Vegans do not eat or use animal products, animal by-products, or products tested on animals. The term vegan, formed from first three and last two letters of the word veg etari an , was coined in London in 1944 by seven vegetarians who founded the Vegan Society. True vegans will not wear leather shoes, belts or jackets. They will not wear wool nor even eat honey.

There are three main reasons why people become Vegans:

• Concern for animals. Many people turn to vegetarianism because they do not want to kill animals. Vegans take it one step further. Concerned about animal husbandry today, which they say is inhumane, vegans avoid animal products completely. This includes wool and honey - comes from animals, right?
• Health. They believe that eating meat and dairy is bad for human health.
• Environmental concerns. They believe that animal farming damages the environment. For example they state that "Methane from cow flatulence is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions leading to global warming". (What about vegan flatulence from all the beans they eat?)

Vegans are usually rather pale looking, smell bad and are into very strange and frequently cultish behaviors. Often they are "goths" or some other ghoulish looking fad-creature. They are particularly aggressive and obnoxious and especially self-righteous and feel that they are morally superior to all others based upon their diet and the fact that it doesn't kill animals. They are fairly dangerous to disagree with - despite their erstwhile exhibitions of compassion towards furry or feathery critters.

Other Types of Vegans

Natural Hygiene is a variation of the Vegan diet. Natural hygienists eat a diet of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. There is considerable disagreement within this movement about what constitutes 'natural hygiene'. Some natural hygienists eat animal products; some advocate high fruit diets, while most discourage them.. In the USA raw foods are espoused.