Veganism has come a long way: once reserved for peace-loving hippies, interest in a totally animal-free diet is at an all-time high, with celebrities like Ellen Degeneres, Bill Clinton, Miley Cyrus, Jay Z, and Beyoncé leading the charge.
Vegans, in addition to being vegetarian, do not use other animal products and by-products such as eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps derived from animal products.
Why Veganism?
People choose to be vegan for health, environmental, and/or ethical reasons. I feel its not only advanced thinking but Veganism has innumerable benefits to it as well. I feel that one promotes the meat industry by consuming eggs and dairy products. That is, once dairy cows or egg-laying chickens are too old to be productive, they are often sold as meat; and since male calves do not produce milk, they usually are raised for veal or other products. Some people avoid these items because of conditions associated with their production.
Many vegans choose this lifestyle to promote a more humane and caring world. They know they are not perfect, but believe they have a responsibility to try to do their best, while not being judgmental of others.
Fun Facts :
Cows produce 150 billion gallons of methane per day, which has a global warming potential 86 times that of CO2 on a 20 year time frame.
Agriculture is responsible for 80-90% of US water consumption.
Californians use 1500 gallons of water per person per day. Close to Half is associated with meat and dairy products.
2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce 1 pound of beef.
1,000 gallons of water are required to produce 1 gallon of milk.
5% of water consumed in the US is by private homes. 55% of water consumed in the US is for animal agriculture.
Animal Agriculture is responsible for 20%-33% of all fresh water consumption in the world today.
Livestock or livestock feed occupies 1/3 of the earth’s ice-free land.
Livestock covers 45% of the earth’s total land.
Animal agriculture is the leading cause of species extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution, and habitat destruction.
2-5 acres of land are used per cow.
Every minute, 7 million pounds of excrement are produced by animals raised for food alone in the US.
A farm with 2,500 dairy cows produces the same amount of waste as a city of 411,000 people.
130 times more animal waste than human waste is produced in the US – 1.4 billion tons from the meat industry annually. 5 tons of animal waste is produced per person in the US.
In the U.S. livestock produce 116,000 lbs of waste per second
-Dairy Cows, 120lbs of waste per day x 9 million cows.
-Cattle, 63lbs of waste per day, x 90 million cattle.
-Pigs, 14lbs. of waste per day, x 67 million pigs.
-Sheep/Goats. 5lbs of waste per day, x 9 million sheep/goats.
-Poultry, .25-1lbs of waste per day, x 9 billion birds.
90-100 million tons of fish are pulled from our oceans each year.
We could see fishless oceans by 2048.
For every 1 pound of fish caught, up to 5 pounds of unintended marine species are caught and discarded as by-kill.
As many as 40% (63 billion pounds) of fish caught globally every year are discarded.
The leading causes of rainforest destruction are livestock and feed-crops.
70 billion farmed animals are reared annually worldwide. More than 6 million animals are killed for food every hour.
Worldwide, cows drink 45 billion gallons of water and eat 135 billion pounds of food each day.
Worldwide, at least 50% of grain is fed to livestock.
82% of starving children live in countries where food is fed to animals, and the animals are eaten by western countries.
1.5 acres can produce 37,000 pounds of plant-based food.
1.5 acres can produce 375 pounds of meat.
Each day, a person who eats a vegan diet saves 1,100 gallons of water, 45 pounds of grain, 30 sq ft of forested land, 20 lbs CO2 equivalent, and one animal’s life.
Vegan Nutrition
The key to a nutritionally sound vegan diet is variety. A healthy and varied vegan diet includes fruits, vegetables, plenty of leafy greens, whole grain products, nuts, seeds, and legumes.
Protein
It is very easy for a vegan diet to meet the recommendations for protein as long as calorie intake is adequate. Strict protein planning or combining is not necessary. The key is to eat a varied diet.
Almost all foods except for alcohol, sugar, and fats provide some protein. Vegan sources include: lentils, chickpeas, tofu, peas, peanut butter, soy milk, almonds, spinach, rice, whole wheat bread, potatoes, broccoli, kale...
So what do vegans eat?
From curry to cake, pasties to pizzas, all your favourite things can be suitable for a vegan diet if they're made with plant-based ingredients.
Vegan Nutrition:
Vegan sources of Protein :
Black Beans
Tofu
Nuts
Tempeh
Broccoli
Quinoa
Lentils
Potato
Oatmeal
Mushrooms
Vegan sources of Omega 3 :
Flax Seed
Chia Seeds
Hemp Seeds
Mustard Oil
Seaweed
Beans
Winter Squash
Leafy Greens
Cabbage Family
Berries
Herbs and Spices
Mangoes
Honeydew melon
Vegan sources of Calcium :
Black-Eyed Peas
Nut Milk
Sesame Seeds
Kale
Turnip Greens
White Beans
Orange Juice
Tofu
Vegan sources of Vitamin D :
Mushrooms
Nut Milk
Sunlight
Tofu
Vegan sources of Iron :
Spinach
Beans
Lentils
Oatmeal
Dried Fruits
Quinoa
Millet
Vegan sources of Fat :
Nuts
Avocado
Coconut
Common Vegan Foods
Oatmeal, stir-fried vegetables, cereal, toast, orange juice, peanut butter on whole wheat bread, frozen fruit desserts, lentil soup, salad bar items like chickpeas and three bean salad, dates, apples, macaroni, fruit smoothies, popcorn, spaghetti, vegetarian baked beans, guacamole, chili...
Vegans Also Eat...
Tofu lasagna, homemade pancakes without eggs, hummus, eggless cookies, soy ice cream, tempeh, corn chowder, soy yogurt, rice pudding, fava beans, banana muffins, spinach pies, oat nut burgers, falafel, corn fritters, French toast made with soy milk, soy hot dogs, vegetable burgers, pumpkin casserole, scrambled tofu, seitan.
When Eating Out Try These Foods
Pizza without cheese, Chinese moo shu vegetables, Indian curries and dal, eggplant dishes without the cheese, bean tacos without the lard and cheese (available from Taco Bell and other Mexican restaurants), Middle Eastern hummus and tabouli, Ethiopian injera (flat bread) and lentil stew, Thai vegetable curries...
Egg and Dairy Replacers
As a binder, substitute for each egg:
1/4 cup (2 ounces) soft tofu blended with the liquid ingredients of the recipe, or
1 small banana, mashed, or
1/4 cup applesauce, or
2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot starch, or Ener-G Egg Replacer or another commercial mix found in health food stores.
The following substitutions can be made for dairy products:
Soy milk, rice milk, potato milk, nut milk, or water (in some recipes) may be used.
Buttermilk can be replaced with soured soy or rice milk. For each Cup of buttermilk, use 1 cup soymilk plus 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
Soy cheese available in health food stores. (Be aware that many soy cheeses contain casein, which is a dairy product.)
Crumbled tofu can be substituted for cottage cheese or ricotta cheese in lasagna and similar dishes.
Several brands of nondairy cream cheese are available in some supermarkets and kosher stores.
