What is Vegan Diet

What is vegan diet? The vegan diet is one that completely eliminates the consumption of meat, fish, dairy, eggs and honey from their food, out of respect for animals. In this way, a vegan only feeds on products of vegetable origin.

In short, veganism is not strictly a diet, rather it is a lifestyle that wants to avoid the suffering, mistreatment and death of animals. In this regard, it also rejects the use of any product of animal origin, such as skins, silk, feathers or any product that has been tested with animals. Nutritionist Eduard Baladia, from the Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Evidence-Based Nutrition Network, helps us understand the trend of veggie so fashionable.

According to Baladia, the word "diet" comes from the Greek term "diaita", and for them, this term meant more than a "diet"; It was a way of life. "So yes, you can talk about vegan diet, since it is not only a set of foods that are regularly ingested, but also represents a way of life," says the nutritionist.

From Onmeda we were interested to know if this diet was recommendable at nutritional level and our question the expert tells us that a vegan diet properly executed, leads to a correct state of health, but if not controlled, can lead to minor and serious health problems . For Baladía, the advantage is that people who follow a vegan diet tend to be more attentive to their diet and lifestyle (which includes physical activity), which generally leads to optimum health.

Thus, a vegan diet supplemented with vitamin B12 in the form of supplements, should not affect the state of health. "In fact, it is understood that it is compatible with most or even all physiological states and is possibly suitable for all ages," confirms the specialist, although he warns that "my statements are not completely firm because, in science in generally, almost all claims are subject to change, and in veganism in particular, we have few studies on some physiological situations and for some ages. " Regarding this point, as an example, Baladia points out that in one of the most delicate physiological situations in life, such as pregnancy ,

To supplement the deficiencies of vitamins of the vegan diet vitamin Vitamin B12 supplements are needed. According to the nutritionist consulted, despite the fact that there are diet products enriched with this vitamin, and theoretically could be obtained the recommended daily amount, studies indicate that those vegans who do not consume B12 supplements are at higher risk of having vitamin D deficiency .

Another of our key questions to Baladia has been whether the vegan diet is advisable in childhood and adolescence , to which the expert has replied that " from a theoretical point of view, it could be recommended with the corresponding supplementation with B12, however , The studies are very scarce and do not allow us to affirm it conclusively ".

For the nutritionist, "it should be noted that in the first stage of life, no mammal should be vegan. In fact, vegan mothers often rely on breastfeeding for longer than omnivorous mothers, and they are more likely to comply with WHO's recommendation to exclusively breastfeed for up to 6 months (or more) and continue breastfeeding until, as Minimum, two years of life (or even more). "

In this sense, although there have been reports of B12 deficiency in breastfed children with only breast, in all of them, the mother had the same symptoms of deficiency, ie, she was not supplemented with B12 Diets poorly controlled). In the treated cases, following B12 supplementation, there was remission. This allows us to affirm with sufficient certainty that systematic supplementation with mother and child B12 can prevent its deficiency.

According to the report "The Green Revolution", by the innovation consultancy Lantern, 7.8% of the population residing in Spain over 18 years is veggie, ie maintains a totally vegetable (vegan) diet, or includes some Animal derived product (vegetarian) or sporadically adds animal protein to your (flexitarian) diet. Veggies are mainly women, 1 in 10. Veggies are also more urban than the whole population, that is, 51.2% live in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants.

Veggies diets have penetration in all kinds of ages. Vegans and vegetarians are younger, while flexitarians are around 55, something that may be due to the fact that this age group is increasingly emphasizing regimes to prevent overweight, medical prescriptions and a greater concern for health care.

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Vegan Diet for Beginners

With obesity on the rise, weight loss has become a major issue in the world especially now when people are aware of the damages and troubles that come along with being overweight. There is no doubt that weight loss is beneficial as it helps to tackle hypertension, joint issues, breath issues, diabetes and high cholesterol level, just to mention a few.  

Although there are diverse ways of achieving weight loss, proper dieting has been found effective. However, so many diets exist out there that one can easily get confused and frustrated as regard choosing the one that perfectly suits him or her. 

A vegan diet is suitable for anyone who desires an easy and sustainable weight loss plan as well as for those who do not like to eat low-calorie diet food which often tastes awful and makes one feel deprived. Adopting a vegan diet implies that you do not take any animal product such as eggs, diary, meat, fish etc. The major reasons why this diet works well on weight loss is that it is non-addictive, full of fiber and contains less calorie.  

For many people who are interested in adopting the vegan diet for dealing with weight loss, they might find it difficult at first but will later enjoy it if properly guided. In this regard, tips for adopting the vegan diet for beginners are given below:

·         Begin by getting rid of red meat

Although red meat contains useful nutrients and serves as a viable source of protein, it is not healthy for a weight loss diet, especially when taken in large qualities, as it has a high saturated fat content. Thus, you should start by removing all beef, lamb, pork and other red meat from your diet. 

However, you can have a substitute for red meat by eating white meat such as fish, chicken and seafood.  In addition, you can eat bacon not made from meat which can be obtained from local health food shops as well as grocery stores. Once you become used to not eating red meat, you can proceed to the next step.

·         Stop eating chicken

At this stage, you can eliminate chicken from your diet as it can also lead to weight gain. For the meantime, try as much as possible to eat only fish and seafood products. If you find it hard eating only fish and seafood products, you can search for the recipes of other vegan meals and add it to your diet. 

By searching the internet, you can find a lot vegan meal recipes that have been tried and tested by other vegans. Obviously, you will love the taste of some of these meals.

·         Set aside fish and Seafood

You are considered a vegetarian at this stage! You have to take the bull by the horn by letting go fish and seafood but you can continue eating other meat alternatives such as soy-based patties and the likes. To make up for protein, you should eat legumes such as chickpeas, lentils and black beans as well as vegetarian patties, whole grains, vegetarian mince and vegan bacon.

·         No Cheese

This might be very difficult for many beginners on a vegan diet because we all love cheese. Anyway, there is no need to worry because there are cheese alternatives such as soy cheese and rice cheese but you have to try them out to get the ones you prefer. While some vegans love the taste of soy cheese, others prefer to go for the rice cheese probably because it is almost like real cheese.

·         Get rid of Eggs

As a beginner on a vegan diet, you may find this a little challenging because almost all baked

products and recipes are made with eggs. Nevertheless, there are various egg alternatives that can satisfy your baking needs. Some of these include gelatin-water mixes, egg replacement powders and apple sauce, which can be obtained from health food stores.

·         No more Cream and Butter

There is no denying the fact that eliminating Cream and Butter from your diet is no easy task. This is because cream is usually used in coffee, and butter is often a major component of most baked products. 

However, there are great alternatives for cream and butter in the vegan diet. For instance, a good replacement for butter in recipes is coconut oil. Also, when preparing dinner, you can use olive oil for meals such as stir-fry dishes.  As for cream, you can use alternatives such as coconut milk, soy milk and coconut butter. 

In addition, you can look around your local grocery stores for special non-dairy creamers which will not separate in your coffee like the usual coconut milk does.

·         Eliminate the use of milk

Since you have been able to get rid of cheese, eliminating milk will be a lot easier to handle. You

can use soy milk, almond milk, rice milk and cashew milk as substitutes for milk. The good thing is that you can as well use these milk substitutes for cooking, baking and even drink them directly or eat them alongside your cereal.

·         Look for good vegan recipes and eateries

At this particular point, you are considered a complete vegan! However, you should not be

restricted to meals from your kitchen. As a result, you need to try out some of the vegan meals available at restaurants.

You should be able to find a vegan café or restaurant depending on your area, and if you seem confused on what to eat, you can search through the menu as most restaurants’ menus are accessible online. Also, you should be looking for more recipes of meals that you cherish so you can prepare them whenever the need arises.

If you follow these tips as outlined here, you will find the vegan diet for weight loss very convenient and interesting. Although it can be challenging, it is very rewarding especially in terms of weight loss and living a healthier lifestyle. 

  

However, if you want faster results, you can make use of a vegan meal service for a period of a month or two. With this approach, becoming a vegan can be a lot easier and you can have access to delicious vegan foods. 

To Get Some Healthy Vegan Diet Recipes Click HERE