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Vegan Nutrition

Can cutting off animal products from our diet be dangerous for our health? Not at all. You only need to know what to do and to eat a variety of plant foods, and then you might end up with an even better health!

“[A]ppropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.”

– Official position of the American Dietetic Association

This position is corroborated, among others, by the Dietitians of Canada, the USDA, the British Dietetic Association, the National Health and Medical Research Council de l’Australie (p. 35), and Eat Right Ontario.

I have written an article to propose seven methods to make the transition to veganism. You can also go through vegan starter kits, such as the websites Vegan Starter Kit, TryVeg.com, or ChooseVeg.ca, or those two in a pdf format (despite their titles, they only cover veganism):

Dr Greger has produced this two-hour long video during which he explains how to become vegan; it includes some recipes and many health tips. I find it very entertaining, easy to watch, and instructive:

Dr Greger has also launched Nutrition Facts, a huge database of videos where he sums up the most interesting and recent discoveries in nutrition. This website is incredibly useful to find information about almost any topic related to food and health — for vegans and non-vegans alike.

• See his page on problems related to an omnivorous diet.
• See his page on possible health advantages of choosing a vegan diet.
• See his page on recommandations for an optimal diet.

The Toronto Vegetarian Association proposes a very comprehensive webpage about essential nutrients for the vegan diet. In short, pay attention to vitamin B12 and D, calcium, iron, iodine, and omega-3 fatty acids — and remember that just changing a few habits is all that is required.

VegeanHealth.org : another detailed website on vegan nutrition.

Vegan Recipes

As soon as it becomes a new life habit, being vegan is easy. But of course, learning how to cook is always a plus. This is why I present here some websites where you can find a wide variety of excellent vegan recipes. There are also many vegan food blogs that you can find over the Internet.

You can easily learn how to replace eggs for your recipes, including for desserts. Non-dairy milks (soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, oat milk, hemp milk, sunflower seeds milk, flaxseed milk, etc.) can also substitute dairy milk while cooking.

You can find almost anything by googling “vegan” and adding the name of the recipe you want to veganize.

If necessary, try to take vegan cooking classes!

Eating Out as a Vegan

Visit Happy Cow to find veg restaurants in your area or anywhere in the world.

In case you are in a rush or travelling, it might be good to know how (and where) to eat vegan at fast food chain restaurants.

Tips : don’t hesitate to try world cuisine, such as indian, asian, mexican, or lebanese restaurants.

Oh She Glows offers more tips to eat out as a vegan.

Social

There is no reason why a vegan must feel like s∙he is alone. Do not hesitate to join virtual networks or real communities close to your home. It allows you to exchange tips, recipes, as well as meeting new friends and having the chance to assist to interesting social events. In a single word, you can find solidarity.

To find out whether there is a vegan or vegetarian association in your area, google on the web, search on social networks such as Facebook or Meet-up, or take a look at this list of veg associations around the world.