Is A Vegan Diet Healthy?

Before giving up animal products, I imagined vegans to be lean, fit, and healthy people. I had visions of charging up the side of a mountain with endless energy and never, ever, having to count calories or watch what I ate. During my first month without meat, my vision was becoming a reality. I felt great, lost weight and ate as much as I wanted. Veganism was the panacea ... the ultimate diet for weight control and health.

And then, a strange thing began to happen. The weight I had lost began creeping back on. The energy I was enjoying ebbed a bit and that mountain that I wanted to climb looked a little too daunting.

Here's an important vegan truth:

A vegan diet does not, necessarily, equal a healthy diet.

Even more shocking:

Vegans can be overweight.

Like any diet, not all vegan foods are nutritionally dense. In fact, some can be filled with empty calories. Consider these snack foods:


Surprisingly, each of those snacks are vegan. However, we can all agree that they aren't packed full of healthy ingredients.

Some vegan foods are filled with calories

The same is true of many plant-based recipes.

The use of oils, starchy ingredients and rich sauces adds calories.

Processed meat substitutes and non-dairy products are typically high in fat and sodium, and low in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Sweet cakes, candies and cookies are an indulgence whether they are vegan or not.

At this point you might be saying, "I don't need to watch my weight so what's the problem?" Unfortunately, empty calories cannot give us sustained energy. Our bodies burn them quickly and, within a short amount of time, we're left feeling lethargic.

We can't climb a mountain on corn chips, orange slices or vanilla wafers (all vegan).

Here are some tips for keeping a plant-based diet healthy:

5 Ways to Keep a Vegan Diet Healthy

1. Eat plenty of raw vegetables. Raw vegetables contain vitamins and minerals. They are typically low in calories and, because of their fiber content, offer us sustained energy. They also give us a sense of feeling full.
2. Avoid processed foods. These items are typically full of empty calories (fat and sugar). While the list of ingredients might include wholesome ingredients, the fact is that the health benefits are lost during the processing phase.
3. Cook at home. Restaurants tend to use a lot of high-fat, high-sodium, and sweet ingredients. When we cook at home, we can control what goes into a dish.
4. Apply portion control. A plant-based diet is not a license to overindulge. Since all foods have calories, it's wise to pay attention to serving sizes and cook accordingly.

5. Eat good fats in moderation. Things like nuts and nut butters, avocados, and coconut oil are all considered healthy choices. They are "good" fats which are essential to normal body function. However, they tend to be higher in calories than other foods. According to WebMD, a healthy diet should include 20%-35% of calories from fats.

Choosing plant-based foods is a healthy choice, for us and for the environment. Like any choice, it can become unhealthy if we don't pay attention to nutrition.

How do you incorporate healthy plant-based foods into your diet?


Sneak Peek: Join us on Wednesday for an exciting Change The World Wednesday challenge.

Image courtesy of duron123 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Vegan Recipe - Seitan and Mushroom Stroganoff

It's the first Friday of the month and that means a vegan recipe to share. Why? Well, eating a plant-based diet ... even occasionally ... is one of the easiest ways to walk gently on the earth. Simply put, it takes less natural resources to produce one pound of plant-based foods than it does to produce one pound of animal-based foods. And with recipes, like the delicious one I'm sharing today, it's truly a joyful way to save the earth.

This month's recipe is from the folks at ChooseVeg.Com who graciously gave me permission to share it with you. It meets my personal criteria for recipes ... it's delicious and it's easy to make. I hope you and your family will enjoy it as much as we do.


Seitan and Mushroom Stroganoff

Serves 4

* 2 tablespoons corn starch
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1-1/3 cups vegetable broth or water
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
* 2 tablespoons tahini
* 2 teaspoons canola oil or olive oil
* 2 cups thinly sliced onions
* 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
* 4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
* 2 cups thinly sliced seitan strips
* ground black pepper, to taste
* egg-free noodles

Gravy: Stir cornstarch and soy sauce together in a 2-quart saucepan and make a thin, smooth, paste. Whisk in the vegetable broth or water and garlic granules. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until it thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and beat in the tahini. Cover the saucepan and set aside.

Place oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high. When the oil is hot, saute the onion and garlic for 10 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, for 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir the seitan strips and the reserved gravy into the onions and mushrooms. Reduce heat to low and stir often, about 5 to 10 minutes, until the seitan is heated through.

Season the stroganoff with ground pepper. Serve at once over egg-free noodles.

My Personal Notes:

• The Stroganoff is wonderful over brown rice or vegan mashed potatoes as an alternative to the noodles.
  
  
• Substitute Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) for the seitan for a "hamburger" texture. Just be sure to soak it in water/broth first to rehydrate.
  
  
• If you don't have fresh mushrooms, try using dried mushrooms (we tried Shitake). Dried mushrooms will also need to be rehydrated before cooking.
  
  
  
• Try adding thinly sliced peppers with the onions for a slightly different flavor.

As always ... I would love to hear from you!

Vegan Recipe - Cabbage Medley

One of the easiest ways to reduce one's carbon footprint is to eat meatless meals. Why? Well, the fact is that plant based foods take far fewer natural resources to produce than foods derived from animals. For example, water ... it is estimated that to produce a single pound of beef it takes 1,800 - 2,500 gallons of water. A single pound of tofu (made from soy beans) takes approximately 220 gallons of water. That's quite a difference.

If you're shaking your head at this point, thinking that there is no way you could switch to a vegetarian diet ... well ... good news ... switch to just one plant-based meal a week to have a positive impact on the earth. Consider this ... “If 10,000 people replaced a beef meal with a vegetarian option just once a week for a year, we’d save enough water to fill roughly 605 Olympic-sized swimming pools” … Body + Soul Magazine, 2008. Isn't that amazing?

Still need a little encouragement? Well, each month ... right here on Reduce Footprints ... we'll post a vegan recipe ... something to tease your taste buds and delight your tummies. Ready to give it a try?

This month's recipe comes from jperceval at Delphi Forums. It was adapted from a recipe found in the original PETA cookbook The Compassionate Cook. I found it to be easy and delicious ... true comfort food on a cold winter's evening. I hope you enjoy it!


CABBAGE MEDLEY

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 Head green cabbage, thinly sliced or grated
2 Veggie "sausage patties" *
1/2-3/4 Cup vegetable stock *
Cooked whole wheat pasta (amount varies based on your preference)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder *
grated Parmesan cheese, to taste *

* denotes changes and/or additions to the original PETA recipe.

Process:

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the onion until translucent and starting to become tender. Add the cabbage and veggie sausage and saute until cabbage gets a little caramel color. Break up sausage as it cooks. Add the stock, lower heat, cover, and simmer until cabbage softens to your liking. Add the cooked pasta and stir until heated through. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Serve in a bowl with grated Parmesan on top.


Doesn't that sound great? It's easy, delicious and ... earth-friendly. What could be better!

As always ... I would love to hear from you!

Vegan Recipe - Black Bean and Quinoa Salad

Today is the first Friday of the month and that means ... a vegan recipe. If you are a new visitor to Reduce Footprints, you might be asking yourself how a vegan recipe is in keeping with living a greener life. Well, simply put ... it takes less resources to produce plant based foods than it does animal products. So ... eating meatless meals is one of the easiest (and tastiest) ways to walk a little gentler on the earth. If you'd care to read a little more on the subject, you can read one of my earlier posts entitled "Eat your Veggies".

This next recipe reminds me of spring with it's beautiful colors. It's a flavorful dish, perfect for a picnic or potluck dinner. It can be made ahead of time for a quick meal and just gets better as it sits. In my house, we enjoy it as a main dish with small Arepas (Venezuelan corn cakes) on the side.

The star of this dish is Quinoa ... a pseudocereal (like buckwheat or amaranth) which is a nutritional powerhouse. It has a high protein content (12-18%) and contains a balanced set of essential amino acids, making it a complete protein source. It's full of fiber and is high in magnesium and iron. It is gluten-free and easy to digest. Don't let the nutrition of this dish scare you (or your kids), though ... it's delicious! I hope you enjoy it!

Black Bean and Quinoa Salad

SERVES 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 cup vegetable stock or water
  
• 1 cup white corn
• 2 scallions chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well
  
• Cilantro or Parsley to your taste
• 1 finely diced jalapeno (optional)
  

Dressing

• 3-4 tablespoons oil... not a heavy olive
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove garlic minced
• Salt and black pepper to taste

METHOD

Soak quinoa for five minutes then drain (use a mesh strainer ... quinoa are very small and will fall through most strainers). Cook either in vegetable stock or water for 15 minutes. In the last five minutes put in the corn if using frozen. If any liquid remains in the pot at the end of the cooking time, remove the lid and continue cooking until it is absorbed. Cool the mixture.

Mix the quinoa and remaining ingredients in a bowl. Pour the dressing in and mix well. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Enjoy!

Note: This is a versatile recipe and can be modified to your taste. For example, try cucumbers and carrots for added flavor and color. In addition to corn, try peas. Experiment with different kinds of beans ... black eyed peas will give you an entirely different taste.

I hope you and your family enjoy this recipe. And ... as always ... I would love to hear from you!

I want to ... but (Part do ... I mean deux)

Yesterday we talked about green living road blocks ... those things that seem to prevent us from living a greener life. If you didn't get a chance to read that post, you can do so HERE. A few people wrote in with their "I want to ... buts", so today we're going to try to come up with solutions. Here we go:

ROAD BLOCK:

Mary said, "I do all these things except the short shower, and that is my own fault, since I ADORE long showers."

SOLUTION:

Sober White Woman said, "I love my tub! I have a huge garden tub and I love to soak in it. So on those days I try to cut back on using water else where. Just take baby steps and they WILL help trust me!"

How about this ... rather than take long showers every day, make them a special treat. Bargain with yourself ... for example ... tell yourself that if you take short showers for a week, you're allowed one indulgent shower. Another thing that will make showers (of any length) greener is to turn down the temperature of the water ... you'll save a lot of energy.

ROAD BLOCK:

I want to begin living greener ... but don't know where to start.

SOLUTION:

Brian said, "I would suggest doing little things first like changing light bulbs to the more energy efficient bulbs. Locate your nearest recycling location and plan your trips to town so that you drive past it on a regular basis. This will remind you to recycle and it will change from out of your way to "we can stop on the way to town."

ROAD BLOCK:

I want to live green ... but need a good reason.

SOLUTION:

Ilhami Uyar said, "We have to take care to environment, we must prevent our old world, if we shouldn't prevent some damages, what will leave our children. We haven't another different world to live, so we have to guard our world."

ROAD BLOCK:

Nina E J said, "... how about cutting down meat? doesn't that pollute the earth a lot?!"

Kathryn Magendie said, "I want to always eat vegetarian, but it's more difficult than it seems at times- when you visit people, it's hard to say "I can't eat your food..." so I just eat it (so far I've avoided eating the stuff I NEVER want to eat: pork, veal, lamb...). Unless the host asks ahead of time if anyone doesn't eat meat, meat is usually served, and unless it is a "serve yourself" buffet kind of dinner, then the meat is placed on the plate! I consider myself a "flexitarian' - since I do sometimes eat meat...."

SOLUTION:

Meatless meals are good for the earth (if you'd like to read a previous post on the subject, click HERE). Since any effort is good, perhaps incorporate a few meatless meals into the week's menu. Even the most devout carnivore probably wouldn't object to a delicious spaghetti made with marinara sauce or a hearty bowl of vegetarian chili with corn bread.

If you're goal is to become vegetarian/vegan full time, there are basically two ways to get there ... one is to just do it and the other is to gradually reduce the meat in your diet until it's gone. My choice was to just do it ... after watching a program on the health issues attributed to animal products, I decided to go vegan ... for a month. I need an "out" so I told myself that if, after a month, I really wanted some meat ... I could do it. But ... after a month I was hooked on vegetarian food. I felt better and enjoyed the food. Some people find it easier to slowly ease into a vegetarian life style. That works, too. There are marvelous resources on the Internet for ways to go veggie. I suggest checking them out and experimenting a little to see what works best for you.

As for dining out with friends ... when I became vegan, I told everyone ... my friends and family. They have all been wonderful and have taken on the challenge of cooking "veg" for us when we visit. When our hosts don't know that we're vegan, we call ahead to tell them and offer to bring some food ... helps them and helps us. We've even attended wedding receptions where the couple kindly arranged, ahead of time, for our meals to be vegan ... and everyone at our table was jealous. I believe the key is letting people know. Most of the time, they want to accommodate vegetarians. The one thing that, I believe, is a big mistake is not saying anything ... it's awkward once you're there ... you either have to compromise your diet and eat foods you'd rather not eat or say "no thanks" to the meat items and risk hurting the chef's feelings. Full disclosure, ahead of time, is always best.

ROAD BLOCK:

Cesia said, "My biggest issue is remembering the grocery bags."

SOLUTION:

s engelmohr said, "I, like you had trouble with the re-usable bags for awhile. Seems like we have about 6-8 for each vehicle now and if some get left in the house there are still some left in the car. Funny thing I leave them there on occasion too and walk out with a cart full of loose groceries. "

Annie said, "I'm going to get those reusable shopping bags this week!"


ROAD BLOCK:

Frisky Librarian said, "I need to frequent farmers markets, but as I don't have a car, it's an "I want to...but" scenario."

SOLUTION:

One solution might be to organize a farmer's market "car pool" with others (hopefully with someone who has a car). This could be a fun outing with friends and perhaps, after the shopping trip, everyone could contribute to a fabulous, farm fresh meal. If no one has a car, perhaps the bus will work. This could be a weekly trip or even bi-weekly.

Does your area have Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)? Some CSAs will actually deliver shares to members who can't drive to the pick up location.

Another idea ... check on community gardens in your area. They are cropping up all over the place and are great ways to get some fresh fruits and veggies. Some gardens offer small plots of land so that you can grow your own ... others sell to the surrounding community and still others, like one in my area, offer free fruits and veggies to anyone who cares to pick their own (they only ask that you only pick enough for your immediate use).

Here's a great, brand new, resource. It's called Veggie Trader (http://www.veggietrader.com/index.php) and it's a brilliant concept. Basically, it's a site where people can buy/trade/sell their extra produce. A quick search by zip code will tell you what's available in your area. It's a new site, and it's early in the season, so there aren't many entries yet ... but as more people hear about it, it'll grow and should become a wonderful resource for those who want local, fresh produce.

Want one more idea? How about exchanging a little of your time, volunteering on an organic farm, in exchange for food, etc.? There is a very cool website called World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (http://www.wwoof.org/index.asp) which acts as a meeting place for those who own organic farms and those who would like to volunteer in exchange for food, accommodation, etc.

ROAD BLOCK:

Ron said, "I live in an apartment building, which has no composting facility. I was thinking of starting one up in the area beside the parking lot, but sadly, I haven't had the time, nor any idea on how I can get others to participate--except for the few that I actually talk to while going up and down the elevator every day. Any thoughts?"

SOLUTION:

I would contact the apartment management to see if they are willing to participate in composting. If they are, perhaps a flier could be handed out to all residents informing them of the bin and giving them some pointers on how to use it. Composting bins do require a "stir" once in awhile and, as mentioned in my article, a layer of dirt on top keeps the odor down ... so someone would need to step up and manage the bin. I, personally, haven't found apartment managers to be overly receptive to green ideas but ... I'm a firm believer that we should keep asking. That being said, if they aren't willing, I'd try composting on a small scale. There are commercial bins which work nicely on patios or, as I do, one can use any available container.

ROAD BLOCK

I want to recycle ... but don't know how to get started.

SOLUTION

SweetPeaSurry said, "When I lived in NYC we had recycling bins for the 'house' apartments that we lived it, they were shared. So in the kitchen we used one of those three drawer plastic towers that you can pick up at any store, Target or Kmart or Walmart. It worked great ... and as it filled up ... we'd just toss stuff into the recycle 'house' bins. Worked great! "


Thanks to everyone who shared their "I want to ... buts" as well as to those who offered solutions and encouragement. See ... I told you this was a great group!

As always ... I'd love to hear from you!