question for vegans

[motheringforme]

I'm not a vegan nor do I want to be; I was just curious as to whether vegans eat honey.

[catnip]

Vegans do not eat honey, or any other product that is derived from an animal.

However, there are many people that are not lacto-ovo vegetarians because they do not eat egg or dairy, but do eat honey, beeswax, confectioner's glaze and other insect products. They've generally got more in common with vegans than with L-O Vegetarians when it comes to cooking and eating out and sometimes will call themselves vegans when describing their eating style to avoid a long diatribe about what they will and will not eat because there really is no word for that in-between category.

[treeoflife3]

I'm in the process of going vegan and I plan to eventually not eat honey at all. I have a whole list of reasons for going vegan, but in specific relation to honey, I feel mean eating something they made for themselves to eat, especially to survive the winter. I feel like for me personally, I would be a hypocrite if I weren't eating ANY animal product except honey. I assume all vegans don't eat honey, but everyone has their own issues so maybe some do? I don't plan on it though.

[hteb83]

When I was vegan I didn't eat honey, because it's a product produced by animals, and I've never met a "vegan" who does eat honey.

I have met people in the in-between category mentioned above, where honey is the only animal product they eat - I think some people feel as it's harder to farm / be cruel to bees then eating honey is slightly better ethically/morally. But I wouldn't call those people vegans...others might do though!

[crunchy_mommy]

No, although like the pp mentioned, I guess some people eat honey and no other animal products... Honey is basically bee vomit -- I am grossed out by it personally though I know there are many 'benefits' to eating it....

[GoGoGirl]

I have a "vegan" friend who does eat honey. She became vegan to lose weight (after reading the Skinny Bitch book) and not for any ethical reasons. So she said she didn't mind eating honey because she doesn't care about bees rights.

All my other vegan friends don't eat honey, though. I'd imagine almost everyone who self-identifies as vegan wouldn't eat honey.

[maplesugar]

I try to be vegan but have no plans to give up honey. However, I do not eat your standard, from the store honey. I get it local and raw. I know the beekeepers and know they aren't doing their bees wrong.

I do care about bees rights, but I also think that one can raise bees ethically. And I think raw honey has so many health benifits (the book superfoods by David Wolfe has some good info about this).

I want to eat a raw, mostly plant based diet that includes some raw dairy and honey. So not vegan, but close!