who has chosen a vegan lifestyle for ethical reasons has the ultimate goal of reducing as much harm and suffering to animals as they possibly can. Vegans are passionate about their lifestyle and want to see others join the vegan movement to effect greater change. Sometimes that passion can sound like preaching—especially to those who aren’t ready to make the switch. However, most vegans don't consider themselves better than non-vegans: They're just trying to save as many animals as they can. (Ironically, many are doing so because they don't consider human beings to be a superior species.)

"The truth is I feel humbled being vegan rather than superior to those who aren't. I have no cause to be self-righteous,” said vegan author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau during an NPR interview. “Rather than feel morally superior to people who eat animals, I feel great sorrow for the animals who suffer and for the humans who inflict that suffering.”

Another important thing to consider is that most vegans weren’t always vegan. The majority of Americans grow up in households where meat and dairy products are consumed with alarming frequency. (According to the Pew Research Center, vegans make up only 3% of the US population.) It's hard—and, arguably, hypocritical—for vegans to judge other people for something they did for years themselves.

For these reasons, and because compassion and mercy are two of the core values of veganism, most vegans can relate to and sympathize with non-vegans who haven't transitioned to a plant-based lifestyle.

4. “Going vegan won’t change anything.”

Okay, this one is just wildly false. Researchers at the University of Oxford found that cutting out animal products from your diet could reduce your carbon footprint by up to 73%. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported that animal agriculture is the largest source of methane emissions in the United States. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, about 28 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at warming the Earth over a 100-year period.

The impact animal agriculture has had on the world's wildlife is devastating. Overexploitation and agriculture are the most prevalent threats facing the 8,688 threatened or near-threatened species on the planet. Agriculture alone accounts for 5,407 of those species, cheetahs being one of them. A vegan diet could dramatically help prevent the further extinction of species worldwide. If everyone transitioned to a diet free from animal products, global farmland use could be reduced by up to 76%, freeing up endless acres of wildland that's currently lost to agriculture.

Reducing consumption of animal products is not only good for the environment, but also good for human health. That same University of Oxford analysis found that foods with the worst environmental impacts—unprocessed and processed red meat—were consistently associated with the largest increases in disease risk.

There are a lot of misconceptions out there about vegans, but the truth is that vegans strive to reduce harm as much as they realistically can, whether that be harm done to animals, the environment, or human health. Instead of provoking confusion or scorn, this should be cause for celebration.

For more information on why people go vegan, see "3 Great Reasons to Switch to a Plant-Based Diet."