For many years it was thought that meat and dairy products needed to be included in the diet in order for people to remain healthy. There are now many thriving vegetarians and vegans around to show that this is not the case. Vegetarianism is now widely accepted. However, a lot of people when they stop eating meat, simply include more dairy products in their diet instead. And, many vegetarians consequently still consume too much animal fat and protein. They are, in many ways, still very dependent on the animal farming practices which probably made them decide to become vegetarian in the first place! But how safe is it to remove dairy products from the diet as well as meat?
Recipe details can, if you wish, be written out on small cards and kept in a filing box in
the kitchen. Similarly, print-outs of recipes downloaded from the internet can be cut to size and
glued to cards, or folded up, if too large and filed in the box. Filing recipes in this way prevents cookery books
from becoming soiled in the kitchen. As you become more experienced, don't forget to keep adding new recipes to your collection
because if you repeat the same recipes for too long you will eventually become bored with your diet.
The Vegan Society
is of course an excellent source of information for the intending vegan and
can provide advice, leaflets, many useful books and even videos.
Many foodstuffs are now labelled as suitable for vegetarians but very few are labelled for vegan purchasers.
It is important to be aware that not all products which are suitable for vegetarians are suitable
for vegans. Learn to read all labels carefully! Look out particularly for added whey, eggs, honey
and gelatine as these ingredients are all derived from animals. Also, vegans do not normally buy products which are made
from, or contain wool, silk, fur or leather.
Getting Started
In last month's Vegan News, I included an article, which described one reader's experience
of how they became a vegan. They said it was like being thrown out of an aeroplane at 30,000 feet and
that they starved while they relearned how to eat: rather a shock to the system! I am including
this article in this month's issue in the hope that it will enable anybody who wants to become a
vegan to reduce the number of nutritional mistakes they make along the way. If you have already
successfully made the change to a vegetarian diet, then removing dairy products from your diet
should be quite straightforward. Of course, if you have eaten meat all your life, then you may find changing
to a vegan diet a little bit more difficult. It is of course perfectly possible to become
a vegan overnight as shown in the example above, but I would recommend a more gradual approach as follows:
Top of PageCollecting Recipes
Before you start cooking you will need to collect some suitable vegan recipes. There are many good
vegan recipes available on the Internet. I have included some of these in this month's
interesting vegan website section. I would also recommend that you
purchase at least one good vegan cookery book, as unfortunately vegan cookery books are not usually
easily available from the public library. I have found the following cookery books particularly useful:
Vegetarian cookery books are now widely available from most public libraries and often contain suitable vegan recipes.
(Look for recipes which do not contain milk, yogurt, cheese, animal fat, honey or gelatine etc.)
Introducing Vegan Meals
First of all you will probably have to buy a few new ingredients. But, do not rush out and buy everything at once!
Start off by replacing 2-3 of your usual meals each week with vegan meals using some of the recipes
that you have collected. Purchase any ingredients that you do not already have. A gradual approach
is particularly important if you are not already eating a vegetarian diet as it will allow your
body plenty of time to adjust to new foodstuffs and it is also less expensive and wasteful as old
ingredients in the store cupboard can be used up and gradually replaced with new ones. As you
become more used to the vegan way of cooking, increase the number of vegan meals you cook each
week, until eventually all your meals are vegan. You will probably soon notice that your food bills
are cheaper now that you no longer need to buy expensive meat and dairy products! Avoid buying vegan convenience foods whenever
possible as these tend to be overprocessed, overpackaged and rather expensive.Researching The Facts
Do some research! It may seem like a lot of trouble if you lead a busy life, but you are much more likely
to continue eating a vegan diet, if you understand why you should do things and are happy about what you are
doing. You will also be less likely to make nutritional mistakes. If you would like to know more
about vegan nutrition then consult Gill Langley's book called 'Vegan Nutrition' which covers a lot
of the scientific research done on the vegan diet. It is a very reassuring book, particularly if
you feel a bit nervous about starting a vegan diet! I found it very helpful. You can buy a copy
from the Vegan Society or I ordered a copy from the public library. Vegan
Nutrition Pure and Simple by Michael Klaper, will also provide much information on the
nutritional aspects of the vegan diet as well as many useful recipes.
Finding Out if a Product is Suitable for Vegans
'The Animal Free Shopper' is a pocket-sized book which can be obtained from The Vegan
society. It is particularly useful when you first go vegan. Take it out shopping with you.
It covers many suitable vegan non-food products as well as food items.
A large proportion of the vegan diet is of course made up of fresh fruit and vegetables and so it is important to find a good and reliable source of these fresh ingredients. If you are short of cash, then you should be able to find a good variety of fresh produce in your local street market. (It is often worth going to see what is on offer towards the end of the afternoon, when stall holders sometimes reduce their prices considerably, particularly on Saturdays.) If you have more money, then you might like to investigate the supplies of organically grown produce which are now available in many supermarkets.
There are a few more specialised products, eaten by vegans, which can be a little bit more difficult to find. However, they can usually be obtained from a good health food shop, or by mail order. These include: nutritional yeast flakes, tahini, miso, tamari/shoyu sauce, soya mince, soya chunks and vegan dairy substitutes. I will explain what these all are, later.
Soya milk is readily available from most large supermarkets and also in health food shops. It is usually unsweetened or sweetened with fruit juice. Try quite a few brands until you find one you like as they all taste rather different. Plamil make a concentrated soya milk with added B12 which is particularly good for vegans. At the moment, it can still be quite difficult to find dried soya milk for travelling. Boots sell a brand of soya baby milk which can be consumed by adults, but it is rather expensive and comes in large tubs. Holland and Barrett sell a smaller tin of spray skimmed soya milk by Allergycare which is more useful for travellers. Flavoured soya milk is also available. Try giving the children individual cartons of 'Provamel chocolate or strawberry soya milk' for a treat.
There are now many hard cheese substitutes available such as: Bute Island food's Scheese or Tofucheese by Red Dragon. Soft cheeses include: Plamil Veeze, Fromsoya and Marigold cheese spread.
For a natural soya yogurt try 'Sojasun' or make your own yogurt using soya milk. 'So Good' make a range of flavoured fruit yogurts which are sweetened with fruit juice instead of sugar.
Most health food shops sell a range of non-dairy ice-cream (e.g Swedish Glace), soya desserts and soya cream substitutes. Soya desserts include 'Provamel chocolate or vanilla flavoured dessert' and 'Provamel Yofu' in peach or strawberry. Instead of dairy cream try 'soya cream' or 'soya dream'. Plamil also make soya milk, rice pudding.
TVP is usually sold in packets as either soya mince or chunks. Both of these products are
readily available in the health food shop and are also frequently found in many supermarkets.
Select unflavoured products, as the flavoured varieties often contain animal products, such as
egg albumin or whey. If possible vegans should obtain a brand which has been fortified with vitamin B 12.
Soya mince and soya chunks can both be used in many recipes in order to create vegetarian versions of many
well-known meat dishes such as: lasagne, spaghetti bolognese, chili-con-carne, shepherd's pie etc.
They can also be used in curries, casseroles and goulashes. They are very easy to use. They must
be hydrated before use, either by soaking or by cooking in boiling water for a few minutes. You should consult the
packet instructions for more details about this.
Many packets of sausage substitute mix, or ready-made veggie burger mix, are also based on TVP.
You can also buy bacon flavoured bits which are rather nice sprinkled as a garnish on top of mashed avocado,
scrambled tofu, or even on pea soup!
In Britain, brand names of tofu include Sanchi who make a firm tofu (available in long-life packets) and
Cauldron Foods who produce plain, smoked and marinated versions. (The Cauldron Food brand is not made from genetically modified
soya beans.) Sainsbury's also produce their own version. Try and buy a brand which has been coagulated using a calcium salt, as this
adds valuble extra calcium to the diet.
Tofu is a very versatile, healthy, cholesterol-free, high-protein, high-fibre food. It is also a
good source of calcium, iron, phosphorus and several B vitamins. It has many uses as a meat substitute:
It can be cut up into chunks and used in stir-fries, made into tofu burgers or kebabs, cut into slices and
used as tofu cutlets, or chunks of it can be added to casseroles, soups etc. It can also be used instead of eggs to make
Scrambled Tofu or 'omelettes.' If it is frozen and then thawed, it becomes firmer and chewier and develops
a more meaty texture.
If you want more ideas on how to use tofu, then interesting tofu recipes can
sometimes be found on the back of packets of tofu. Cauldron foods can also supply you with a free
recipe leaflet. Write to them at: Cauldron Food Ltd, Units 1-2, Portishead Buisiness Park, Portishead, Bristol. BS20 9BF.
365 Plus One Vegan Recipes also has a chapter on tofu recipes. You could also try
Banana Tofu in the March Issue!
Top of PageTextured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
TVP products can be very useful items to keep in the vegan store cupboard. (Ideal if unexpected guests turn up!)
They are cheap, light and easy to carry, have a long storage life, do not need to be refrigerated
and they can usually be cooked more rapidly than their meat counterparts and thus save valuable
energy. The bland flavour of TVP can easily be enhanced by cooking it with spices, such as curry or chili powder.
And, TVP can of course, also be very useful to take away on holiday. Try to avoid buying ready-made
soya-based meals, whenever possible, as these are usually more expensive and are often over-packaged.
Tofu.
Tofu is made from soya beans which are soaked, pureed, boiled and then treated with a
coagulant. It is usually sold in small blocks in the health shop or supermarket. There are
two main types of tofu available: firm and silken - firm tofu has simply had more water removed.
It is also possible to buy packets of smoked and marinated tofu. Marinated tofu can be used in
stir-fries, although it is cheaper and very easy to buy ordinary tofu and marinate it yourself.
Don't Forget To Check Out The June Issue Extra! - a selection of easy snack and meal ideas which are especially suitable for new vegans.