In reading one of Healthline's newsletters, I found the word vegan was coined in 1944 by a small group of vegetarians who broke away from the Leicester Vegetarian Society to form the Vegan Society. The term was chosen by combining the first and last letters of the word vegetarian. It is currently defined as a way of eating and living that excludes the exploitation of cruelty to animals as much as possible.

Different types of veganism, dietary, refers to those who choose to avoid animal probucts. Whole food vegans who favor a diet rich in foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Junk-food vegans rely on processed vegan food, such as vegan meats, fries, vegan frozen dinners and vegan desserts such as Oreo cookies and non-dairy ice cream. Raw food vegans consume raw fruits, nuts and seeds, as well as foods cooked at temperatures below 115 degrees. Low fat, raw food vegans, aslo known as fruitarians eat nuts, avocados and coconuts and rely mainly on fruit. They avoid meat, chicken, fish, shellfish, eggs, dairy and honey.