Veganism is something more than an eating choice - it is a lifestyle or a movement.
The Vegan lifestyle choice is quickly gaining popularity in the United States and the rest of the world.
Vegan (pronounced vee-gun) refers to people who choose to forego meat and dairy products. Instead, their diets consist solely of plant-based foods. Not only do Vegans eliminate foods derived from animals, they also avoid clothing and products made from animal by-products.
You might be thinking that you got along so far by eating eggs, hamburgers, dairy products, hot dogs, poultry, beef, pork, and fish - so why should you go vegetarian, let alone vegan now?
Firstly, becoming Vegan means changing your whole lifestyle
Eating Vegan doesn't have to be boring. In fact, it is one of the most exciting way to eat! Fresh and organically grown plant-based foods are among nature's most healthful and delicious gifts
Being a Vegan has many benefits, but first, what exactly does being Vegan mean?
Most people are not exactly sure exactly what this term defines.
So here goes, a VEGAN is a person who not only consumes only plant products, but is also someone who does not support any product or food derived from the pain and suffering of any animal.
Then what is the difference between a Vegan and a Vegetarian?
A vegetarian is someone who doesn't eat any meat - In other words, they don’t consume meat, poultry, fish or other water animals or food made using animal fat, but they consume dairy products.
The main difference between a Vegan and a Vegetarian is that Vegans not only consume any animal by-products, which include eggs, dairy (including cheese, butter) or use products that have been tested on animals. Even honey is also avoided, as bees are killed during its production. And finally, Vegans also avoid wearing animal products like wool, silk or leather and don’t use cosmetics and toiletries that have been tested on animals or which contain animal ingredients.
To be a successful vegetarian or Vegan, you need to become more aware of nutrition. You learn what foods contain enough plant protein to satisfy your daily needs. You learn how to regulate the amount of carbohydrates and sugars you eat, to avoid the risk of diabetes. You start to understand the positive effects of a diet high in plant fibers, which help keep you regular.
Some benefits of being Vegan
It is believed, or at least I am of the firm belief that eating a meat free diet can definitely improve your health in addition to increasing your quality of life and as a result one tends to live longer.
The reasons?
Medical research has proven that a meat free diet considerably lowers ones chances of being diagnosed with ailments such as diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease and even certain types of cancers.
Studies have also shown that not meat free diets provide more energy, in addition to building a more efficient immune system. It is also said that Vegans live six to ten years longer than average meat eater and also rid the system of pesky allergens that cause food allergies, ADHD, and asthma. Furthermore, it can also be said that Vegans have healthy hair, lower body weight in general and most importantly a clearer and suppler skin.
Most of us don't eat very well. We either eat fast food too much and even real sit-down restaurants are sometimes not always healthy for us. We are addicted to the bad habit of eating out of boxes, cans, and the freezer. In fact, when you eat at most chain restaurants, you're eating out of boxes, cans, and the freezer!
Most non-vegetarian foods are either processed or frozen, if not come in cans. When we eat high fat meats, low fiber processed foods, and fill our bodies with preservatives and chemicals, we're much more prone to high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and other serious health issues.
Vegetarians (fruits and vegetables people) don’t suffer from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and any other diseases which tend to be linked with being overweight. In other words, you can eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and yet not gain any weight. This goes on to indicate that the food eaten in a vegetarian diet helps with the fat burning process. It also indicates that eating vegetables helps with insulin resistance instead of the food being stored as fat it tends to get taken up by the cells and burnt off hence no weight gain.
But, despite calling myself a vegetarian, I have put on tremendous amount of weight. This goes to show that vegetarian doesn’t really mean only vegetables and fruits, but there are fats (sweets, desserts, syrups), carbohydrates (rice and others) – the list is endless. So there is no guarantee that you are going to lose weight by just avoiding meat. Meat taken at reasonable amounts can lead to a balanced weight
However, being a Vegan will completely rid your diet from any of these processed foods. It will also rid you of all the fat and poisons generally found in processed or fast food that your body just wasn't programmed to intake. In other words, a family can easily and safely avoid the chemicals, preservatives, growth hormones and other harmful toxins found in almost all of today's meats and over-processed foods!
If you project to people that they don’t abuse their car like they abuse their bodies – they would perhaps get the message a lot better. A car engine that hasn’t been tuned or isn’t getting the type of gasoline it needs simply will not run efficiently, nor "live" for as long as it was intended to do.
In other words, the human body shares the same concept with a car
So just for kicks, try eating vegetarian (fruits and vegetables) for a week or two. See for yourself if you feel different, more mentally acute and note any difference
Gets you thinking ...right?
Hence, going Vegan and eating in this manner is sure to you an incredibly healthier lifestyle.
Many familiar favorites and international specialties are naturally Vegan – Italian spaghetti with marinara sauce, pasta with garlic & olive oil, a cheese-less pizza piled high with toppings; bean & rice burritos smothered in vegetarian green chilly, sizzling fajitas with peppers, onions, squash and mushrooms, tortilla chips & guacamole dip; Middle Eastern falafel, hummus, stuffed grape leaves and lentil soup; Indian vegetable curries, samosas, dal, and rice biriyani; Thai coconut curries, spring rolls & rice noodle dishes; Chinese stir-fry veggies in various sauces, sesame tofu, vegetable dumplings; Japanese vegetable sushi; and french fries!
Some interesting vegan recipes can be found at... http://www.veganchef.com/
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Friday, November 21, 2008
Choose A Vegan Lifestyle - Look And Feel Better
It is said that you are basically what you eat!
A family can easily and safely avoid the chemicals, preservatives, growth hormones and other harmful toxins found in almost all of today's meats and over-processed foods! If you are a meat eater and have continuously eaten meat, this might make you think.
After all, you got along so far by eating eggs, hamburgers, dairy products, hot dogs, poultry, beef, pork, fish - so why should you go vegetarian now?
If you project to people that they don’t abuse their car like they abuse their bodies – they would perhaps get the message a lot better !
When we eat high fat meats, low fiber processed foods, and fill our bodies with preservatives and chemicals, we're much more prone to high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and other serious health issues.
A car engine that hasn’t been tuned or isn’t getting the type of gasoline it needs simply will not run efficiently, nor "live" for as long as it was intended to do.
Hence, the human body shares the same concept with a car
And when you’re eating high fat meat, or meat that’s been fed antibiotics throughout, that’s simply not the kind of fuel the human body is intended to use!
While I do believe that vegetarianism is a healthy choice and that eating no meat or red meat could be more beneficial in combating diseases like high cholesterol and hypertension, I have my reservations. While I also respect vegetarians and their choice not to eat meat, I on the other hand do not have any religious / moral convictions about not eating meat.
Although I am partly a vegetarian, I just love my Beef Burgers and Chicken Tikka too much. But all said and done, there is a rule at home that no meat or non-vegetarian food would be cooked at home, except for eggs – so if I want to feast on something “meaty” I gotta get it from outside (and this is allowed only once/ twice a week).
Now as I said earlier, but from studies conducted it is obvious that overall, vegetarians or veggie eating people are a lot slimmer than their meat-eating counterparts. Here are my thoughts on this - I was in a relationship once with someone who was a vegetarian (a salad and fruits woman) and she never seemed to put on any weight and that was the reason she never put on any weight.
So for all practical purposes, I can call my vegetarian and I still have put on tremendous amount of weight. This goes to show that vegetarian doesn’t really mean only vegetables and fruits, but there are fats (sweets, desserts, syrups), carbohydrates (rice and others) – the list is endless. So there is no guarantee that you are gonna lose weight by just avoiding meat. Meat taken at reasonable amounts can lead to a balanced weight
Vegetarians (fruits and vegetables people) tends to be in better health than people who eat meat, and they don’t suffer from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and any other diseases which tend to be linked with being overweight.
In other words, you can eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and yet not gain any weight. This goes on to indicate that the food eaten in a vegetarian diet helps with the fat burning process. It also indicates that eating vegetables helps with insulin resistance instead of the food being stored as fat it tends to get taken up by the cells and burnt off hence no weight gain.
I guess, it would also make a compelling case for vegetarianism if it could be shown that the founder of one of the major religions (Christianity) was a vegetarian, even though the religion he founded does not actually require its adherents to practice vegetarianism.
So just for kicks, try eating vegetarian (fruits and vegetables) for a week or two. See for yourself if you feel different, more mentally acute and note any difference
Gets you thinking….right?
Percentage of Various Groups Who Never Eat Meat (Rounded to Whole Numbers)
• 7% Total Adults
• 5% Male
• 9% Female
• 9% 45- to 54-year-olds
• 5% 18- to 24-year-olds
• 8% North East
• 6% North Central
• 6% South
• 7% West
• 6% White (excluding Hispanic)
• 7% Black (excluding Hispanic)
• 8% Hispanic
• 4% High School Not Completed
• 6% High School Graduate
• 8% College Graduate
Dietary Habits of Adults 18 and Older (in the United States in 2006)
• 100% Total adults
• 6.7% Never eat meat
• 6.3% Never eat poultry
• 14.6% Never eat fish/seafood
• 7.6% Never eat dairy products
• 8.8% Never eat eggs
• 23.4% Never eat honey
• 2.3% Never eat meat, poultry, fish/seafood (vegetarian)
• 1.4% Never eat meat, poultry, fish/seafood, dairy products/eggs (vegan)
A family can easily and safely avoid the chemicals, preservatives, growth hormones and other harmful toxins found in almost all of today's meats and over-processed foods! If you are a meat eater and have continuously eaten meat, this might make you think.
After all, you got along so far by eating eggs, hamburgers, dairy products, hot dogs, poultry, beef, pork, fish - so why should you go vegetarian now?
If you project to people that they don’t abuse their car like they abuse their bodies – they would perhaps get the message a lot better !
When we eat high fat meats, low fiber processed foods, and fill our bodies with preservatives and chemicals, we're much more prone to high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and other serious health issues.
A car engine that hasn’t been tuned or isn’t getting the type of gasoline it needs simply will not run efficiently, nor "live" for as long as it was intended to do.
Hence, the human body shares the same concept with a car
And when you’re eating high fat meat, or meat that’s been fed antibiotics throughout, that’s simply not the kind of fuel the human body is intended to use!
While I do believe that vegetarianism is a healthy choice and that eating no meat or red meat could be more beneficial in combating diseases like high cholesterol and hypertension, I have my reservations. While I also respect vegetarians and their choice not to eat meat, I on the other hand do not have any religious / moral convictions about not eating meat.
Although I am partly a vegetarian, I just love my Beef Burgers and Chicken Tikka too much. But all said and done, there is a rule at home that no meat or non-vegetarian food would be cooked at home, except for eggs – so if I want to feast on something “meaty” I gotta get it from outside (and this is allowed only once/ twice a week).
Now as I said earlier, but from studies conducted it is obvious that overall, vegetarians or veggie eating people are a lot slimmer than their meat-eating counterparts. Here are my thoughts on this - I was in a relationship once with someone who was a vegetarian (a salad and fruits woman) and she never seemed to put on any weight and that was the reason she never put on any weight.
So for all practical purposes, I can call my vegetarian and I still have put on tremendous amount of weight. This goes to show that vegetarian doesn’t really mean only vegetables and fruits, but there are fats (sweets, desserts, syrups), carbohydrates (rice and others) – the list is endless. So there is no guarantee that you are gonna lose weight by just avoiding meat. Meat taken at reasonable amounts can lead to a balanced weight
Vegetarians (fruits and vegetables people) tends to be in better health than people who eat meat, and they don’t suffer from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and any other diseases which tend to be linked with being overweight.
In other words, you can eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and yet not gain any weight. This goes on to indicate that the food eaten in a vegetarian diet helps with the fat burning process. It also indicates that eating vegetables helps with insulin resistance instead of the food being stored as fat it tends to get taken up by the cells and burnt off hence no weight gain.
I guess, it would also make a compelling case for vegetarianism if it could be shown that the founder of one of the major religions (Christianity) was a vegetarian, even though the religion he founded does not actually require its adherents to practice vegetarianism.
So just for kicks, try eating vegetarian (fruits and vegetables) for a week or two. See for yourself if you feel different, more mentally acute and note any difference
Gets you thinking….right?
Percentage of Various Groups Who Never Eat Meat (Rounded to Whole Numbers)
• 7% Total Adults
• 5% Male
• 9% Female
• 9% 45- to 54-year-olds
• 5% 18- to 24-year-olds
• 8% North East
• 6% North Central
• 6% South
• 7% West
• 6% White (excluding Hispanic)
• 7% Black (excluding Hispanic)
• 8% Hispanic
• 4% High School Not Completed
• 6% High School Graduate
• 8% College Graduate
Dietary Habits of Adults 18 and Older (in the United States in 2006)
• 100% Total adults
• 6.7% Never eat meat
• 6.3% Never eat poultry
• 14.6% Never eat fish/seafood
• 7.6% Never eat dairy products
• 8.8% Never eat eggs
• 23.4% Never eat honey
• 2.3% Never eat meat, poultry, fish/seafood (vegetarian)
• 1.4% Never eat meat, poultry, fish/seafood, dairy products/eggs (vegan)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)