There are a large handful of eating conditions and lifestyles all over the world. Just one of the many is veganism. Veganism is a lifestyle where someone does not eat any meat, and unlike vegetarians, doesn’t consume any animal products either. 

There are a lot of people who either agree or disagree that veganism is healthy, and the negatives and positives certainly balance each other out.

Kiernan Riffel, 10, believes that people should just let vegans be themselves, “I feel like you should just allow people to do whatever, as long as it’s not harming them.”

Although they agree with Riffel that veganism is a person’s decision, Addison Nichols, 9, says that veganism does have its downsides. 

“People who are vegan are definitely going to be healthy, but they don’t eat meat, which doesn’t provide other stuff that you need,”

Nichols said. “It can be really expensive, and not a lot of people can afford that.”

The expenses of having to substitute animal products can be pricey, but it is certainly doable.

Aletheia Sluga, 9, says that maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important when it comes to being vegan.

“My mom was vegan when I was growing up and I was vegetarian for three years in middle school,” Sluga said. “You have to make sure you’re maintaining a healthy lifestyle if you choose to do that.”

According to Harvard Medical School, the benefits of being vegan include: lowering type 2 diabetes risk, lowering cholesterol, and lowering risk of heart disease.

Overall, veganism is the person’s choice, and it’s important to respect their decision. The cons may outweigh the pros, but a person’s happiness is an important factor as well.