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The Basics Of A Vegan Diet Plan

5th January, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Eating a vegan diet requires a great deal of commitment and planning on the part of the person who has decided they will no longer eat any foods that contain animal products of any kind. In addition to foods that are obviously animal based, there are many foods and products that contain animal products that a vegan will also not use. These include gelatin, lanolin, rennet, beeswax, honey, whey, and many others.

People become vegan for many reasons. Some people feel strongly about animal rights and make their decision based on moral and ethical convictions. Other people become vegan for health, spiritual, or religious reasons. When deciding to make the commitment to become vegan, it is important to do the research and planning that is needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle while drastically changing your eating habits.

One of the important aspects in changing a diet is the need to understand the way to create a healthy and nutritious diet without meat products. Many vegans include supplements in their diet that encompass Vitamins B12 and D, iodine, and calcium. These are the most common vitamins and minerals needed when a person is learning about using fruits and vegetables effectively as their primary source of nutrition.

When a person is eating healthy vegan food, they are eliminating many of the foods and carbohydrates that cause serious and chronic illnesses. Removing saturated fats and other animal-based products from the diet is a great way to enhance a healthier lifestyle. Vegan diets reduce body mass, lower blood cholesterol, and significantly reduce blood pressure, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.

There are many chronic conditions caused by the types of food that are eaten and the weight issues that unhealthy foods often cause. A healthy vegan diet makes it easy to maintain an appropriate weight. When this diet is made a part of a regular diet program, an individual can lose weight and inches with minimal effort.

There are many sources of protein that will provide the same nutrients that meat provides. A person substituting meat, poultry, or fish with legumes, lentils, or peanut butter will find that they are able to exceed the amount of protein they would receive after consuming large amount of meat. There are also many other sources of meat that, when used as a substitute in recipes, provide the same flavors and taste.

Knowing substitutions for meat and dairy when cooking will give you the opportunity to continue to use many of your favorite recipes. When a recipe calls for butter, there are many brands of dairy-free margarine available that will provide the same consistency as regular butter. Replacing eggs with applesauce in recipes provides the same benefits for cooking as animal-based egg substitutes.

If a dinner party is planned where vegans will be in attendance, you will want to check with them to find out if they are on a strict vegan raw food diet. If so, you will need to substitute all of the foods and oils that may contain animal products in their meal. Some vegans eat honey and products that are made of honey, while other include honey in the products they do not eat. Substituting sugar with honey will not be appropriate when serving a vegan vegetarian diet.