Vegan Focus Veganism eBook v2

8/3/2019 Vegan Focus Veganism eBook v2

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Vegan Focus Information for both the established and aspiring modern-day vegan

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Living the Vegan Life

Its More Than Just a Menu Choice
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Table of Contents

Introduction to Veganism ........................................................... 3

Vegan 101: From the Beginning ..................................................... 4

Why Vegan? The Vegan Ethos............................................................ 5

Vegan Recipes: Investigating a Healthy Vegan Plan.......................... 6

Food Tips for New Vegans .................................................... 7

Nutritious Vegan Food Sources .................................................... 9

Dining Out as a Vegan .......................................... 11

Vegan Checklist: Is Veganism for Me? ............................................ 12

Conclusion .......................................................................... 13

Disclaimer ............................................................. 14


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Introduction to Veganism

Vegans are typically conscientious supporters of life and they prefer to live their livesthrough the non-exploitation of animals. The whole vegan ethos is to eat nothing thathas come from an animal at all and this includes milk, meat and eggs. Vegans alsoavoid wearing wool, leather or any animal product.

This might seem strange to a meat eater as wool of course is a by-product and theanimal has not been killed for this but to a vegan this is still unacceptable.

Most vegans make the decision to adopt whole lifestyle changes through theirconcerns at farming practices. For years, many people have not been consciouslyaware or may have deliberately shut their minds to the reality of how these animals

are kept. Many are kept in cramped environments and may be unable to move or toact naturally as a result of their confines.

Realistically, this can be deemed as cruelty and because modern farming has optedover the years for selective breeding with the purpose of breeding finer stock, oftenan accelerated growth is experienced, and many animals destined for the slaughterhouse grow at a rate far quicker than their bodies should be able to cope with.

The fact that millions of male chicks and calves are killed simply as a waste productof the dairy production system is considered non ethical by vegans, and a way ofannouncing their concerns is to abstain from eating meat.

Once dairy cows become too old to be productive, they are typically sold as meatand of course, as male calves are unable to produce milk, they are simply bred forveal or other by-products. Vegans avoid these food types to make a stand againstthe meat industry.

Being a vegan does not equal perfection. It is merely making a personal standagainst practices that they feel are cruel and without justification. Vegans are notbeing judgemental of others; it is merely a personal choice and a matter ofconscience.


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Vegan 101: From the Beginning

In 1944, Donald Watson who co-founded the Vegan Society introduced the wordvegan as a new word which enabled people to differentiate from those who followeda vegetarian lifestyle.

For Watson, it was important to differentiate from the two because he felt thatvegetarianism -which stipulated the avoidance of eating any meat flesh, did not fullycover the commitment of those who wished to abstain from any type of animalproducts.

So the term vegan took vegetarianism to its natural conclusion which meant thedeliberate and conscious avoidance of any meat products including abstaining fromusing any product that came from an animal or had caused harm to animals.

Becoming a vegan meant often drastic lifestyle changes to those who followed thispath but for those that were committed to the non-abuse of animals; this was anatural and deliberate choice.

Veganism as a way of life means that its important to understand just what isdeemed a no go product and this means, eggs, milk, fur and honey has to beeliminated from use. Of course, just as importantly, materials such as leather and silk

should also be avoided and the more that one looks into the vegan ethos, the moreanimal by-products can be determined, so much research is required to be deemeda true vegan.

On a global scale, there are many benefits to adopting a vegan lifestyle. It has beenstipulated that a vegan diet produces much fewer greenhouse gas emissions thanany diet that is largely meat-based. In fact, according to a study done by theUniversity of Chicago, a typical US diet generates nearly 1.5 tonnes more carbondioxide per meat eater than those who are on a vegan diet.

With land becoming less available, other benefits are that any plant based diet

requires substantially less land or water which would be typically required to supporta meat based western diet and this is because farmed animals will eat much moreby way of protein and water than they actually produce.

As a result, many more crops and water go to feed animals than would be consumedif a plant based diet were consumed by people in the first place. Farming animalsalso requires a sufficient amount of land and therefore contributes to otherenvironmental concerns such as water pollution and deforestation.


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Why Vegan? The Vegan Ethos Explored

Many people feel that the whole vegan ethos is about caring only for animals andthat a vegan typically has much less regard for a fellow human. This is not the caseat all. Vegans in general care about life per se and would never wish to see anyliving creature hurt including their fellow man.

Becoming a vegan is all about making an active choice to take a kinder path that willnot hurt animals, people or the environment.

The thought process behind veganism is to look at the whole picture and to adopt alifestyle that has a much less aggressive footprint. People often ask the questionwhy vegan? When actually, a better question may be termed, why notvegan?

Having compassion for animals is important and fortunately there is less ignoranceof farming processes and more knowledge which in turn affords people theopportunity to make an informed choice.

Everyone must do what feels right for them ultimately but ignorance is not an option.If everyone was aware of the terrible conditions that some animals have to endure allin the name of meat for human consumption, there could be serious uproar.

Sentient, intelligent animals are often treated with complete disregard and cruelty; itis up to the individual to determine whether they are comfortable with these facts.

Of course, no-one should make or enter into any major lifestyle change withoutserious consideration but the fact that so many people become vegans can onlyshow the strength of mind, dedication and purpose behind these caring andconscientious groups of people.

Many meat-eaters feel that living a vegan lifestyle must be difficult to endure and seeit as so restrictive, and they wonder how vegans can stay healthy with such a limited

dietary range.

By return, a vegan would say that although the lifestyle change is comprehensive,facing it with a positive attitude and relishing the changes towards a healthy andconscientious direction ensures many benefits including financial savings as well asthose benefits to the whole mind, body and spirit.


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Food Tips for New Vegans

1. Plan meals in advance. Consider the time required to cook and the ease ofobtaining the ingredients. If time is short, dont plan any extensive mealpreparations as this will be difficult.

2. Add lots of variety to the diet but dont make the mistake of planning lots ofdifferent recipes. Start with about four recipes and make enough to last for afew days, therefore saving cooking time and money. This wont be boring asthe food will be so tasty that it will be a pleasure to eat.

3. On those days where time is plentiful, plan a few hours to ensure that thereare some frozen ready-made meals stacked up. If cooking anyway, itsrelatively easy to cook a little bit more and to then freeze for when time isshort.

4. Add lots of greens into the diet and include vegetable soups, smoothies andsalads.

5. Have lots of quick and easy snack foods ready for those unexpected hungerpangs when temptation for a quick and easy fry-up might strike.

6. Keep a food journal and rate any culinary successes so that these recipes canbe used again. Write down any recipe ideas or even a seven day menu plan.Organisation is paramount.


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Starting the day healthily is important. Vegans often start with a home-madevegetable or fruit juice. There are so many wonderful juice options that will promotedifferent health benefits as required or can be consumed just for the wonderfultastes.

Green liquids will provide lots of energy so if an energy boost is required, startcreating some exciting green smoothies. Juices and smoothies are excellent to givethe digestive system a break too.

In terms of health, a vegandiet can be surprisinglyhealthy as it is incredibly lowin fat and contains nocholesterol.

Some misconceptions bythose with little knowledge ofthe vegan diet, haveconcerns that proteins aredifficult to match incomparison to those who eat

meat. This is not true at all.

Many proteins come from nuts, beans or grains and calcium can be obtained fromsoya milk, spinach and broccoli with the all-important iron intake coming fromchickpeas and spinach.

Understanding how the body works and just what minerals and vitamins are neededis important for all, even those who eat meat should understand the basics and all ofthis information is readily available to those who require it.


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Nutritious Vegan Food Sources

If considering becoming a vegan, its important to understand exactly what nutrientsare needed and from which food sources they can be obtained so this quick list willhighlight the essentials required:

Vitamin B12Often found to be lacking in vegetarians or vegans who have not done theirappropriate research. Easily found in soya milk, margarines and even breakfastcereals. It is possible to take a supplement to ensure that this vitamin is absorbed.

IodineIodine plays an important part in the bodys health and can be obtained from

seaweed i.e. kelp and also green leafy vegetables.

Vitamin DMuch of the required vitamin D is absorbed through the skin from exposure to thesun but a supplement can be taken or foods such as soya milk or margarine shouldprovide sufficient amounts. Note that D3 is not suitable usually for those on a vegandiet.

Omega 3Two tablespoons of rapeseed oil will provide the required amount of Omega 3 but itis also obtainable by taking one heaped tablespoon of ground flaxseed.

ProteinsProtein is available from many ingredients within the vegan diet but specifically canbe found in: Potatoes, chickpeas, lentils, soy milk, spinach, tofu and rice to name buta few.

FatsVegan diets are low in saturated fat and generally free of cholesterol. It is importantto use those high fat foods sparingly however such as: Nuts, avocado, coconut ormargarines.

CalciumThere are many good sources of calcium within the vegan diet such as soya milk,tofu, soybeans and broccoli.

ZincThere are often high levels of zinc within a vegan diet and potential sources include:Legumes, nuts and grains.


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IronIts important to increase vitamin C content to help with iron absorption and foods

that contain a healthy supply of iron are any dark green leafy vegetables, tahini,black beans, prune juice, chick peas, kidney beans, lentils, soybeans and blackstrapmolasses.

Omega 3 Fatty AcidsAlways include sources of alpha-linolenic acid and this can be found in tofu,soybeans, flaxseed or flaxseed oil and walnuts.

Vitamin B12There is minimal requirement for vitamin B12 and its important to take advice from adoctor or health food shop regarding this vitamin if not sure whether required.Essentially, children and pregnant or lactating women do need to have vitamin B12.Some vitamin B12 can be found in fortified soya milk although this should be double-checked prior to purchase as it varies due to the type of processing undertaken.


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Dining Out as a Vegan

Many new vegans worry about how they will be able to socialise and eat out atrestaurants or cafes, going forward and at first; it may seem fairly difficult unless aconvenient vegan restaurant is in the area.

Quite often however, local restaurants can be much more accommodating thanpeople think, so dont just disregard a restaurant because it doesnt mention a veganoption.

A good chef will be able to provide a vegan dish fairly readily because generallyrestaurants do cater for those with different dietary needs as they are used totweaking their recipes for those with nut allergies or on low fat diets or reducedcarbohydrate meals.

Vegetarian meals have become increasingly popular over the years and it is notoverly difficult to change a vegetarian meal into one suitable for a vegan customer.

Fast food restaurants may not be as accommodating because they offer a verylimited menu and a lot of the ingredients may just not be vegan friendly.

Investigating those food places that will be flexible in their approach towards offering

vegan options is important and always provide time and notice where possible to therestaurant so that they can be prepared.


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Vegan Checklist: Is Veganism for Me?

Becoming a vegan is a personal choice and it is one that must be made on anindividual level and not through any type of coercion.

For anyone who is considering making the change from eating meat to veganism, itis worth asking the following questions first:

1. Does having compassion as to how animals are treated matter?

2. Do you feel guilty for eating meat or for wearing animal products?

3. Do you care about the environment?

4. Are you concerned about farming practices?

5. Are you prepared to investigate the meaning of veganism and learn the veganoptions?

Having a compassionate view to animals and how they are treated is a good thing,taking a look at harmful farming processes and questioning the reasoning behindthem is also a productive thing to do.


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Conclusion

Having a compassionate view to animals and how they are treated is a good thing,taking a look at harmful farming processes and questioning the reasoning behindthem is also a productive thing to do.

Whatever the viewpoint, eating less meat and eating more natural fruit andvegetables has to be a much better option for the individual and bears far lessconsequences for the environment as a result.


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Disclaimer

Disclaimer: The information in this report is intended as an introduction intoveganism only and offers up information that is available for all through carefulresearch.

It is advisable to always investigate all nutritional needs and health concerns beforemaking any drastic dietary alterations.

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Vegan Focus Veganism eBook v2

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