As veganism was once mocked for only being for hippie, health food freaks, it is now becoming one of the most popular diets around the United States.

Veganism is essentially hard-core vegetarianism. While a vegetarian might put butter on their bagel or eat a cake made with eggs, vegans refuse all animal products: no meat, no cheese, no eggs, no honey, no mayonnaise.

According to The Raw Food World, 16 million people in this country eat absolutely no animal products.  Approximately forty two percent of those who do not eat animal products say that they went vegan after they saw an educational film. Sixty nine percent said they chose to eat a vegan diet to support the ethical treatment of animals.

“One night, I decided to change everything and finally live the healthy lifestyle that I had dreamed of. I woke up and announced to my parents that I had given up meat, dairy, all animal products, and gluten. Initially I intended for it to be a 21 day detox, but I felt so great at the end of the 21 days that I continued,” senior Meghan Swanson said.

As with any diet plan, temptation is one of the hardest obstacles to overcome.

“The only difficulties are mainly with temptation. I usually plan to eat ahead of time if I’m going to hang out with friends, but when my friends are eating pizza, sometimes it’s hard to resist the temptation of sharing it with them,” senior Ellie Martini said.

In addition to good nutrition and disease prevention, eating vegan also provides many physical benefits. More energy, healthy skin, stronger hair and nails, and weight loss are just a few pros of veganism.

Martini and Swanson both say they feel better inside and out since they have changed their eating habits..

Not only does a vegan lifestyle and diet provide these benefits but there are also many more.

Environment: Growing plants takes much fewer resources than growing animals. By eating vegan, you can help reduce the toll on the environment.

Global food supply: Feeding grain to animals meant as food sources reduces the amount of food that is available to underdeveloped nations. Many people will go hungry while that same food they could be eating is given to animals raised for slaughter.

Hormone consumption: Eating animals that have been given hormones to speed growth means those hormones go into your body. Not only can this disrupt the natural balance of your hormones, but some of the hormones given to animals have shown to cause tumor growth in humans.

Antibiotics: Antibiotics are frequently given to feed animals, which can lead to bacterial resistance. Many of the antibiotics used to treat human infections are also used in feed animals.

“I strongly believe that [going vegan] is one of the best things that one can do for their health, for the sake of ethics, and for the environment,” Swanson said.