Vegan, as defined by The Vegan Society, is "a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as
possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any
other purpose. In dietary terms it refers to the practice of dispensing with all animal produce-
including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, animal milks, honey, and their derivatives."
Types of Vegetarian Diets
First, let's define the many categories that encompass the term vegetarian. Often we hear people
express that they no longer eat red meat, just chicken and fish, so they consider themselves vegetarians.
These are not vegetarians, but we hope that someday their diet will evolve into becoming vegetarian.
True vegetarians follow a diet that avoids animal flesh and emphasizes plant-based foods that consist of
whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
LACTO-OVO VEGETARIAN
Eats no meat, poultry, or fish, but includes dairy products and eggs in the diet along with plant-based
foods.
LACTO VEGETARIAN
Excludes all animal products except dairy products. Includes all plant-based foods in the diet.
OVO VEGETARIAN
Excludes all animal products except eggs. Includes all plant-based foods in the diet.
VEGAN OR PURE VEGETARIAN
Vegan is pronounced "vee gun." Some people distinguish between vegan and pure vegetarian,
considering the pure vegetarian one who eats no animal flesh, no dairy products, or no eggs, and follows
a strict plant-based diet for dietary reasons only. While vegans follow a diet consisting of plant-based
foods only, they are further committed to a philosophy that respects animal life and the ecology of the
planet.
As a result, vegans also do not eat honey because many bees are killed in the process of forced
procreation to maintain the beehive and the continued production of honey.
Many Vegans do not eat sugar, because sugar is clarified over animal bones in the final steps of refining
the sugar.
Vegans also avoid gelatin which is made from the bones, skin, and connective tissue of animals.
Because vegans consider the ecology of the planet a priority along with concern for animal rights, they
shun the use of leather, wool, silk, goosedown, and any foods or goods that have been processed using
animal products. Their concern is that the planet's future resources have been harmed and animals have
suffered in order for these products to come to market.
FRUITARIAN
The frutarian has a simpler diet consisting only of fresh fruits and some vining foods that are technically
considered fruits, but have been used as vegetables. These vegetable/fruits include cucumbers,
tomatoes, squashes. Avocados, technically a tree fruit eaten as a vegetable, are also included.
RAW FOODIST
Those who follow the raw food diet include all fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and soaked and sprouted
grains and legumes. Further, the raw foodist does not cook or heat the foods, but eats them only in their
natural, raw state in order to preserve their valuable enzymes.
RAW LIVING FOODS DIET
Those who follow the living foods diet include a broad variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds,
soaked and sprouted grains and legumes. In addition, they will warm some of their foods in a dehydrator
with a temperature regulator. In order to preserve the valuable enzymes that raw foods contain, some
foods can be warmed to temperatures no higher than 105 degrees, while others will tolerate a little
higher heat up to 115 degrees.
Taken from the Veg Paradise Website. For valuable information and to learn more about Veg Paradise,
visit http://www.vegparadise.com
Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
Vegetarian Foods: Powerful For Health
A vegetarian diet has been advocated by everyone from philosophers such as Plato and Nietzsche, to
political leaders such as Benjamin Franklin and Gandhi, to modern pop icons such as Paul McCartney
and Bob Marley. Science is also on the side of vegetarianism. A multitude of studies have proven the
health benefits of a vegetarian diet to be remarkable.
“Vegetarian” is defined as avoiding all animal flesh, including fish and poultry. Vegetarians who avoid
flesh, but do eat animal products such as cheese, milk, and eggs, are ovo-lacto-vegetarians (ovo = egg;
lacto = milk, cheese, etc.). The ranks of those who eschew all animal products are rapidly growing; these
people are referred to as pure vegetarians or vegans. Scientific research shows that ovo-lacto-
vegetarians are healthier than meat-eaters, and vegans are the healthiest overall.
Preventing Cancer
A vegetarian diet helps to prevent cancer. Numerous epidemiological and clinical studies have shown
that vegetarians are nearly 50 percent less likely to die from cancer than non-vegetarians.1 Similarly,
breast cancer rates are dramatically lower in nations, such as China, that follow plant-based diets.
Interestingly, Japanese women who follow Western-style, meat-based diets are eight times more likely
to develop breast cancer than women who follow a more traditional plant-based diet.2 Vegetarians also
have lower rates of colon cancer than meat-eaters.1 Animal products are usually high in fat and always
devoid of fiber. Meat and dairy products contribute to many forms of cancer, including cancer of the colon,
breast, and prostate. Colon cancer has been directly linked to meat consumption. High-fat diets also
encourage the body’s production of estrogens, in particular, estradiol. Increased levels of this sex
hormone have been linked to breast cancer. One recent study linked dairy products to an increased risk
of ovarian cancer. The process of breaking down the lactose (milk sugar) into galactose evidently
damages the ovaries.3
Vegetarians avoid the animal fat linked to cancer and get abundant fiber and vitamins that help to prevent
cancer. In addition, blood analysis of vegetarians reveals a higher level of Natural Killer Cells, specialized
white blood cells that attack cancer cells.4
Beating Heart Disease
Vegetarian diets also help prevent heart disease. Animal products are the main source of saturated fat
and the only source of cholesterol in the diet. Vegetarians avoid these risky products. Additionally, fiber
helps reduce cholesterol levels,5 and animal products contain no fiber. One study even demonstrated
that a low-fat, high-fiber, vegetarian diet combined with stress reduction techniques, smoking cessation,
and exercise could actually reverse atherosclerosis—hardening of the arteries.6 Heart diets that include
animal products are much less effective, usually only slowing the process of atherosclerosis.
Lowering Blood Pressure
Back in the early 1900s, nutritionists noted that people who ate no meat had lower blood pressure.7 It
was also discovered that vegetarian diets could, within two weeks, significantly reduce a person’s blood
pressure.8 These results were evident regardless of the sodium levels in the vegetarian diets.
Preventing and Reversing Diabetes
Non-insulin-dependent (adult-onset) diabetes can be better controlled and sometimes even eliminated
through a low-fat, vegetarian diet along with regular exercise. Because such a diet is low in fat and high
in fiber and complex carbohydrates, it allows insulin to work more effectively. The diabetic person can
more easily regulate glucose levels. While a vegetarian diet cannot eliminate the need for insulin in
people with insulin-dependent (childhood-onset) diabetes, it can often reduce the amounts of insulin
used. Some scientists believe that insulin dependent diabetes may be caused byan auto-immune
reaction to dairy proteins.
Gallstones, Kidney Stones, and Osteoporosis
Vegetarian diets have been shown to reduce one’s chances of forming kidney stones and gallstones.
Diets that are high in protein, especially animal protein, tend to cause the body to excrete more calcium,
oxalate, and uric acid. These three substances are the main components of urinary tract stones. British
researchers have advised that persons with a tendency to form kidney stones should follow a vegetarian
diet.9 Similarly, high-cholesterol, high-fat diets—the typical meat-based diet—are implicated in the
formation of gallstones.
For many of the same reasons, vegetarians are at a lower risk for osteoporosis. Since animal products
force calcium out of the body, eating meat can promote bone loss. In nations with mainly vegetable diets
(and without dairy product consumption), osteoporosis is less common than in the U.S.—even when
calcium intake is also less than in the U.S.10 Calcium is important, but there is no need to get calcium
from dairy products. For more information on protecting your bones, contact PCRM for additional
reference materials and fact sheets.
Asthma
A 1985 Swedish study demonstrated that asthmatics who practice a vegan diet for a full year have a
marked decrease in their need for medications, and in their frequency and severity of asthma attacks.
Twenty-two of the 24 subjects reported improvement by the end of the year.11 Dairy allergies may be part
of the reason.
Common Concerns
Some people still worry about the ease with which a vegetarian diet can provide all essential nutrients.
The fact is, it is very easy to have a well-balanced diet with vegetarian foods. Vegetarian foods provide
plenty of protein. Careful combining of foods is not necessary. Any normal variety of plant foods provides
more than enough protein for the body’s needs. Although there is somewhat less protein in a vegetarian
diet than a meat-eater’s diet, this is actually an advantage. Excess protein has been linked to kidney
stones, osteoporosis, and possibly heart disease and some cancers. A diet focused on beans, whole
grains, and vegetables contains adequate amounts of protein without the “overdose” most meat-eaters
get.
Calcium is easy to find in a vegetarian diet. Many dark green leafy vegetables and beans are loaded with
calcium, and some orange juices and cereals are calcium-fortified. Iron is plentiful in whole grains,
beans, and fruits.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is a genuine issue for vegans, although very easy to deal with. Traditionally, getting this
vitamin has not been difficult. In cultures with plant-based diets, the microorganisms that produce B12
grow in the soil and cling to root vegetables, and traditional Asian miso and tempeh contain large
amounts of the vitamin. But with industrialized production and improved hygiene, this source of B12 has
been eliminated. Meat-eaters get B12 through microorganisms living in the animals they eat.
Although cases of B12 deficiency are very uncommon, it is important to make sure that one has a reliable
source of the vitamin. Good sources include all common multiple vitamins (including vegetarian
vitamins), fortified cereals, and fortified soymilk. It is especially important for pregnant women and breast-
feeding mothers to get enough vitamin B12.
Special Concerns: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children
During pregnancy, nutritional needs increase. The American Dietetic Association has found vegan diets
adequate for fulfilling nutritional needs during pregnancy, but pregnant women and nursing mothers
should supplement their diets with vitamins B12 and D. Most doctors also recommend that pregnant
women supplement their diet with iron and folic acid, although vegetarians normally consume more folic
acid than meat-eaters.
Vegetarian women have a lower incidence of pre-eclampsia in pregnancy, and significantly more pure
breast milk. Analyses of vegetarians’ breast milk show that the levels of environmental contaminants in
their milk are much lower than in non-vegetarians.12 Studies have also shown that in families with a
history of food allergies, when women abstain from allergenic foods, including milk, meat, and fish,
during pregnancy, they are less likely to pass allergies onto the infant.13 Mothers who drink milk pass
cow antibodies along to their nursing infants through their breast milk. These antibodies can cause colic.
Vegetarian children also have high nutritional needs, but these, too, are met within a vegetarian diet. A
vegetarian menu is life-extending. As young children, vegetarians may grow more gradually, reach
puberty somewhat later, and live substantially longer than do meat-eaters. Do be sure to include a
reliable source of vitamin B12.
Further Reading
For more information on vegetarian diets, PCRM recommends:
Foods That Fight Pain, by Neal Barnard, M.D.
Eat Right, Live Longer, by Neal Barnard, M.D.
Food for Life, by Neal Barnard, M.D.
The McDougall Plan, by John McDougall, M.D.
Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease, by Dean Ornish, M.D.
References
1. Phillips RL. Role of lifestyle and dietary habits in risk of cancer among Seventh-Day Adventists. Cancer
Res (Suppl) 1975;35:3513-22.
2. Trichopoulos D, Yen S, Brown J, Cole P, MacMahon B. The effect of westernization on urine estrogens,
frequency of ovulation, and breast cancer risks: a study in ethnic Chinese women in the Orient and in the
U.S.A. Cancer 1984;53:187-92.
3. Cramer DW, Harlow BL, Willett WC. Galactose consumption and metabolism in relation to the risk of
ovarian cancer. Lancet 1989;2:66-71.
4. Malter M, Schriever G, Eilber U. Natural killer cells, vitamins, and other blood components of vegetarian
and omnivorous men. Nutr Cancer 1989; 12:271-8.
5. Sacks FM, Castelli WP, Donner A, Kass EH. Plasma lipids and lipoproteins in vegetarians and
controls. N Engl J Med 1975;292:1148-52.
6. Ornish D, Brown SE, Scherwitz LW. Can lifestyle changes reverse coronary heart disease? Lancet
1990;336:129-33.
7. Salie F. Influence of vegetarian food on blood pressure. Med Klin 1930;26:929-31.
8. Donaldson AN. The relation of protein foods to hypertension. Calif West Med 1926;24:328-31.
9. Robertson WG, Peacock M, Heyburn PJ. Should recurrent calcium oxalate stone formers become
vegetarians? Br J Urol 1979;51:427-31.
10. Hegsted DM. Calcium and osteoporosis. J Nutr 1986;116:2316-9.
11. Lindahl O, Lindwall L, Spangberg A, Stenram A, Ockerman PA. Vegan regimen with reduced
medication in the treatment of bronchial asthma. J Asthma 1985;22:45-55.
12. Hergenrather J, Hlady G, Wallace B, Savage E. Pollutants in breast milk of vegetarians (letter). N Engl
J Med 1981;304:792.
13. Allergies in infants are linked to mother’s diets. New York Times, 30 August 1990.
-Taken from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Website. For valuable information and
to learn more about PCRM, visit http://www.pcrm.org
SOME VEGAN SOURCES OF KEY NUTRIENTS
Protein-
Wholegrains (e.g. wholewheat flour, bread and pasta, brown rice, oats, rye), nuts (e.g. hazels, cashews,
brazils, almonds), seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin), pulses (peas, beans, lentils), soya products
(flour, soya milk, tofu, tempeh)
Carbohydrates- Wholegrains, pulses, potatoes, fresh fruit, dried fruit
Fats- Nuts and seeds (and their oils), vegan margarine, avocados
Vitamins-
A - Carrots, spinach, pumpkins, tomatoes, dark greens, vegan margarines
B - Nuts, wholegrains, oats, muesli, pulses (peas, beans, lentils), yeast extracts, green leafy vegetables,
potatoes, mushrooms and dried fruit
B12 - Fortified yeast extracts (e.g. Marmite), soya milks (eg Plamil), TVP products, packeted veggie burger
mixes, some cereals (eg Kellogg's Fruit & Fibre, Frosties or Common Sense Oat Bran Flakes). Seaweed
and fermented products may contain some B12 but are not reliable sources.
C - Citrus fruits (e.g. oranges, lemons, grapefruit), red and blackcurrants, berries, green vegetables,
potatoes
D - Action of sunlight on the skin, vegan margarines, some soya milks (eg Plamil)
E - Nuts, seeds, wholegrains, vegetable oils
Minerals-
Calcium- Nuts, seeds, pulses, molasses, parsley, figs, sea vegetables, grains, fortified soya milks, hard
tap water
Iron- Nuts, seeds, pulses, grains, dried fruit, sea vegetables, parsley, green leafy vegetable
RECIPES
Smashing Creamy Soup
200g vegetables of your choice e.g. mushrooms or leeks, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 onion, chopped
1 oz margarine
750ml soya milk
Salt & pepper to season
Melt margarine in a saucepan. Add garlic and onion. Cook for a few minutes. Add vegetables and cook
until just soft. Add the soya milk and seasoning. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool a little and
liquidise. Reheat. Serve with crusty bread and margarine.
Pancakes
115g wholemeal flour
55g soya flour
250 soya milk
2 tsp vegetable oil
Sieve the flours into a bowl. Gradually whisk in the soya milk to make a smooth sauce. Add the oil. Place
in fridge for 30 minutes.
Drop 1-3 tbs of the mixture into a frying pan containing hot oil. When one side is cooked, flip over and
cook the other side.
Remove from pan and serve with sugar and lemon juice.
Other fillings include: maple syrup, chocolate sauce, soya cream, soya ice cream, stir fry vegetables
drizzled with a peanut sauce, cream cheese and herbs, tofu and leeks.
Scrambled Tofu on Toast
285g plain firm tofu
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp herbs (chives or parsley)
Salt & pepper to season
wholemeal toast spread with margarine
Mash the tofu and fry it in the vegetable oil until evenly cooked.
Add the turmeric, herbs and season to taste. Cook a further few minutes. Serve on crispy wholemeal
toast spread with margarine.
You can also add fried mushrooms, sweet or hot peppers, onions... anything you like ... to this mixture to
make it more interesting.
Ann's Blooming Lovely Chocolate Cheesecake
75-100g margarine
450g digestive biscuits
450g firm tofu ,mashed
Juice 1 1/2 oranges
Rind of 1 orange or a banana
2oz cocoa powder
3 tbs oil
2 oz sugar
2-4 tbs soya milk
To make the base: Melt the margarine gently in a saucepan. Crush the digestive biscuits until they
resemble fine breadcrumbs. Take the margarine off the heat and mix in the bi cuit crumbs. Press this
mixture into a 11" flan tin.
To make the topping: Mix the tofu, orange juice, orange rind or banana, cocoa powder, oil and sugar well
preferably in a food processor. Ensure a smooth constency. If it doesn't mix well, add a few tbs of soya
milk. Place over the base and smooth the top. Cook for 30-40 mins at 175 degrees C. Remove from
oven, cool and then chill in the fridge overnight. Add a topping of your choice such as slices of fresh
orange or grated chocolate.
No sugar but nice 'n' sweet Fruit & Nut Cake
100g soft margarine
200g wholemeal flour
2 heaped tsp baking powder
2 tsp mixed spice
150g mixed dried fruit
25g glace cherries
150-200ml soya milk
50g roughly chopped walnuts
Mix all the ingredients together well with a wooden spoon to make a soft dropping consistency. No need
to beat the mixture. Place in a greased tin. Smooth over the top.
Cook in a preheated oven for approx 35-45 mins at 180-200g C.
Quick 'Make Your Own' Milk
Liquidise blanched almonds, cashew nuts or oats with cold water. The more water, the thinner the milk.
Cashew nut cream can be made in this way.
-Taken from the Vegan Society Website. For valuable information and to learn more about The Vegan
Society visit http://www.vegansociety.com
Baking without eggs
There are many options when you have a recipe requiring eggs. For convenience, you can purchase a
pre-made egg substitute like Ener-G Egg Replacer or you can try of few of the options below.
To Substitute for 1 egg:
*1/4 cup applesauce
*2 ounces of silken tofu
*1 t (chick pea) or soya flour and 1 t water
*1 t arrowroot, 1 t soya flour and 2 t water
*2 t flour, 1/2 t shortening, 1/2 t baking powder and 2 t water
*1/2 large banana, mashed
