Commonly asked questions for vegans

Hello, everyone!

In this post, I decided to write about veganism. I went vegan about a year ago. However, it’s been years of a journey towards it. I gradually gave up the dairy, red meat, white flour and sugar…. And I became more cautious about the quality of food products. I also realized that just not eating meat and everything that was once live doesn’t make sense health wise and that if you decide to do so, there is a whole another world of food choices.

I often find people asking me the same questions, and I wanted to print out here and give thorough explanations. My vegan experience so far has been a great discovery to myself, and I want to share it with others!

So, why no meat?

Well, I have no straight answer to that. As I wrote earlier, it was a gradual process, first towards health and wellbeing. Then one day, I just noticed that I do not need meat in my diet and I went on this experiment that worked wonderfully for me. 

What difference does it make to be vegan?

To me, it makes a huge difference. First, I have to admit, my choice to go vegan was purely selfish. I did it for my better health.  And I felt better, more energy, better sleep, improved digestion, clearer thoughts.

Later, I found myself being more relaxed and more in touch with nature. It is believed that the stress animals go through the process of killing is transferred to those who eat it.

Now, the whole idea of eating someone that was once alive does not appeal to me anymore.

Proteins, proteins, proteins!

This one makes me smile a lot. And that’s probably the biggest fear of every meat eater. Well, the average amount of protein needed is about 1g per 1 body kilogram.  So say, the average person needs about 70 g of protein a day. Lots of plant-based foods are full of proteins, e.g. beans, lentils, nuts, wild rice, flaxseed, chia seed, hemp seeds… the list goes on…. The variety is amazing! Just pick the ones you like.

How about calcium, iron, and vitamin B12?

For some reason, many people have a notion that milk is the only and best source of calcium. However, it’s been a long time already proven that cow milk acidifies the blood and creates a perfect environment for inflammation, cancer, and other illnesses. Again, let’s look at nature. How many adult mammals do we know who still consume milk? Mother nature provides with the whole package of calcium choices. Green leafy vegetables (like broccoli, kale, spinach, collard, green beans)  are wonderful source calcium. They contain more calcium than milk. Then,  comes all kinds of dried fruits like dates, apricots, raisins, cranberries.  And for milk lovers, there is always an option to drink almond, cashew or coconut milk.

Iron. No problem. Spinach, kale, broccoli, cashews, almonds, quinoa beans, chickpeas, beets contain more iron than pork or chicken.  Fruit like strawberries is great iron absorption enhancers due to a high amount of vitamin C.

And finally, vitamin B12! There is a lot of propaganda about vitamin B12. Yes, this vitamin is vital to normal nervous system functioning and cell growth. However, our liver stores a big amount of this vitamin. And the body needs it in small quantities often.  There are few vegan choices to meet vitamin B12 needs such as almond milk, coconut milk or cereal. If you do not consume these products every day or feel B12 deficiency, there is a variety of supplements in the market.

So what do you eat?

I love this question :)  It would take me a long time to explain. I just have to say that you have to be creative, being vegan is fun, and it’s worth your time and dedication. And in the age of information overload, there are tons of choices of vegan recipes and ideas. Once in a while, I keep posting them on my blog too.

Hope you have a great time reading about my vegan experience. I ALWAYS ALWAYS recommend everyone to start eating vegetarian and go vegan later. I don’t believe the concept: ” I can’t live without meat.” Being meat eater is a choice and so being vegan is.

Have a beautiful day!

Brigita