A vegan diet includes no animal products. That means no meat, no fish, no dairy, no eggs, no honey. Even gelatin (which shows up in candies and desserts) is off the table.
What’s left is all plant foods such as fruits, veggies, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and anything made from them like tofu, plant milks, and vegan cheese.
A plant-based diet is usually more about diet flexibility, while vegan is stricter and often tied to ethics too… like avoiding leather, wool, and animal-tested cosmetics.
Many of these memes stem from the assumption that a vegan diet is all salads and “rabbit food.” But in reality, it can be interesting, colorful, and varied if done right. It’s more than just raw veggies or soy meat.
That old myth mostly sticks around because vegan options used to be super limited a decade or two ago.
But now, you’ve got oat milk lattes in most cafes, vegan pizzas with dairy-free cheese, and burgers that actually feel like comfort food.
In fact, the global vegan food market is projected to hit over $34 billion by the end of 2026.
Several fast-food giants have opened entirely meat-free flagship locations in major hubs.
Major coffee shop brands have also made oat milk the default dairy option at many locations to meet sustainability goals and consumer demand.
Even supermarkets have expanded their private-label plant ranges to include things like no-lamb mint pies and vegan croissants.
This vegan-first mindset has also found its way into the fashion industry. For example, designer Stella McCartney recently unveiled mushroom leather and plastic-free vegan clothing materials.
Major brands like Prada, Chanel, and Burberry have ditched fur following animal welfare concerns.
Even though plant-based food products are becoming more commonplace, only a minimal percentage of people identify as completely vegan or even vegetarians.
In a survey, 4% of Americans said they were vegetarian and only 1% said they were vegan.
Americans who reported a reduction in their meat consumption typically cited health and environmental reasons for doing so.
A 2025 survey found that 3% of people in Great Britain now identify as either vegan or following a plant-based diet, representing approximately 2 million individuals.
Flexitarianism, part-time vegetarianism or veganism, is actually more common in these places.
“The vegan market has changed fundamentally in the last six or seven years — it’s now for everyone. Social media has brought it to the forefront of customer’s minds, and the mainstream. It’s not seen any more as a choice for life, but as a choice for one meal, one moment, for one or two days a week,” Giles Quick, director at market researcher Kantar Worldpanel, told BBC.
There is also growing research on the benefits of a vegan diet.
Many experts believe in properly-planned vegan diets at all life stages if nutrients like B12 are ensured.
Vegan diets may help improve blood sugar control, cholesterol levels, and overall heart health, because they’re naturally high in fiber and low in saturated fat.
A plant-based diet can help protect against chronic diseases such as colorectal cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
That said, meat also has clear nutritional benefits, if consumed in moderation. It’s a rich source of protein, iron, vitamin B12, and other key nutrients that are naturally easier to absorb from animal products.
While it’s definitely possible to meet nutritional needs on a vegan diet, it often requires more planning and awareness.
We also can’t ignore the environmental benefits of plant-based eating. Vegan and vegetarian diets produce just a quarter of the greenhouse gas emissions of high-meat diets, according to a study.
A global shift to a plant-based diet could cut climate-heating emissions, water pollution, and land use by 75%.
Despite the lifestyle’s growing popularity, vegans continue to face constant backlash.
Research has shown that only people with a substance use disorder face the same degree of stigma — and the least popular vegans of all are those who cite animal cruelty as their reason.
“Unlike other forms of bias (e.g., racism, misogyny), negativity toward vegetarians and vegans is not widely considered a societal problem; rather, negativity toward vegetarians and vegans is commonplace and largely accepted,” the study’s authors, Cara C MacInnis and Gordon Hodson, noted.
In some corners of social media and political commentary, plant-based eating has been turned into a kind of stereotype. Vegans (and even just people who eat less meat) sometimes get labeled with terms like “soy boy,” an internet insult that plays on the false idea that soy affects masculinity.
At the same time, meat-heavy diets have been pushed in certain influencer and podcast spaces — especially in manosphere communities — where eating steak, eggs, and animal products gets framed as tough, primal, or “alpha.”
Under US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s controversial “Make America Healthy Again” messaging, eating steak has been turned into a cultural signal. It is seen by supporters as a pushback against liberal food narratives and a nod toward traditional ideas of strength and masculinity.