Vegan

Question: Vegan.........? I have a question about food. Whatare the foods I should be eating? I understand about leafy greens and colorful veggies and fruits, but what are they. What is every food I should be eating for optimal health when becoming vegan?

Answer: I am a vegan...and there is something really helpful you should take a look at... Here is the vegan food pyramid...Use this a guide of what types of food options you should eat: *The Vegan Food Pyramid: http://www.nutrispeak.com/veganfoodguide.htm *Additional information on vegan foods options: http://www.veganoutreach.org/starterpack/foods.html

Question: VEGAN??????????????????????????? i have been vegetarian for a while but i am considering going vegan. is this hard? what do you eat for meals? how do you eat out?

Answer: Personally, I eat to be healthy. The unfortunate truth is that just about every corporate food product in the supermarket is not ideal. Even products labeled vegan or organic is no longer a guarantee against the fact that the product may be of extremely low quality with "natural flavors" to enhance the taste. The vegan patties are packed with oil. Even olive oil contains a proportion of unhealthy saturated fats. You need to read the label and avoid colorings, flavorings, MSG, aspartame, preservatives, and other unhealthy additives. The best authority on healthy eating is Dr. Dean Ornish. He recommends a low-fat vegetarian diet for optimal health. All of his diet recommendations are based on scientific research. My personal recommendations are: + Eat one portion of Omega-3 fatty acids from a high quality supplement or from a natural food source. + Eat low-fat vegetarian. Eat lots of fresh whole fruits and vegetables in raw form. + If you must eat egg, eat the egg whites without the excess fats in the yoke. Don't use egg substitutes, these contain many unhealthy additives. + If you decide to eat dairy, do so in moderation. There are better sources of calcium and minerals. Specifically, leafy green vegetables are an ideal source. Make your own "green smoothie" as described on the Internet. + Avoid food prepared with excessive oils. These are fats that build up in your arteries over the years causing the most serious Western diseases: Obesity, High blood pressure, Cardiovascular disease, Cancers, and Diabetes. + Get your protein primarily from a variety of beans prepared from dry and brown rice. Eat whole grains instead of rice sometimes. Check to see if you are allergic to gluten in wheat and some other grains. + Read labels. Avoid MSG, aspartame, soda pop, commercial juices, and just about any packaged food product. You are better off with simple fresh whole foods. Just use common sense. You will feel many times better and be healthier on a vegan diet. I occasionally eat meat, fish, and dairy, but I consider it a rare treat and eat it in extreme moderation. My preference is vegan raw foods.

Question: How come raw vegans always feel superior to the rest of us who are vegetarian and vegan? I'm a vegan and my friend is a raw vegan. She always says that if I am going to eat cooked vegetables I might as well eat a steak, because it is not good for. Far be it, I call her and idiot and ignorant but alot of raw vegans I know feel this way. Is it me, or have you also known people like this? Either way, cooked veggies are still good overall I know 11 raw vegans

Answer: Ur' completely right and totally entitled 2 ur own opinion, so serve up those hot cooked veggies and enjoy ur choice NOT hers,'kay! ! !

Question: How do i serve vegan food at my daughters birthday party for non vegan family and friends? Some of my family and friends are not very supportive of our lifestyle. How do i come up with vegan party food non-vegans will enjoy? Also i want to make their cakes, any suggestions?

Answer: Hummus and/or salsa and raw veggies is always good. You can also make ants on a log with raisins and peanut butter (or almond butter if there are allergy concerns). Better yet, set out dishes of peanut butter and sticks of celery and let the kids make their own (with plastic knives). I've heard of ladybugs on a log, which is dried cherries or cranberries instead of raisins. You can use vegan onion soup mix and Tofutti sour cream (vegan) to make an onion dip for chips or even the veggies. You can make a vegan chili with TVP or tempeh instead of meat and serve with cornbread/macaroni (vegan chili mac) or chips. There are companies that make vegan taco mix, and you can have a make-your-own taco bar. If it's not too cool where you are, make grilled corn on the cob and/or veggie kabobs. You may also want to put chunks of tofu or any analogue on the skewers. You can throw together a pasta salad with pasta, veggies, and a vegan bottled dressing or make your own. For cakes, it's pretty easy to veganize them. You can use soy milk in equal proportion to cows' milk in any recipe. And Ener-G Egg Replacer is excellent for vegan baking; you can get it at most natural foods stores or at Whole Foods.

Question: Can going vegan really make a difference? I've been vegetarian(still consuming eggs&dairy) for quite a while, and decided to eat this way based on my thoughts toward industry and animal cruelty. Considering these reasons, would going completely vegan be the better choice? Does being vegetarian or vegan really make a difference? Throw some opinions at me. Thanks!

Answer: I'm a carnivore, :) , but anyone can make a difference. You are but one person, but if every one person figured they wouldn't make a difference & didn't do anything, then no, you'd not be making a difference because you're taking no action. But just you, just ONE person, does something & so does everybody else that believes in that cause, suddenly you're a whole group of people making a huge difference in whatever you believe in. :)

Question: What are your favorite vegan cookie recipes? I am going to a political rally Friday and would like to bake cookies for the fellow supporters I meet there. I made up a wonderful vegan brownie recipe that I use all the time, but haven't had the time to come up with my own cookie recipe yet. I am not a vegan, but I do like to bake vegan and allergy-free (no nuts) treats to take to events. People seem to appreciate it. Thanks in advance for the recipes!

Answer: Cranberry-Oatmeal cookies are delicious and have whole grains, too. 3/4 cup earth balance or other margerine 1/3 cup raw sugar 3/4 cup raw brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup soy milk 1 cup flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp ginger powder 1/4 tsp cloves 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 3 cups rolled oatmeal 1 cup dried cranberries Make the way you do with typical cookies- mix the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients, and stir in the oats and cranberries last. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. All your friends will love them.

Question: How come Vegan men have a very feminine look and are very skinny? There's a vegan club in my school and all of the men are very skinny and have very feminized walking style and looks. What causes a vegan diet to do this to men? Free Thinker: I"d rather be masculine and live 10 years shorter than being feminine and live 10 years more.

Answer: HEY! no dissing vegans maybe there just naturaly skinney dont judge its not nice and wont get you any where in life - or they could be gay

Question: How healthy is a Vegan diet? How can you make it more fattening? I have a 15 month old that is allergic to milk, eggs, chicken, PEANUTS, nuts, and peas. So, I kind of have to put her on a vegan diet. For those who were vegans since babies, did you drink soy milk? That's all I can give her and I know a lot of vegan recipes have soy in them. The reason that I am concerned is that I keep reading and seeing everywhere that soy is bad for you. This makes me upset because I can't help that she can only drink soy milk. I forgot to mention that I can't give her rice milk or coconut milk. Is there anyone that's been drinking soy milk and eating foods made with soy for many years? Let me know that you are healthy, so I can have some kind of peace of mind? Also, she is underweight from not being able to eat so many things. Any suggestions on how to fatten up her diet? Please help I can't seem to get a real straight answer out of anyone else.

Answer: im a 24 year old and have been vegetarian nearly all my life, through fussiness when i was a child (my mother used to cry because i wouldnt eat meat or take milk) and have flitted between vegetarianism and veganism for many years. i have always eaten soya, even in the 80's when food was in such a bad state that it may as well have been eaten off the floor! what im saying is that i have never had any problems in my life in anyway, not with my oestrogen levels (which is one of the things they try to say can be altered by soya) nor with any form of breast cancer scares (touch wood) or any other minor or major health problems. i find that chocolate soy milk is terribly high calorie and also some of the chilled soya milks are high calorie so if you give them to your child they may help give her a little push towards the fat we girls need to have. my mother has also turned vegetarian in the last few years and always tells me about any new scares, but i would agree that a lot of it is media frenzy to push out us veggies. the one thing i would say is that soya growth destroys land and it cannot be used to grow in after soy has been harvested, but that is a problem for the GM crowd.. try to stick to organic soya products, in the UK cauldron do some good organic tofu's and things. all in all to answer the question, ive had soya in my diet for twenty years at least, in the eighties when it would defiantly have been gm and bad news. today it will be so much better, and im completely fine, on every level. i am female so i can also maybe help by telling you this as it tends to be women they target with threats of breast and ovarian cancer. im sure if these were going to happen unnaturally they would be happening to me about now.

Question: How common is it to be vegan and overweight? I am vegan and this girl that just hired on with is vegan too. She is about 100lbs overweight and says has been vegan for 15 years and can't seem to get the weight off. When she says she's vegan, people just kind of scoff at her like she's lying. What would you think if you were one of the scoffers? Would you think she was lying or that she just really liked her breads and rice?

Answer: It's not common, but it does happen. She could be overweight because of some metabolic problem or other health concern (although it's fairly rare to be very overweight due to these problems, it could happen). If I were to give in every time I get the urge to *really* indulge in some Soy Delicious frozen dessert, I could easilly have a weight problem. The scoffers are being cruel. If the girl *is* lying, you'll eventually see this because either she'll be caught eating something non-vegan or you'll notice she isn't honest about other things (ppl don't usually stop @ one lie if they're gonna be that way). Being overweight is unhealthy & often hurts emotionally. I'd give her the benefit of the doubt for now.

Question: Any vegans notice a skin color change since becoming vegan? I am wondering if I am just seeing things or if my skin is really changing color. I think that my skin has kind of a bronze tinge to it since I have become vegan. I have been eating vegan for a few months now. The other explanation could be that I am paler since being vegan and my suntan has a slightly different color to it. Just so you know, I have been making sure to have some raw green veggies everyday, such as spinach, romaine lettuce, broccoli, etc. Does this sound accurate? Hey I am not worried about this, I just noticed a difference. I wanted to see if any other vegans notice a difference. I have a very healthy diet. I don't think that the change in skin color is a bad thing, I am just making sure that it's not just my imagination.

Answer: I'm mexican and I've always been light skinned for being mexican.My skin actually became more evenly toned after becoming vegan.I also don't get as sunburnt as I used too.Like someone else said,make sure you get your omega 3's(try flax seed oil).

Question: Can something that is 100% Vegan still contain artificial ingredients? I bought some cologne for my husband that is 100% Vegan and 95 % Organic, but my concern is whether or not it has chemicals and artificial ingredients. Unfortunately the ingredients list fragrance, it doesn't say what the fragrance came from. I'm not familiar enough with Vegan standards to know if something can be labeled Vegan and contain artificial ingredients as long as they don't come from animals. Thanks!

Answer: Usually, when they make Vegan cologne, the only chemicals they use are usually from extracts of plants and/or mixtures of different chemicals. Vegan really trys to say that its not from any animals. If the product said vegan, and it had something from animals, there might be some legal trouble. But usually, when it says VEGAN, it means VEGAN hope that helped!

Question: Do vegans use all vegan products including make-up and hair care? I am using a vegan product for my entire family called Arbonne. They are a 100% vegan and their products are totally environmentally safe. I use their skin care, baby products, hair care, vitamins, shave cream, weight loss program and their spa products as well. I am a sales rep for the company now, and would like to market and cater to the vegan community since it is close to my heart. Any feedback? Just looking for a different perspective on what else may be out there.

Answer: Vegans try to use all vegan products, obviously. With regard to cleaning products and personal care items, it can be a challenge to those who have limited resources and don't have a Whole Foods nearby. Veganism is an ideal. It's about doing what you can.

Question: What's the difference between vegan and a raw vegan? I'm thinking of going on a diet and just wanna know, will there be much of a difference in my results if i where to choose just vegan instead of raw vegan??

Answer: Niether is a "diet" (as in weight-loss plan.) To lose weight, simply burn more calories than you consume. Vegan means you don't eat, use, wear, purchase or otherwise consume anything of animal origin. Vegans eat fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, fungi like mushrooms and yeast, oils, and everything made from them. Vegans cook and bake, like most people do. Raw vegans also eat only plant foods, but raw. Nothing is heated over (I believe) 118 degrees under the belief that heat destroys beneficial enzymes.

Question: Vegans: How long have you been vegan and what is your favorite food? I've been vegan for almost three weeks now and I feel great! Miso soup is my favorite vegan food!

Answer: couple months pb+j with a glass of soy milk never lets me down

Question: What are good vegan foods that you can buy straight at a normal grocery store? I am vegan and the pricey stuff is not for me. I want to know what good things to eat that I could just buy that maybe aren't made special for vegans, but just don't have any animal byproducts in them. I already looked at PETA's list. Anyone have any good suggestions?

Answer: - All the fruit and veggies - Dried beans - Rice and whole grain flowers - Nuts, and seeds, some peanut butters and jellies. - Soy Milk, most stores carry it now. You can buy many other products, but read the ingredients since many companies sneek: egg, dairy, and meat into their processed products. - Tofu - Most stores carry some fake meats like: Smart Dogs, Boca and Morning Star. - Some stores have a health food section where you can find stuff like Textured vegetable protein to make your own veggie patties with.

Question: How would i make vegan patties from scratch? I like black bean burgers but they all seem to have eggs in them. I am vegan and want to try to make my own. The problem i am having is getting them to bind together. I know about egg substitutes but it's not working. Does anyone have a recipe that is 100% vegan?

Answer: Enjoy the wholesome goodness of my world famous carrot burgers: Ingredients 4 medium wholesome carrots 1 cup pecans 1 cup mushrooms (recipe states "button", but I love using portabellos too) 1 cup onion 3 tablespoons cilantro 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ teaspoon sea salt 1 pinch black pepper Preparation Remember to add some herbs to taste! The original recipe calls for .5 teaspoon each of dried fennel, coriander, and curry…however feel free to play with this and experiment. In a food processor, blend wholesome carrots until diced. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Remove from processor and form into burgers. Place burger on a mesh dehydrator screen and dehydrate at 105 for 7-8 hours. They darken up in the dehydrator and even resemble a real meat patty, but they taste better than any meat patty!