The First Vegan

For all those vegan readers, have you ever wondered, where the term vegan came from? Or whom invented the idea. It’s a very much abstract concept for someone to have come up with.

Veganism was founded by a man by the name of Donald Watson, he officially proposed it as a dietary and lifestyle choice. He believed it was hypocritical for vegetarians to consume dairy which is still consistent with animal suffering.  He symbolised his theory through the suffering of Veal through the dairy industry. 

Watson further claimed that eggs were not a vegetarian food either as through factory farming, male chickens become a by product and are disposed of, whilst any hen past her prime is also easily dismissed.

He fronted these ideas to the Vegetarian Society whom then responded “that this is the case of taking idealism too far” however he stuck with his notion & never sought any recognition for his early work in founding the Vegan Society.

The word vegan comes from Donald’s interpretation of "the beginning and end of vegetarian", and it stuck. His wife & him founded the Vegan society and published the newsletter, “The Vegan News”. He ran the publication independently for two years, writing and duplicating the newsletter, and responding to the increasing volume of correspondence as the newsletter become more popular overtime.

He did not smoke, consume alcohol, or make contact with foods or substances which he regarded as 'toxins'. Watson was born into an environment in which vegetarianism, let alone veganism, was unknown. I myself can relate to this and I find it very inspiring, as well as when he first became vegetarian at a young age and similar circumstances. He became a vegetarian at the age of fourteen, although he did not know any others. He did not smoke, consume alcohol, or make contact with foods or substances which he regarded as 'toxins'.

He lived a long healthy life up until 2005 where he passed away at 95. This is evidence enough in itself to say the Vegan way of life is most healthy & sustainable.

References & Source
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Watson