Sorry I haven't posted something for so long but I wanted to celebrate a relaxed Christmas with my family. But I am back and I have a new topic to share with you :)
What means being vegan?
To be vegan means you do not eat meat and and fish and also avoid all the other products stemming from an animal, therefore you also do not consume milk and dairy goods, eggs, butter, honey and gelatin. Vegans also don't use wool, leather, silk, pearls and pelt. Another area you have to take care of as a vegan are cosmetics. There are not only a lot of animal contents (for example dyes, honey, milk) but there also a lot of cosmetic companies who test their products on animals. About 300 million animals are used for testing cosmetics and drugs every year. For some quick information: here is an informative video and here are 11 facts about animal testing.
Why vegan?
The obvious reason for going vegan is of course preventing the exploitation of animals. But that is not the only reason for a vegan way of living, though it remains the key factor in the decision to change. More and more people are turning to a plant-based diet because of the health benefits. Well-planned (!) vegan diets are rich in protein, iron, calcium and other essential vitamins and minerals. Fruits and vegetables tend to be low in saturated fat, high in fibre and packed with antioxidants. As a result they help to reduce the risk of falling ill with some of the modern world's biggest health issues like obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Another reason for changing to veganism is that the production of meat and other animal products places a heavy burden on the environment. Crops and water required to feed animals, transportation and the processing cause a huge environmental problem. The enormous amount of grains needed for animals held for meat is a significant contributor to deforestation, species extinct and habitat loss. What's more, a plant-based nutrition only takes one third of the space we need for a meat-based diet. That means the land left could be used by people in the developing countries to produce their own food if we cultivated plants and not produced meat!
But what do vegans eat???
That's probably the most asked question by non-vegans. I mean, guys, can't you be a little bit creative? It's so easy to find alternatives for the most essential things! For example, you can use margarine or other vegetal oils instead of butter; rice milk, soy milk, oat milk (and many more!!) instead of cow's milk; agar-agar instead of gelatin; With that you can cook most meals also a vegetarian would eat! Also replacing eggs is not that difficult. When I bake a cake I usually just leave them out and the cake turns out just as good. If you really have to substitute an egg you can use soy flour, lupin flour or commercial egg replacement powder. There are also alternatives of yogurt and cream, for example soy yogurt and soy, rice or oat cream. For people who really cannot (or don't want to) resist the taste of meat, ham, cheese etc. there also exist substitutions for that kind of food, though I have not found many that tasted really good so far.
Here are some easy but yummy vegan recipes, if you want too try something new! Don't freak out if you can't find some of the ingredients, just try to use the ones you have at hand :)
Chilli-Sin-Carne
Coconut Vegetable Curry
Lentil Spaghetti Bolognese
Chocolate Cake
Blueberry Muffins
Note: Please do not feel offended if you eat meat and dairy products. I do not want to force someone to change their diet, I just want to give you some inspiration and I hope you see things a little different now.
Have a nice (and delicious :D) day,
Larissi ♥
