How to Go Vegan and LOVE it!
by
Howard
Pepper
Published by Fun House Publishing LLC at Smashwords
Copyright
2012 by Fun House Publishing LLC
Smashwords Edition License Notes:
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Copyright 2012 by Fun House Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or used in any form, or by any means, without prior written permission of the publisher.
Table of Contents
Things you should not eat or drink if you call yourself vegan
What you choose to eat can help the world
A healthy choice for your body and mind
Making the transition fun and enjoyable
Register your physical and emotional changes
Take a cooking class or buy a few vegan cookbooks
Join a vegan group/social network
Invite your friends for dinner
Staying healthy and not missing nutritional content
We can all agree that eating is important. Go more than six hours without food and your stomach will remind you of this fact. For many people the routine of eating is monotonous and tiring. While for many others, eating is a way of life. In the past few decades society has begun to move faster. With longer work hours, more distant commutes and busier schedules, eating has become something that we do on the go.
Along with this faster paced lifestyle has come an infinite supply of processed foods and fast food chains. If you factor in the globalization of the international food trade, it is easy to see where we, as an eating community, have turned the wrong corner.
Not everyone though, is ready to lie down and give up his or her right to good food and nutritional living. Inherent in each human being is the wisdom of what the body needs for optimal survival. This innate intelligence has prompted many people to adopt lifestyles based around their eating habits. One of these groups of conscious eaters is known as vegans.
There is much to be said for eating a vegan diet. Beyond the diet itself, there are many moral, ethical, social and political ideals associated with veganism that can be explored. What you are about to read in the following pages will give you an idea of what it means to be a vegan, how to incorporate veganism into your life, and how to love the entire process. We hope you enjoy this information, and encourage you to dig deeper for ideas, inspirations and creative approaches along your path to becoming a vegan.
So what exactly does it mean to be a vegan? In the simplest terms, vegans do not eat any foods that come from animals. Now you may say to yourself that this sounds like vegetarianism. It is similar, but veganism takes it all a step further. Yes vegetarians do not eat meat, but many vegetarians still use products that in some way stem from the mass production or harm of animals. Vegans have added a bit more of a moral and ethical agenda to their dietary lifestyle. Vegans refrain from using, consuming, or utilizing any products associated with animals. As with any belief system, there are varying degrees of veganism. There is a moderate version, and there is the extreme version. Some vegans are quiet about their lifestyle, while others choose to be vocal in an attempt to change the way society harms our environment and the animals that live in it.
Vegans believe that animals are not meant to be used as a food source. They also believe that animals should not be abused in any way for the benefit of mankind. They believe in loving and respecting animals as equals, and not as beings that are meant to be manipulated by another species that considers itself to be more superior. Most vegans are adamant about animal farming and the unsavory techniques that have become commonplace in the modern farming world. In addition to animal farming, the production methods used by most meat processing companies are abhorrent, which further fuels the ethical argument for veganism. Vegans also believe that the sustentation of animal farms and the peripheral industries associated with them are harming our environment in the worst ways. Choosing to become a vegan is a healthy choice for your body, your community, and your earth.
Things you should not eat or drink if you call yourself Vegan
It goes without saying that you should not eat meat if you are vegan. Many people would think that removing meat from your diet would be the hardest part of becoming a vegan, but in actuality it may be the easiest. Understanding ethical and moral animal rights can help a person make a conscious choice to move away from eating meat.
Fish must also be deleted from your diet. Some people think it is easy to get rid of meat if they can still have fish, but fish fall into the category of meat. Included are shellfish, and if you are like many of us, the thought of no more shrimp, lobster or scallops is really hard to stomach. Morally it may seem less barbaric to eat a fish than say lamb or veal, but anyone who has ever caught, killed and cleaned a fish can see that they go through pain as well. When you look at the fishing industry as a whole, the ethical reasons not to eat fish may outweigh the moral reasons. With more and more pollution entering our oceans, rivers and lakes the nutritional value of fish can also become questionable.
Once you have begun to remove meat from your diet, you can start to sift through the list of other products that you may have a hard time letting go of. These include beer, eggs, honey, wine, certain breads, gelatin products, processed sugar products, milk, cheese, some salad dressings and many processed foods. Right now you may be sitting agape, wondering how in the world some of these products are associated with animals. The voice in the back of your head is telling you that there is no way that veganism is for you. Fair enough. If you are still curious about a vegan diet and the overall benefits leading to healthier life, please read on, as we have so much good information left to give you.
Dairy products such as milk, cheese and butter come from cows. We know that you already know this, and we also know that if you are going to cheat or slip as a new vegan, this is where you may allow yourself to fall. No harm done! Becoming a vegan should be educational and fun. No one is going to crucify you if you want some butter on your toast. Sometimes a beautiful piece of cheesecake will call your name as you pass by the dessert counter at a local coffee shop. It is to be expected.
Speaking of coffee, if you love your morning brew with a little touch of milk, removing dairy from your diet may be like pulling out your own hair. Take it slow, and be ready to forgive yourself when you wake up craving a glass of milk or a bowl of yogurt in the morning. We will tell you a little bit more later on that will help you fight the urge to sneak some dairy into your day.
Eggs are used in so many things that we eat. Take a moment and go for a look through your shelves in the kitchen. Do you think it is possible to make muffins without an egg? How about the cookies that you so love? You can probably bet that milk and eggs went into making those. You may be the kind of person that loves to eat a three-cheese omelet for breakfast, so it is understandable to feel the apprehension in your stomach at the thought of no more eggs in your life.
Every other day a new study is released discussing the negative effects of white sugar. Yes authorities will tell you that it is bleached and process, and can eventually cause obesity or diabetes, but what they do not tell you is that bone from animals is often used in sugar processing methods. If the health risks associated with white sugar were not enough to deter you, then the idea of eating bone should be.
Bone is also used along with skin, hooves and other animal parts in the making of gelatin. Gelatin is used to congeal and shape many foods that we eat. You would be surprised to know how many boxes in your pantry will show gelatin as an ingredient. Sure it is easy to identify products like Jell-O with gelatin, but did you have any idea that marshmallows and certain cereals rely on gelatin as a main ingredient? Well now you do.
As your logical mind begins to process what you are learning now, you may be thinking of substitutes for your favorite dishes. If you do not use white sugar, you can always use brown sugar or maybe honey. The problem is that honey comes from bees, and bees, from the viewpoint of vegans, are considered animals. While it may seem strange that beekeeping would be considered inhumane, honey must still be lumped into the category of foods not to eat as a vegan.
There are lots of foods at the supermarkets that can be considered vegan. Many of these foods are processed foods, and probably are not healthy for you in the long run. If you are vegan and choose to eat processed foods you must still have a keen eye for certain ingredients. Some food colorings and additives are animal-based, so do your research and make sure you know just exactly what you are ingesting.