I'll be the first one to admit I could never go vegan.

I mean, I just ate a marinated pork shoulder last weekend that made me feel like I was a queen at a medieval feast.

But, I totally admire those who can commit to eating clean. The health, environmental and ethical reasons many people decide to become a vegan are totally respectable.

To be honest, before a few days ago, I never really knew what a vegan's diet consisted of and why anyone would want to be one.

Even though one of my good friends in college was a vegan, I could never figure out what she could eat. Once, after I had tagged along with her as she grocery shopped for vegan options, I asked if she wanted to split a pizza.

Like, the internet existed then. I could have Googled it, but I just didn't care enough to know.

After a few minutes of research last week, I found out that vegans, in addition to abiding to a vegetarian diet, don't eat or use other animal products and byproducts.

And unlike a lot of diets, being vegan isn't necessarily about shedding pounds. For many, it's a philosophy.

Of course, there are different intensities of being a vegan. Some only abstain from eating animal products, including meat, fish, poultry, dairy, honey and gelatin. Others also abstain from using leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics and soaps that were made with animal products.

It sounds a little too difficult to me (I can't handle that many life adjustments), but the health benefits for some people are well worth it.

However, like every diet, there are positive and negative side effects of going vegan. And like every diet, it's important to take precaution and do your own thorough research before jumping on the vegan train.

To see some of these positive and negative effects of a going vegan, watch the video above.

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