Vegans practice a lifestyle that does a minimal amount of harm to animals.
One of the key practices of veganism is to make sure that you do not consume any animal products, as even products that do not require the immediate slaughter of animals are still often produced under conditions harmful to them.
This is a step beyond lacto-ovo vegetarianism, which eschews meat.
Instead, vegans not only avoid meat, but also products like butter, eggs, milk, and even honey.
Embracing this lifestyle means retraining yourself to think about food in a new way and making sure that you know the ingredients of every dish you cook or that others cook for you.
The first thing you learn when transitioning to a vegan diet is the sheer number of animal byproducts used in most Western cuisine.
It is easy to avoid eating a steak or even grilled cheese, for example, as the ingredients used are fairly obvious.
What you might not realize, though, is that, in restaurants or on the store shelves, you might have to avoid products like pancakes (that use milk, eggs, and butter) or vegetable soup (that might use chicken broth).
The vegan lifestyle means learning not only about how to make the right food choices, but also learning more about your food.
Being vegan does not mean living a life of deprivation, however; it just means you make different choices about your food.
Vegans eat an abundant diet, with more variety than most people who eat a standard American diet.
In addition, most of the meals we think of as "comfort foods" have a vegan version that is just as satisfying (and a lot healthier) than their non-vegan counterparts.
For me, one of those comfort foods is cornbread.
One of my favorite activities is to watch NFL football on Sundays with a big bowl of chili and lots of cornbread.
When I first went vegan, I thought those days were over.
I quickly learned, however, that delicious cornbread (and chili!) can be made without any animal products.
I was able to create vegan cornbread by removing the eggs and dairy milk from my recipe and replacing them with healthier, more animal-friendly ingredients like soy flour and non-dairy milk.
My cornbread now has no cholesterol, is low in saturated fat, and, best of all, I know no animals were hurt to produce my food! My non-vegan family members love the flavor--removing animal ingredients doesn't remove the taste.
Many of our favorite foods can be made using this same strategy.
I've made vegan chili, stew, spaghetti, cake, pie, pudding, and other dishes that non-vegans never noticed were different.
Your vegan food can be as down-home or as exotic as you choose to make it.
Transitioning to this kind of diet is not always easy at first, but it can be done by anyone who is motivated make the appropriate lifestyle changes.
Before long, you'll forget the ways you used to cook, and the vegan way will become automatic.
The best way to live the compassionate lifestyle is to make sure that you take control of your own diet and ask questions when it is necessary for others to do the cooking.
With a little bit of experience, you can enjoy your diet without causing any animal harm.
And don't worry, vegan cornbread is delicious.