Healthy Vegan Diet Plan

A vegan diet might just be the answer to our prayers to lose weight and keep our cholesterol down the natural way. But first, you need to know exactly what it is. The reason most of us are still eating meat and drinking milk is probably because we were brought up that way, and perhaps we like what we're used to. But people who have switched to being vegans have discovered that the diet opens up a completely new life for them.

Vegans come under the vegetarian umbrella, but they are not just committed to foregoing meat, fish and poultry. Vegans also steer clear of eating any other animal products and by-products like eggs and every item that is classified as dairy. Even products that are not dairy, but have a bit of animal as an ingredient, are avoided, like re-fried beans made with lard, french fries cooked in beef tallow, or margarine that contains whey or casein, no dishes made with beef or chicken bullion, and no jello or jellied puddings (jello made from animal bones). And vegans usually need to know that their baked goods have been made without butter, milk, eggs or honey (made by bees). So although that excludes many of the foods we eat each day and take for granted, it is possible to come up with what is considered a very healthy vegan diet plan making use of a wide variety of other foods.

Vegan Dessert DelightsSome people don't really make a decision to be vegans. They may find they have to be careful about what they eat for health reasons. This group includes those who are allergic to eggs or milk and milk products, who become sick to their stomachs from dairy, or others who come down with colds or a flu from them. Some people choose the vegan lifestyle because they want to help the environment, or for ethical reasons. There are those who do not want to promote the meat industry, and who feel they would be if they ate eggs and milk and other dairy products. Even though there are many people who eat a vegan diet because they have to, there is another large group of people who eat this way for its health benefits. The vegan diet encourages weight loss, and has been shown to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Other people go vegan because they want to stop taking a particular medication, such as a cholesterol-lowering drug, and see if they can do it the natural way. Many vegans say they began eating this way because they wanted to feel and look great, and say once they started, they were hooked. And many vegans will tell you that they like this diet and lifestyle because they feel it can be the foundation for a more humane and loving world.

Vegan Daily DiaryThere are a wide variety of foods that you can combine to create a vegan lifestyle. The main thing is to stay away from meat, milk products and food items made with either of these. But the rest of the food basket is open and waiting for you. A typical vegan breakfast might include oatmeal or other cereals, toast, juice or some fresh fruit of any kind. Or, if you like to cook in the morning, how about homemade pancakes with soy bacon strips. For lunch, you might try stir-fried vegetables, peanut butter on bread, lentil soup, macaroni salad, popcorn, all different kinds of spaghetti, guacamole and corn chips, or vegetarian chili. Dinnertime, you can bring out the soy burgers on rolls or soy hot dogs. There are also vegetable burgers, oat nut and even rice burgers. You can make your own tofu lasagna or buy it ready-made in a health food store. Hummus on a pita with lettuce and tomato is great, even tastier with a few falafel balls. Tempeh can be used in stews instead of meat. Seitan can be used similarly A pumpkin casserole is tasty. And you can scramble tofu eggs with scallions or other vegetables. For after-dinner dessert, there's soy ice cream, soy yogurt, rice pudding, banana muffins, and eggless cookies and cakes.

Tibetan lunchIt's not that difficult to find entrees within most restaurants that fit the vegan bill. Italian--How about taking the cheese off that slice of pizza, or ordering plain pasta. Chinese--Moo sh vegetables are delicious, or have the chef stir-fry mixed vegetables. Indian--Curries and dahl, plus breads. Diners--Veggie burgers, any eggplant dish as long as you tell the waiter to hold the cheese. Mexican--Bean tacos minus the lard and cheese. This is something you can easily get at Taco Bell. Middle Eastern--These have many vegetarian dishes. Try hummus and tabouli. Ethiopian--Flat bread (called injera) and lentil stew. Thai--Any of the many curries.

You will naturally meet the recommendations for protein on a vegan diet if you make sure that your diet is widely varied. Vegan sources for protein fall right within the basic diet. Some examples are peanut butter, all nuts, green vegetables like kale, chickpeas, spinach and lentils. If you want to embark on a vegan diet, make sure to get enough sun. That's because the vegan diet will not supply you with vitamin D. Doctors say if you can get 10 to 15 minutes of sunlight on your hands and face a couple of times a week, you will be just fine. We need calcium to keep our bones strong, so vegans also try to eat foods that deliver a calcium punch, like dark green kale and fortified soy milk. But in addition, they are advised to take calcium supplements. Here are some sources to get vegan calcium from: tofu processed with calcium sulfate, collard greens, kale, spinach, soy or rice milk, calcium-fortified orange juice, blackstrap molasses, (as a baking ingredient), tahini and almonds.

Diabetes Cure Walk T-ShirtA recent study as to whether a vegan diet could help diabetes sufferers was conducted by doctors and dietitians of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), along with medical personnel from George Washington University and the University of Toronto, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health and the Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation (see Resources below). The findings were astounding. They discovered that a low-fat vegan diet is more therapeutic for type 2 diabetes than the usual diet used for diabetes sufferers, and was actually more effective that drugs. People who participated in the study and ate a low-fat vegan diet dramatically improved their blood sugar levels, reduced their cholesterol, reduced their weight and improved their kidney function. And in 1996, the American Dietetic Association reported that vegan and vegetarian diets actually work to reduce risks of heart disease, colon and lung cancer, kidney disease, bone loss, hypertension and obesity. The Association said it was such vegan foods as whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans that are rich in fiber and good nutrition but also are low in fat, and don't have cholesterol, that create the benefits. The Association admitted that this is not an easy sell for most people who have been brought up from the time they were children to think that meat, eggs and milk are the foundations of a healthy diet.