If you are a vegan, different people probably ask you the same general questions. If you are not a vegan, then you probably have some basic questions for vegans about veganism. In this article, I will answer some basic questions that vegans often get asked.

What do you eat? Vegans are defined by what they do not eat, not by what they do eat. Basically, vegans eat anything that does not contain animal products. Like vegetarians, we do not eat meat, but we also do not eat other animal products such as milk and eggs. Some general foods that we do eat include grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, beans, and any other non-animal products. And we can make countless dishes using countless recipes that use those foods as ingredients.

Why did you become a vegan? Obviously, each vegan has their own specific reasons for becoming vegan. However, the most common reasons include the environment, personal health, and empathy with animals. Concerning the environment, the production of animal products wastes resources such as land, energy and water because the farmer has to feed the livestock food that could have gone directly to humans. Many vegans also see their diet as healthier, namely because of the lower amounts of cholesterol, fat, and germs in non-animal products. And of course many vegans feel bad about slaughtering and mistreating animals, which they usually view as an inherent quality of farming livestock.

How do you get enough protein? Most natural foods have at least some protein, including most vegetables and grains. Nonetheless, some vegan foods have an especially high protein content, including beans and nuts, which by extension includes nut-based products such as peanut butter, soy milk, soy burgers, and so on and so forth.

Do you eat plants which are living creatures? Vegans eat many things that are alive; we just do not eat animals. Non-animal organisms are usually not considered sentient. People cannot empathize with plants. Vegans can and do empathize and sympathize with most animals.

Do you miss non-vegan foods such as meat, cheese, or ice cream? Overall, we obviously prefer to not eat animal products than to eat them. We may miss a specific pleasure we received from consuming animal products, but overall we believe the consequences outweigh the benefits. In other words, we get more total pleasure from not eating animal products than we get from eating them--otherwise we would choose to eat them.

I hope my answers to those questions prove to be helpful. If you are not a vegan, I hope you now understand veganism better, and I thank you for keeping an open mind. If you are a vegan, please share this article with people who ask you similar questions or who show an interest in veganism.

Whatever you do, good luck and have fun!

Scott Hughes maintains an internet-based vegan club. You can discuss veganism and animal rights at the Vegan Forums. It's completely free.