What do vegans eat?

Information on following a vegan diet.

Popularly we refer to a Vegan as someone who is a vegetarian. That is someone who does not eat meat and fish, and in some instances even egg.

Contrary to beliefs, a person who eats a vegan diet has many advantages. Dairy animals are today fed a wide array of artificial foods, chemical compounds, hormones and antibiotics. In turn, cow's milk produced by the dairy industry has been found to contain significant quantities of pesticides, antibiotics and teat dip disinfectants. Most researchers agree that most of these substances are dangerous. But no one really knows how much – because the long-term effects of consuming these artificial substances are not known. But one thing is certain. Such products are best avoided.

So what can a vegetarian eat? Here are a few vegan diet essentials.

Carbohydrates in a vegan diet: A vegetarian can get carbohydrate from wheat, oats, barley and rice; pasta and other flour products; lentils, beans, potatoes, dried and fresh fruit.

Minerals in a vegan diet: For calcium a vege can turn to nuts, seeds and pulses; molasses, carob, parsley, dried figs, sea vegetables, grains such as oatmeal and fortified soy milks. To get the adequate level of calcium, a vegetarian should always eat a variety of foods.

Protein in vegan diet: Protein can be had from whole wheat flour, bread/pasta, brown rice, oats, rye; nuts like hazels, cashews and almonds; seeds such as sunflower, sesame and pumpkin; peas, beans and lentils and soy products like flour and tofu.

Iron in a vegan diet: Research shows that iron deficiency is no more prevalent in vegans than in the general population. It also needs to be kept in mind that iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in the general population as well. To get adequate iron, a vegetarian should eat nuts, seeds, pulses, grains, dried fruit, sea vegetables, parsley, green leafy vegetables and molasses.

Fats in a vegan diet: Nuts and seeds, nut and seed oils, vegan margarine and avocados are all rich in fats. Therefore they are all essential for a vegetarian.

Diet Plans