Should one be a vegan?

I have wondered if one was to become a vegetarian what would you depend on to eat, and is there a website or book that gives more details?

I guess it has its advantages and disadvantages. Many animal products are bad such as redmeat, dairy products and some others, while some arnt too bad like chicken, turkey, and while even others are actually good like fatty fish such as salmon.

I have heard being a vegan it is hard to get some vitamins which are prevalent in many dairy and meats. Vitamin B12 is one of them.

An interesting species of plant: Angelica keiskei is said to contain vitamin B12 which is rare for a land plant, but is common in some aquatic marine plants.

Most Angelica's are also poisonous but this species is said to be edible. It is native to Coastal Areas of Japan.

I just wondered if you would eat so much of the following per day : fruit , vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes?


I wonder why beans are so good is it cause the plants themselves store food in the cotyledons which one eats and are found inside the beans?

I guess the vegetarian diet follows the Meditteranean diet very closely except for they recommend some fish in the meditteranean diet.

 

Well vegetarians and vegans tend to usually eat food. Unless you are a straight up carnivore a lot of your food is probably already vegetarian. All those fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, grains, breads, and rice are all vegetarian. Take a look up towards the top of vegetarian forum and you will see recipe sections. Also doing a search will yield you a wealth of recipes.

The healthiness of fish is debatable considering how polluted their environment is.

The only vitamin you need to worry about as a vegan is B12, but it is not a problem to get. There are many supplements available as well as it being in many fortified foods. B12 is actually made by bacteria and in theory could be all around us, covering our fruits and vegetables. It is just that meat is the only reliable source of B12.

 

There are a few minerals and vitamins that are easy to miss when you don't eat animal products. A lot of foods like soy products are usually fortified with them and there are always supplements.

And there is so much food that can be vegetarian and yummy.
There are a bunch of websites that will give you much more information, there are some on this forum.. look in the sticky threads at the top.

 

Whats all this about chicken and turkey dead bodies being "not too bad"...!?

 

what is your reason for considering veganism?

 

Many foods (not just vegan food) are fortified with vitamins and minerals. I pop a b-12 supplement just for insurance but many foods I eat are already fortified with it. If you are worried about omega-3's I wouldn't suggest fish because of mercury and the devastation it causes.

I agree with drumminmama, this isn't Atkins or South beach. I hold vegetarianism/veganism very closely. I have legitimate and logical reasons for doing so, and it's not a fad or something I am doing to fit in.

If you are concerned about these issues, I would suggest "Becoming Vegan" (davis/melina). It talks all about vitamins, minerals, etc.

It's really not hard like non-vegans make it out to be. I love food and love cooking. I really enjoy being vegan and do not miss out on anything It is a very rewarding lifestyle.
I think I can relate though, to how you may feel. It may feel daunting. Just like raw cuisine is daunting to me, veganism may be daunting to you

 

I also think that it's not beneficial to call vegetarianism or veganism a "diet" - they are lifestyle changes, and shouldn't be considered temporary diets. For me, going veg was a permanent change in my lifestyle, and probably the best decision I have ever made!

One of the wonderful things that being veg has taught me is to pay attention to my nutrition and learn to eat balanced meals. I also have tried all sorts of new things (such as seaweed, tofu, seitan, tempeh, rice milk, hemp seeds, etc.) and become a much better cook because of my veg lifestyle. You do have to pay attention to your nutrition to make sure you get all the nutrients you need, but it's really not difficult at all - eating a well-balanced diet is the key.

For B12 - nutritional yeast is a good source; it works great as a parmesan substitute on pasta or pizza, I like to sprinkle it in soups and sauces as well. Many vegan items like rice and soy milk are also fortified with B12, and some seaweeds have it as well. Seaweed is actually really good for you in many ways.

For Iron - it can be difficult for some vegans to get enough iron, mostly if they eat lots of vegan junk food and not enough leafy greens. Leafy greens like spinach and kale are pretty much the best food you can eat - they have TONS of vitamins & minerals. I also cook with an iron skillet (when I do eat cooked food) - which helps deposit a little bit of iron into food.

For Protein - this is basically a non-issue that meat-eaters like to tease us with. It's damn near impossible not to get enough protein if you're eating a balanced diet. The average meat-eating American gets something like three times the protein they really need or can use - and excess protein can leach calcium out of your bones. Whole grains like brown rice, beans and lentils (since trying to eat more raw foods I soak and then sprout them - when they are sprouted they no longer have toxins), nuts and seeds, and many veggies and mushrooms are good sources of protein. There's always tofu, seitan, tempeh, and "meat substitutes" that are good sources of protein, but I don't eat them much anymore. I do enjoy putting some hemp seeds and hemp protein powder in smoothies. Hemp is a perfect protein containing all the amino acids we need.

Omega 3, 6, etc: good vegan sources of these include hemp (seeds or oil) and flax (seeds or oil). There are also many supplements you can take.

I found it helped to get a little chart with a list of all the vitamins/minerals we need to thrive and vegan sources for them. The Vegan Society makes a great one, that's where I ordered mine. I put it on the kitchen wall so it's easy to reference when picking out recipes and making my shopping list.

Good luck with your adventures in veganism. There's a lot to consider & read up on, but it's really easy and has been really rewarding for me.

 

Blackstrap molasses is also a good source of iron as well as calcium. I usually replace sugar with blackstrap molasses in recipes and as a sweetner. If it is too strong for the recipe I will use maple syrup instead, as it is a good source of iron and calcium as well just not as good as blackstrap molasses. I have some molasses with oatmeal most mornings.

 

Omega 3 fatty acids ive heard is something lacking in many vegetarian/vegan diets, but isnt that hard to get. It is usually devoid as far as green vegetables goes, except for a leafy weed: Purslane. Walnuts though contain far more omega 3 than purslane, but I don't think they taste very good, do they? I know flax seeds are good too.

I think alot of weeds are superior to many fruits and vegetables for nutrients.

Dandelions contains more vitamin A than carrots, and might contain potassium as well as other nutrients.

Instead of ripping out the weeds people should be ripping out the vegetables from their gardens!

 

Ginseng,


I think one good book for a start (of many) is Diet for a New America; it raises alot of issues about how our environment and health are connected to the foodstuff we consume.

David


P.S. watch the B-12 and aminos. Also (following the dandelion ref) parsley has more vit C that oranges and more vit A than carrots (by weight).

 

Omega 3 fatty acids is something lacking in many American diets, not just veg*n diets.

I put ground flax seed in anything that I can. I put it in my oatmeal that I eat almost every morning.

 

This is a very eye-opening book, I'm about two thirds of the way through it and I'm learning a lot. It amazes me that it was written about 20 years ago - so it's not new knowledge, just well hidden by the meat/dairy/egg industries. I plan to get The Food Revolution by John Robbins (same author of Diet for a New America) next, which is more recent. Diet for a New America seems to cover every reason you could want to be vegan - very thorough and I highly recommend it. Now, I just gotta finish the dang thing....