November is Vegan Awareness Month

November is Vegan Awareness Month

Looking for a not-in-your-face conversation starter for Thanksgiving? (You know try to get the nay-sayers on the defense rather than the offense...) Well, October 1 is World Vegetarian Day, which is followed by "Vegetarian Awareness Month" in October and "Vegan Awareness Month" in November. Each year the North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) sponsors a number of events, which you can learn about at WorldVegetarianDay.org.

As for November though, TechnicianOnline.com reports, "Veganism, which has its roots in the mid-twentieth century, is often attributed, at least in name, to Donald Watson -- the British founder of the Vegan Society." Veganism has its roots in the 1700s, with vegans constituting less than 1% of society--with slightly higher numbers in the UK than in the US.

There's no opportunity like the present to consider transitioning to a completely animal-free diet. If you think about it, many of your apprehensions about giving up eggs and dairy are no doubt the same apprehensions you roll your eyes over when others express them to you about your current meat-free diet. Are you thinking, "If I was vegan, what would I eat?" Well, isn't that what you hear omnivores saying about going vegetarian that just grinds your gears? According to CrazySexyLife.com, veganism is one of the fastest growing movements on the planet.

Watson, the creator of the term "vegan," wrote in his first-ever edition of "Vegan News:"

“The unquestionable cruelty associated with the production of dairy produce has made it clear that lacto-vegetarianism is but a half-way house between flesh-eating and a truly humane, civilised diet, and we think, therefore, that during our life on earth we should try to evolve sufficiently to make the ‘full journey’.”