If you've made your way to this page you're probably met the animals, learned about their plight, and are thinking there might be a better choice than chomping down on carcass to fill your belly.
Welcome!
We’ve Come A Long Way: Vegans don’t eat just salads or bland beans and rice anymore. There are tons of fantastic healthy and satiating foods that make being vegan easy. Even if you find the idea overwhelming, challenge yourself.
The American Dietetic Association agrees that a well-planned meat-free diet is the healthiest, and that people of any age—toddlers, children, young adults, and seniors—can thrive when following a balanced animal-free diet.
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Three Simple Guidelines for Vegan Eating
- Variety Show
- Check Your Carbophobia
- Watch Your B.O.
Eat a varied diet. It's really that simple. Make sure you eat your vegetables like your mother told you, but mix it up with plenty of fruit, legumes and proteins like nuts or soy. Like your caveperson ancestors, you'll be getting everything (and more) your body needs .
Ignore Atkins, carbs are fine! But many vegans fall into the trap of filling up on bread and pasta two or three times a day. When you do eat processed carbs, try to only eat whole grain versions, like whole wheat pasta or whole grain bread. Even if you're a diehard meat-eater, processed foods always have less to offer the body than simpler foods.
No, not body odor, but Vitamin B12 and Omega-3. These are the two essential nutrients that are tricky to get in a vegan diet. Either pay attention to the foods which contain them, or do the simple thing -- take one of dozens of available supplements, found at health food stores and online merchants.
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If you'd like more than the above smart-alecy sentences on the lifestyle there's no shortage of excellent books and online resources. See our Links page to get started.
You know, the thing about meat is, it’s usually not the meat itself people crave; it’s the sauces or breading or spices on top of the meat taste. Real carnivores, like lions out on the Serengeti, eat raw meat, no cooking and nothing added. How many lions have you ever seen at some trendy SoHo restaurant? Exactly!
Humans need the cooking techniques, plus the other flavorings, to make the meat tasty. So... maybe it’s not the meat that’s tasty.
Maybe it’s the other spices, seasonings, sauces, breadings, sautéings, simmerings, etc. that wake up our taste buds. And you can take many meat-based recipes and they'll work very well with plant-based proteins:
- Tofu
- Seitan
- Tempeh
- Beans
- Nuts
Despite its bad reputation, tofu truly is the swiss army knife of veg cooking. It can be run through a food processor to make a creamy salad dressing, or baked in thinly sliced & pressed "cutlets."
Ok, who's naming this stuff? "Seitan" -- are you serious? Why not "Spawn of the devil nuggets"? Well, we're happy it has a weird name so they'll be more for us! Seitan can be found packaged and fresh at most health food joints, and when cooked resembles big chunks of chicken.
Tempeh is not a Yiddish curse word — it's fermented soy. As unpleasant as that sounds, it's not only hearty & yummy, it's actually much less processed than Tofu and therefore better for you. A common recipe is a "Tempeh Reuben" (which actually is a Yiddish curse, but that's another story).
The musical fruits are super-versatile, particularly when pureed into a spread.
Each kind of nut seems to have some beneficial property, eat them in moderation or as a snack.
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Remember that both meat and dairy are addictions, so give your body a solid six weeks to not crave it any more. We promise that as you find balance, the cravings will go away. Also talk to other vegans. Community is so important, particularly when you are making a lifestyle choice that many others refuse to understand. Support is essential, and vegans truly make the best friends you'll ever find.
The universe of food is a big place, so why not explore the regions slightly beyond the land of what-you’re-used-to? So for some wow-inducing food that will leave you saying, holy crap! What have I been missing? Here are some of our favorite recipes from Little Vegan Monsters. It’s la vida vegan and it’s good.
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Green Chili Corn Tamales |
Thai Noodle Salad |
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Coconut Lime Cupcakes |
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COMING SOON |
COMING SOON |
Knock-Your-Socks Off Spicy Chipotle Potato Salad |
Raw Kale Salad |
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(Thanks to Jean Rhode and Jasmine Singer for their contributions to this article)
