Veganism is becoming more popular today, and many Christians question whether or not being a vegan fits with their faith.  Like vegetarianism, being a vegan is a dietary choice, and like vegetarianism, it takes effort to be a vegan.  While some Christians take issue with being vegan, some think that being a vegan is an acceptable option for Christians.

What Does it Mean to Be Vegan
People often confuse vegan and vegetarian diets, and while they are similar, there are clear differences.


  Vegetarians choose not to eat any meat.  This means they don’t eat chicken, beef, fish, etc.  However, vegans take that choice a step further and won’t eat anything that has come from an animal.  So they don’t eat things like eggs, milk or cheese.  It’s a more challenging dietary choice, as being vegan means learning how to remake things that include animal by-products.  

Why Do People Go Vegan?
If you ask vegans why they made their choice, they’ll give you a variety of reasons. Some have seen animals killed for food, and it bothers them.  Others believe it’s cruel to animals, and they believe factory farming is cruel and destructive.  Some think that it’s healthier.  Some just can’t eat meat or animal by-products for certain health reasons. Every vegan as a personal reason for their choice, and most are willing to share why they’ve made that choice.

God’s Permission to Eat Meat
In the Old Testament, God gave Noah and his children the okay to eat meat. Some Christian thinks that means we are supposed to eat animals and animal products while others believe it’s just God giving us permission to eat meat.

  They believe that we don’t have to eat animal products if we don’t have to.

Some Christians can be intolerant of vegans, because they think that since Jesus ate meat, we should all eat meat, too.  However, more often than not, Christians aren’t critical of vegans, they just don’t understand the diet or why someone may be so committed to it.

If You Choose to Go Vegan
Going vegan means a very massive change in your diet, which can impact your health if you don’t do your research.  As a teenager, your body is going through a number of changes, so it’s important that you do some things before you fully transition to a vegan diet:

• Talk to your parents.  Since you’re an adolescent, you may not have control over what your family is buying for food, so you need to have the discussion with your parents if you want to go vegan.  It may take them some time to understand, but if they do, it’s only the first step.  
• Talk to a doctor.  You should also have a discussion with your doctor about you going vegan.  There are specific nutrients we get from eating meat that you will need to get in your diet from grains and vegetables.  Your doctor should keep an eye on you to make sure you’re staying healthy in your transition to a vegan diet.  
• Do your research.  Being a vegan means paying attention to every ingredient your food.  So you’ll need to do some research into what foods you an eat and good substitutions for foods that are ingredients in things you’re cooking.  
• Experiment with food.  One of the tough things about going vegan is that you can feel like you’re missing out.  However, there are plenty of new foods to try out there that are good substitutions or may expand your palate.
• Be patient with others.  There are going to be times that people criticize your dietary choice.  Not everyone will understand, and some will make mistakes with your diet.  Not everyone believes in a vegan diet, some may even think it’s just a “stage” for you.  Be patient with people.  You can educate, but be kind.