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

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

Many people say to me, "I might be able to give up meat, but never DAIRY!"
Well folks, it's easier than you think. Alternatives are available and they are delicious!

LIVING WITHOUT DAIRY
The last carton of cow's milk has just gone into the bin. That packet of cheese and creamy yoghurt is completely finished. You're steadfastly refusing to buy anymore dairy products. So, what do you do now?
Don't panic because you will be absolutely amazed to find a huge range of products on the market which taste as good as their dairy counterpart and, better still, are healthier for you.

HEALTHY EATING
Many people avoid dairy products for health reasons. In fact 90% of the world's adult population (in Britain the figure is probably 25%) is deficient in the enzyme needed to digest milk properly. Also, allergy to cow's milk may affect 75 in 1000 babies, causing frequent diarrhoea, repeated vomiting, persistent colic, eczema, bronchitis and asthma.

POOR COW
Many more people avoid dairy products because of the plight of the dairy cow and calf. To produce milk, it isnecessary for the cow to produce a calf. The calf is torn from her mother within hours or days of birth. Instead of producing 3 litres of milk a day for her calf, as would be natural, she is engineered to produce 30 litres for human consumption.

10% of all calves born die within a few days of birth and calves are still raised for veal (anaemic white meat) in this country and abroad.

The natural lifespan of a cow is around 20 years or more but they may be slaughtered at 30 months for meat. Cows are also slaughtered at any age if they are are not easy to handle, if they are ill (they commonly suffer from painful mastitis and other diseases) or have problems calving.

Just because you have given up dairy milk doesn't mean you have to drink black tea or miss out on icecream or chocolate.

SOYA GOOD
Adopting a vegan diet has been made much easier with the advent of a wide range of soya products. Soya is a bean which, when processed, can be made into a wide variety of different tastes and textures. The most common use is as a 'milk' but other soya products include tofu, miso and tempeh.

Soya milk can be bought in a variety of forms (sweetened and unsweetened) as well as different flavours (chocolate, strawberry, carob or vanilla). It is available in all wholefood shops and supermarkets. Soya milk can be used as a straight substitute for dairy milk when cooking. You can use it in tea or coffee, make rice puddings, cakes, custard or sauces with it.

If you don't like the taste of one soya milk, try another brand. They all have their own subtle flavours.

Tofu is a soya bean curd and comes in a block with a firm or silken (soft) texture. It may also be bought in different flavours such as plain, marinated or smoked. The good thing about plain tofu is that it can be flavoured in a huge variety of ways and used as a basis for savoury or sweet dishes.

Tempeh is a fermented soya bean product and has been used to make a product that tastes very much like 'bacon'.

Miso is another fermented soya bean product and comes in the form of a paste. It can be used in soups, stews or sauces.

OTHER NON-DAIRY MILKS
Apart from soya milk, you can also buy oat milk, rice milk, pea milk and coconut milk. These are all available from wholefood shops and can also be used as a straight substitute for dairy milk in a variety of sweet and savoury dishes.

VEGAN FOODS AVAILABLE IN THE SHOPS NOW:
milk, margarine, cheese(hard/soft), yoghurt, ice cream, chocolate, rice pudding, pouring cream, whipped cream, mayonnaise, and milk shakes

SHOPPING WITHOUT DAIRY
Many supermarkets now sell an increasing number of vegan foods. In fact the major supermarkets all have their own brand soya milk and vegan margarine. However, if you want a really good range of vegan foods you would be wise to seek out your local wholefood or healthfood shop. Most towns have at least one, some have several. Here you will find a good selection of vegan foods including non-dairy milks, margarines, cheeses, yoghurts, icecreams, chocolate and mayonnaise as well as a whole host of other vegan goodies.

The Vegan Society's paperback guide The Animal Free Shopper will give you a list of products suitable for vegans to eat (as well as other non-food products). However, if you do get stuck just ask one of the shop assistants for help. If the shop cannot help with a product enquiry, you may have to contact us or the product manufacturer direct.

Aim to eat a varied wholefood diet and choose foods from the following food groups on a daily basis
Cereals e.g. barley, rice, oats, rye, wheat (bread, pasta), etc
Pulses e.g. beans, peas, lentils (cooked, sprouted)
Nuts & Seeds e.g. peanuts, cashews, hazels, walnuts, brazils, nut butters, pumpkins, sesame, sunflower seeds, etc (raw, cooked)
Vegetables (raw, cooked)
Fruit (fresh, dried, tinned)

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

What Vegans Eat

Are vegans healthy?

Meat Eating & the Planet

"Vegetarianism--the practice of not eating meat, fish, or fowl--is a logical conclusion for all who are in tune with the earth, with the animals, or with their own bodies. A vegetarian diet is undoubtedly healthier: heart disease, cancer, and many of the other "diseases of civilization" are linked to meat consumption. And a vegetarian diet would also be of direct benefit to the 8,000 animals which are slaughtered for food every minute in the United States alone. But what about the environment?"
- Read the full article on the Vegetarian Society of Colorado website.

The Cold Hard Facts in Question/Answer Form

Q. What causes global warming?
A. the greenhouse effect

Q. What is the main cause of the greenhouse effect?
A. carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels

Q. How much fossil fuel is needed to produce products for a meat centered diet compared to that of a meat-free diet?
A. 3 times more

Q. How much of U.S. topsoil has been lost to date?
A. 75%

Q. What percent of the topsoil loss is directly related to livestock raising?
A. 85%

Q. How many acres of U.S. forest have been cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet products?
A. 260 million

Q. How much meat is imported from Central and South America into the U.S. annually?
A. 300,000,000 pounds

Q. What is the percent of Central American children under age 5 that are undernourished?
A. 75%

Q. What is the area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter pound of rainforest beef?
A. 55 square feet

Q. What is the current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses?
A. 1,000 per year

-Information Source: Diet for a New America by John Robbins

Simple Ways to Help the Earth

1) Reduce Waste:
Toilet Paper and Facial Tissues made from Recycled Paper- If every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of 1000 sheet virgin fiber bathroom tissue with 100% recycled ones, we could save:
469,000 trees, 1.2 million cubic feet of landfill space, equal to 1,700 full garbage trucks, 169 million gallons of water which is a year’s supply for 1,300 families of four

Toothbrush with Replacement Heads- 250,000,000 toothbrushes are disposed of every 4 months. 250,000,000 toothbrushes laid end to end would stretch from LA to NYC almost 8 1/2 times. Fuchs toothbrushes reduce waste.

2) Buy Organic Products when possible:
Instead of applying synthetic pesticides on the soil or the plants, organic producers invest large amounts of time in researching safe and effective pest and disease control. Fewer pesticides mean a safer, cleaner planet for all of us.
Many organics food products and clothing are available from VeganGoods.com

3) Go Vegan:
A vegan diet uses fewer resources than that of a meat-based diet

Vegetarian Nutrition for Teenagers
VegetarianTeen.com
Vegetarian Teen
Vegetarian Youth Network
For Parents
Teen Vegan

milk linked to breast cancer
got breast cancer?
collection of articles on dairy and cancer