--- title: Vegan Diet: Ethical and Health Reasons Lead to Different Outcomes description: People who go vegan for ethical reasons are more likely to stick to the diet than people who are vegan for health reasons. canonical: https://time.com/3772257/ethical-health-vegans/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-04-06T16:52:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:59:28.495Z article:section: Health og:title: Vegan Diet: Ethical and Health Reasons Lead to Different Outcomes og:description: People who go vegan for ethical reasons are more likely to stick to the diet than people who are vegan for health reasons. og:url: https://time.com/3772257/ethical-health-vegans/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2ef567c6422a8a9/698781510b72e3c7ae6dde71/time-50-healthiest-foods-kale.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: healthiest foods, health food, diet, nutrition, time.com stock, kale, greens, vegetables, salad og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Vegan Diet: Ethical and Health Reasons Lead to Different Outcomes twitter:description: People who go vegan for ethical reasons are more likely to stick to the diet than people who are vegan for health reasons. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2ef567c6422a8a9/698781510b72e3c7ae6dde71/time-50-healthiest-foods-kale.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # These Vegans Are More Likely to Stick With It ## Video: The Truth About Fat [Watch (HLS stream): The Truth About Fat](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uYGhfNfS.m3u8) (5:15)  _Published 2014-06-12. When you want to lose weight or get healthy, what is the first thing you would normally cut from your diet? If you said fat, you're not alone_ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Apr 6, 2015 4:52 PM UTC  Danny Kim for TIME by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Apr 6, 2015 4:52 PM UTC People who go vegan for ethical reasons [are more likely to stick to the diet](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666315000732) than people who are vegan for health reasons, according to a new study. Of the 246 vegans surveyed in a new study published by journal _Appetite_, those vegans who adopted the diet for health benefits were more likely to report eating more fruit and fewer sweets, while ethical vegans were more likely to follow the diet for a longer period of time. Ethical vegans reported following the diet for an average of about eight years, whereas health vegans kept to the diet for about five-and-a-half years. Ethical vegans were also more likely to consume soy and vitamin supplements. The vegan diet has become increasingly popular in recent years, though only 2% of Americans identify as vegan, [according to the most recent Gallup poll](http://www.gallup.com/poll/156215/Consider-Themselves-Vegetarians.aspx?utm%5Fsource=vegan&utm%5Fmedium=search&utm%5Fcampaign=tiles). To be vegan, dieters must not consume any animal products. The researchers in the new study wanted to assess whether the reasons people gave for going vegan affected their adherence to the diet and their health behaviors. People who want to eat a vegan diet because they are interested in the health benefits may be eating healthier (it’s still possible to eat dessert while vegan, as well as processed food), but they may not be able to sustain it as long as people who have chosen to be vegan for ethical reasons. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3772257/ethical-health-vegans/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3772257/ethical-health-vegans/"},"headline":"These Vegans Are More Likely to Stick With It","datePublished":"2015-04-06T16:52:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:59:28.495Z","description":"The difference between ethical vegans and health vegans","url":"https://time.com/3772257/ethical-health-vegans/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","health","Vegan"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2ef567c6422a8a9/698781510b72e3c7ae6dde71/time-50-healthiest-foods-kale.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd2ef567c6422a8a9/698781510b72e3c7ae6dde71/time-50-healthiest-foods-kale.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"healthiest foods, health food, diet, nutrition, time.com stock, kale, greens, vegetables, salad","caption":"healthiest foods, health food, diet, nutrition, time.com stock, kale, greens, vegetables, salad","creditText":"Danny Kim for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3772257/ethical-health-vegans/","name":"These Vegans Are More Likely to Stick With It"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Truth About Fat","description":"When you want to lose weight or get healthy, what is the first thing you would normally cut from your diet? 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