love ♥ living ♥ vegan
Following a plant-based or vegan lifestyle, is about food, drink, clothes, shoes, body treatments, hair products and more.
It's a conscious decision to think, walk and possibly, talk a better lifestyle.
I support individuals who are thinking about making the shift, as well as, those who have already begun their plant-based journey.
This video has a few comedy moments in it! Aside from those there are some huge positive, creative and realistic points to take away from it. It's 8 minutes long and the content shows us how we can eat really well without spending lots of money.
“Every action has its pleasures and its price.” Socrates
I experimented with different vegan cheeses now and then, but I was fine without it, so it was easier to not bother.
This laziness was caused by the fact that I'd have to go to a health food shop to buy some and that I'd have to remember which ones I tried and note down what I thought of them. Why? In the past, we bought some cheeses and forgot which ones we liked and which we didn't! So...to avoid making the same error, it was worth jotting down what we bought and our thoughts on it!
Find out how supermarkets have made free-from shopping so much easier!
Read MoreThis post is the final part of a four part series of posts. You can find the introduction (part one) here, part two here and part three here. I've been asked many questions about soya and I've heard contradictory opinions too, so I asked Sagar Kirit Shah to write an article it. Here's his conclusion.
In summary, my view is that soya not a health risk, but is certainly not a health panacea and is by no means necessary for good health on a vegan diet.
I also believe it is relatively straight forward to avoid some of the adverse environmental effects by purchasing soya products made with non-GM beans from plantations not associated with rainforest destruction.
I believe there is nothing wrong with enjoying the taste and convenience of soya products as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
Just try and remember it is much better to go for lightly processed, whole bean, products (e.g. whole bean soya milk, tofu, tempeh, natto, miso, edamame) than for products which are highly processed (e.g. meat analogues made using texturised soya protein, soya alternatives to single cream and soya ice cream).
Part 1 - Should we consume soya or not?
Part 2 - Does soya consumption have a negative impact on health?
Part 3 - Is soya good for the environment?
“I've been vegan for about 10 and a half years. It's been all good. I'm obviously much healthier.”
- Woody Harrelson
This post is part three of a four part series. You can find the introduction (part one) here and part two here. After hearing many different comments about soya so I asked Sagar Kirit Shah to write an article about the pros and conns of soya.
So over to Sagar Kirit Shah.
With soya beans linked to the GM industry and deforestation, it is not surprising that many are concerned about the environmental effects of the soya bean.
When thinking about the environmental consequences of soya production, it is important to bear some things in mind.
First, a vast majority of the world’s soya beans are grown to produce high-protein animal feed, and not to feed humans directly.
Since animals foods are inefficient (in terms of use of inputs such as land and water) compared to plant foods, humans substituting plant foods for animal foods (including milk) is beneficial for the environment.
Second, soya is one of the most efficient plant foods when it comes to land and water use. One square metre of land can produce 40gm of soya protein, compared 29gm of rice protein, 24gm of maize protein, 22gm of protein of other legumes and 15gm of wheat protein. This means that if soya were to be replaced with other crops, it is likely that amount of arable land required to support the human population (and its consumption patterns) would actually go up, increasing pressure to cut down rainforests.
Third, living in the UK, we have considerable choice when it comes to the soya products we choose – and we also benefit from legal protections when it comes to genetically modified foods. It is relatively easy to obtain non-GM soya products (soya milk, tofu) made using soya beans from sustainable plantations.
This means we can choose to eat/use soya products which don’t destroy rainforests.
Taken together, I think these three points mean that it is possible for green-leaning individuals to consume soya without feeling guilty about the impact their food choices have on the environment.
Final part - Conclusion: The effects of soya on health and the environment
"Forests … are in fact the world’s air-conditioning system—the very lungs of the planet—and help to store the largest body of freshwater on the planet … essential to produce food for our planet’s growing population. The rainforests of the world also provide the livelihoods of more than a billion of the poorest people on this Earth… In simple terms, the rainforests, which encircle the world, are our very life-support system—and we are on the verge of switching it off."
- Prince Charles
I heard about this amazing book via a Yahoo group called Jain Vegans. It's amazing!
It's called the Vegan Passport.
It's a great pocket sized book that's great to travel with.
It explains what vegans will/won't eat in 73 languages.
It's simple, to the point and extremely clear.
Definitely worth buying! :)
The Vegan Passport
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
- Lao Tzu
In a previous post I mentioned that I like hearing why people make a shift towards a vegan diet or lifestyle. This is because the reasons tend to vary so much. The footage below shows summaries from a range of people who share why they made the shift to a vegan diet.
Can you think of any other reasons to go vegan?
More about this film...
The entire film lasts 30 minutes. It explores the benefits of being vegan. Some of these are: -
an exciting lifestyle
eating delicious food
consuming healthy food
tackling the ethics behind making this shift
global challenges that we face now and in the future.
It was produced by The Vegan Society.
Will you make the connection and become part of the solution?
"I just could not stand the idea of eating meat - I really do think that it has made me calmer.... People's general awareness is getting much better, even down to buying a pint of milk: the fact that the calves are actually killed so that the milk doesn't go to them but to us cannot really be right, and if you have seen a cow in a state of extreme distress because it cannot understand why its calf isn't by, it can make you think a lot." Kate Bush
I've heard people talk about the commonly held belief that vegetarians have a boring diet. I've heard them say that the mainstream view is, vegetarian meals are based on rice and chick peas. I've even read posts about it! I'm not sure why, but I haven't been part of such a conversation before, so I only know of it happening through others. Now, you can imagine the thoughts that arise about a vegan diet! When I've told people that I follow a vegan diet, I've often been asked 'What can you eat?' and I must admit; I've been pants at answering that, because I was so astonished that they thought I was so limited in what I can eat. I love food and if I had to eat the same things over and over again, I would not be very happy! This video says it better than I could, so have a watch. :) If you're up for it, keep these questions in mind as you watch the video.
Do vegans deny themselves pleasurable experiences when eating?
Can vegans only eat a few cuisines?
Would vegetarians or meat eaters ever find vegan food interesting?
The Head Chef of Saf briefly discusses his transformation to adopting a plant-based diet overnight. He mentions the benefits and says that he'd never go back!
More about this film...
The entire film lasts 30 minutes. It explores the benefits of being vegan. Some of these are: -
an exciting lifestyle
eating delicious food
consuming healthy food
tackling the ethics behind making this shift
global challenges that we face now and in the future.
It was produced by The Vegan Society.
Will you make the connection and become part of the solution?
"I've found without question that the best way to lead others to a more plant-based diet is by example - to lead with your fork, not your mouth." Bernie Wilke
Sometimes there is no need for words :) This chart says it all.
"The human body has no more need for cows' milk than it does for dogs' milk, horses' milk, or giraffes' milk." Michael Klaper
When I first told my friends and family that I was going to follow a vegan diet, I was faced with questions like 'What about B12?'. I felt put on the spot and the underlying tone of the conversation made me doubt whether I had made the right decision. You see, I decided to go vegan after watching a video about dairy production. It was a decision based on emotion. I hadn't done any research but was adamant that I didn't want to go back to a vegetarian diet. Nevertheless, many would say that a decision based on emotion is a foolish one.
Everything has turned out just fine, but I wouldn't want a 'new' vegan to be experience what I did; so I'm sharing the following information, which is from the Vegan Society.
Once you have got your head around what you need to know; any conversation about what you should or should not consume will hopefully be plain sailing.
The Vegan Society has published the following information about Vitamin B12: -
Very low B12 intakes can cause anaemia and nervous system damage.
The only reliable vegan sources of B12 are foods fortified with B12 (including some plant milks, some soy products and some breakfast cereals) and B12 supplements.
Vitamin B12, whether in supplements, fortified foods, or animal products, comes from micro-organisms.
Most vegans consume enough B12 to avoid anaemia and nervous system damage, but many do not get enough to minimise potential risk of heart disease or pregnancy complications.
To get the full benefit of a vegan diet, vegans should do one of the following:
eat fortified foods two or three times a day to get at least three micrograms (μg or mcg) of B12 a day or
take one B12 supplement daily providing at least 10 micrograms or
take a weekly B12 supplement providing at least 2000 micrograms.
If relying on fortified foods check the labels carefully to make sure you are getting enough B12. For example, if a fortified plant milk contains 1 microgram of B12 per serving then consuming three servings a day will provide adequate vitamin B12. Others may find the use of B12 supplements more convenient and economical.
The less frequently you obtain B12 the more B12 you need to take, as B12 is best absorbed in small amounts. The recommendations above take full account of this. There is no harm in exceeding the recommended amounts or combining more than one option.
To be honest, I don't analyse my food and intake so thoroughly but I am fairly good at 'reading' my body and I also, request a blood test once a year. So far, my B12, Vitamin D, Calcium and Iron levels have been good or better than 'normal'.
“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”