Many people hear the word vegan and consider it something strange. They wonder what exactly a vegan is, and what vegans eat on a daily basis.
Veganism is more than a diet. It is a belief system and a total lifestyle. A vegan will not eat, use, or wear any products that come from animals, whether directly or indirectly.
What does a vegan eat instead? The short answer would be anything that is not derived from animals. A more specific answer is that their diet is entirely plant-based. All their food comes out of the ground, or off a bush, tree, or vine. Any vegetable or fruit would be acceptable, but when a vegan eats processed food, it becomes a bit more tricky. Some food colorings or thickening agents are actually made from ground-up insects, and sugar, although it is a plant-based product, is filtered through animal bone char.
Eating vegan can be as easy as doing all your shopping in the produce section, with a quick jaunt down the bulk aisle for your whole grains. Rice, beans, nuts, seeds, and many dark leafy greens and dark green vegetables will provide enough protein if you eat the right foods in the right amounts. Any vegetable, fruit, grain, legume, or seed is acceptable to a vegan, in its natural state, with no processing.
However, vegans who choose to eat processed food have their work cut out for them, as they need to learn the ins and outs of how food is made, and what foods or additives to watch out for. Even foods labeled as vegan are not always truly vegan.
Whether one chooses an all natural or a processed vegan diet, either choice will offer a vegan as much variety and flavor in their diet as any non-vegan has, the only difference is that the variety and flavor will come only from plant-based sources, with no harm to animals.