Bonjour folks!
One of my very best friends has now been vegan for more than a year, so I have decided to elaborate a bit on the topic and give you some insight on what it means to be on a vegan diet. I am not vegan, I'm only vegetarian but ever since I accidentally participated in an animal rights/vegan demonstration I have been interested in the topic and have even gone vegan for a week to see what it's like. When my best friend came over from New Zealand, my family and I had to find some food for her here in Germany because she cannot starve of course. Luckily, Germany is very vegan-friendly with an abundance of options that are not just soy or tofu but every kind of food one can imagine. Through her, I dove even deeper into the matter and bought some cookbooks, learnt some tricks and found some restaurants with vegan options in my town.
The Tara Café in my hometown of Regensburg describes itself as "vegan, organic and fair"
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| http://www.taracafe-regensburg.de/english/main.html |
But what does it mean to be vegan?
According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, the definition of vegan is:
"A strict vegetarian who consumes no food (such as meat, eggs, or dairy products) that comes from animals; also: one who abstains from using animal products (such as leather)."Pretty simple, right? Hence being vegan means that one neither eats animals nor animal products.
So what are the advantages and disadvantages of a vegan diet?
I did quite some research on this and came up with a list of the most important pros and cons. It is crucial to acknowledge that these aspects might not apply to each and everyone, so take them with a grain of salt.
Pro
- By eating less saturated fats which can be found in dairy products and meats you can mainly improve your cardiovascular health.
- Through the lack of mentioned fats and also the lower calorie income there can be a tremendous weight loss.
- Vegans also tend to have a better digestion as the consumption of fibre occurs through 100% plant-based foods.
- The moral aspect is a huge reason for some people to go vegan because aren't all beings equal in the end?
- A huge benefit is the reduced risk of serious illnesses such as cancer, diabetes or arthritis.
- Eating vegan is getting easier the more people do it. I notice it here in Germany as more and more vegan food is being produced and found in the supermarkets.
- Naturally, veganism is sustainable in the future as it only consists of plants and plants will more or less always grow.
- Following a vegan diet also leads to healthier skin as one doesn't consume dairy or other foods that are damaging your skin from the inside.
- Most vegans have more energy than non-vegans which is why some athletes have already converted to the diet.
You can find a very long list of benefits that really helped me here.
Con
- Being a vegan is not always easy because there is an abundance of foods that contain milk or eggs or animal products in general and finding one that is indeed vegan can sometimes be tricky.
- You might experience a lack of essential nutrients. Omega-3, iron as well as proteins are all nutrients found in animal products such as fish or red meat. Now, that doesn't mean that non-animal products don't have nutrients at all, it merely implies that those contain fewer nutrients and you have to ensure to still get enough at the end of the day.
- Many vegan products contain soy and whether this is good or bad for the body is still a wildly discussed topic.
- Of course just because someone is a vegan doesn't mean that that person automatically eats very healthily. There is a lot of junk food that is indeed vegan.
- Eating out can be very difficult as most restaurants don't offer vegan but only vegetarian options and bringing your own food to a place is still frowned upon.
Check out all the sources I used for my research!
Where can I get some vegan inspiration?
That is an excellent question. Now, there are a lot of accounts on Instagram and also YouTube that showcase a vegan lifestyle. They range from vegan diet-centred to a casually vegan lifestyle but also don't put the diet in the centre at all sometimes.
My personal favourite is Bonny Rebecca. She posts about various things on YouTube as well as Instagram that are connected to her veganism but aren't only about that topic. She is also very cute ^^
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| https://prettyuglylittleliar.net/topic/3364-bonny-rebecca/ |
Another one of my inspirations is Nika Erčulj. She used to be a beauty vlogger but has since become a lifestyle/poetry "guru". She is also from Slovenia which is a tiny country in Europe and I am pretty sure that ya'll don't know any other YouTuber from there.
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| https://www.facebook.com/NikaErcuIj/ |
Now, of course, there are also quite a few YouTubers who (almost) only make videos about veganism. A good example is Sadia from Pick Up Limes.
Other good YouTubers whose accounts you should definitely check out are:
Happyandhealthy96
FullyRawKristina
Happyandhealthy96
FullyRawKristina
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| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_MPTj2omIg Ellen Fisher and her family |
I love following vegan Instagram accounts as well because their photos always inspire me to cook and that really means a lot as I am one of the worse cooks that walk this earth.
One of the conspicuously most colourful and beautiful accounts belongs to Amy Shoesmith, also known as the_sunkissed_kitchen. Even if you're not vegan, Amy's Instagram will absolutely entice you.
Another vegan Instagrammer includes Vegan Richa who posts recipes on her blog!
If you are more interested in vegan pastries, you should head over to Lore Salas Instagram datesandavocados! Lore is a pastry chef who currently resides in London.
More incredible Instagram accounts include:
Wendy and Jess from @foodheavenshow
@minimalistbaker
Angela Liddon from @ohsheglows
Edgar from @edgarraw
Bjonr from @rustic.vegan
Gaz Oakley from @avantgardevegan
Rachel from @plantbasedgeneration
One of the conspicuously most colourful and beautiful accounts belongs to Amy Shoesmith, also known as the_sunkissed_kitchen. Even if you're not vegan, Amy's Instagram will absolutely entice you.
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| @the_sunkissed_kitchen on Instagram |
Another vegan Instagrammer includes Vegan Richa who posts recipes on her blog!
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| @veganricha on Instagram |
If you are more interested in vegan pastries, you should head over to Lore Salas Instagram datesandavocados! Lore is a pastry chef who currently resides in London.
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| @datesandavocados on Instagram |
More incredible Instagram accounts include:
Wendy and Jess from @foodheavenshow
@minimalistbaker
Angela Liddon from @ohsheglows
Edgar from @edgarraw
Bjonr from @rustic.vegan
Gaz Oakley from @avantgardevegan
Rachel from @plantbasedgeneration
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| @plantbasedgeneration on Instagram |
Where can I find vegan recipes?
There is a myriad of vegan cookbooks out there in primarily every language and a few of the YouTube and Instagram accounts I introduced to you also show you how to make your own vegan dish in next to no time! In addition to that, I found a few blogs that centre around veganism.
http://thevegan8.com/
Amy creates simple and easy to follow dishes for everyone like this "Vegan Lemon, Garlic And Thyme Pasta".
http://www.picklesnhoney.com/
The creator of the recipes at Pickles and Honey is culinary nutritionist Amanda who transforms our favourite recipes into vegan alternative recipes like this "No-Bake Vegan Oreo Cheesecake".
https://www.thugkitchen.com/recipes
Here you'll find recipes like "Earl Grey French Toast". The people from the Thug Kitchen not only have a blog with recipes, but they also wrote three books and have their own podcast, all dedicated to veganism! You can buy the book here.
http://www.isachandra.com/recipes/
Isa Chandra Moskowitz has not only published multiple books, but she also leads a vegan blog and has two restaurants on top of that as well! Vegans can really do it all. Purchase her first book here.
http://thevegan8.com/
Amy creates simple and easy to follow dishes for everyone like this "Vegan Lemon, Garlic And Thyme Pasta".
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| http://thevegan8.com/2018/09/18/vegan-lemon-garlic-and-thyme-pasta/ |
http://www.picklesnhoney.com/
The creator of the recipes at Pickles and Honey is culinary nutritionist Amanda who transforms our favourite recipes into vegan alternative recipes like this "No-Bake Vegan Oreo Cheesecake".
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| http://www.picklesnhoney.com/2017/10/17/no-bake-vegan-oreo-cheesecake/ |
https://www.thugkitchen.com/recipes
Here you'll find recipes like "Earl Grey French Toast". The people from the Thug Kitchen not only have a blog with recipes, but they also wrote three books and have their own podcast, all dedicated to veganism! You can buy the book here.
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| http://plantoptimised.com/product/thug-kitchen-eat-like-give-fuck/ |
http://www.isachandra.com/recipes/
Isa Chandra Moskowitz has not only published multiple books, but she also leads a vegan blog and has two restaurants on top of that as well! Vegans can really do it all. Purchase her first book here.
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| https://www.isachandra.com/book/vegan-with-a-vengeance-10th-anniversary-edition/ |
For all the vegan beginners out there I found a perfect book called "But I Could Never Go Vegan!" by Kristy Turner. You can your own copy here.
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| https://www.amazon.com/But-Could-Never-Go-Vegan/dp/1615192107 |
But nobody important is vegan, why should I go vegan?
You're definitely wrong there! I've already talked about all the benefits of going vegan, so there you have enough reasons to try it. And then there are so many celebrities who swear on veganism. One of the most prevalent is Miley Cyrus. She's been a vegan for years and even has a tattoo with the vegan sign. Her fiance Liam Hemsworth is also vegan.
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| https://twitter.com/peta/status/650136947936006145 |
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| https://www.reddit.com/r/QuotesPorn/duplicates/4c1tg6/after_all_the_information_i_gathered_about_the/ |
Woody Harrelson is another actor who has decided to live on a vegan diet. He talked about his lifestyle here.
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| https://www.livekindly.co/woody-harrelson-credits-vegan-diet-for-his-high-energy-levels/ |
If I actually go vegan, is there anything I can do to make it a bit easier, at least in the beginning?
Of course! I have some valuable tips for you to make the transition a bit easier.
- Start simple! Don't try very hard recipes right at the beginning, start with something that has very few ingredients and is easy to make. Otherwise, you'll be discouraged to continue and that would definitely not be a good start.
- Get a cookbook! You don't have to figure out everything by yourself, that'll just make it unnecessarily harder. Buy a cookbook or look up some recipes online.
- Ask other vegans! They have already gone through what you are going through right now, they might have even faced the same problems. Just ask them for their secret tricks, recipes or favourite restaurants.
- Do your research! You're out of food and have to go grocery shopping but you don't know what products are actually vegan? Look it up online before you buy anything, that'll make it way more comfortable than checking all the ingredients at the store. You can then also write your shopping list according to the information you found on the internet.
- Slowly adapt to the vegan lifestyle! If you're a full-on meat eater but want to go vegan, it's a wise move to slowly transition and not all at once. You should consider going vegetarian (or even pescetarian) first and then after a certain amount of time go vegan because it will not only make it easier for you but also for your body. Going from eating everything to only plant-based food is a huge change which should not be taken lightly as it most certainly takes some adjusting.
What's your opinion on veganism, Magdalena?
I think it's a great idea to go vegan, especially since I noticed that a vegetarian diet already benefits me a lot. I am not vegan myself, at least not yet, because it's merely too inconvenient at the moment. It's already a bit tricky to go out and find something vegetarian to eat, something vegan is even harder to find and I still live at home and when my mum cooks I don't want her to go the extra mile just to cook me something vegan. In the future, when I live alone and maybe also in a bigger town than now, I am actually quite apt to adopt the vegan lifestyle!
I think it's a great idea to go vegan, especially since I noticed that a vegetarian diet already benefits me a lot. I am not vegan myself, at least not yet, because it's merely too inconvenient at the moment. It's already a bit tricky to go out and find something vegetarian to eat, something vegan is even harder to find and I still live at home and when my mum cooks I don't want her to go the extra mile just to cook me something vegan. In the future, when I live alone and maybe also in a bigger town than now, I am actually quite apt to adopt the vegan lifestyle!
Well, that's it. I hope you gained a plethora of information through this post and are perhaps even considering going vegan yourself! Tell me what your opinion on veganism is! Are you a vegan, or maybe just a vegetarian like me?
Au revoir
magdalena
