Vegan Myths Busted!

While there are many reasons to become a vegan, there are a lot of reasons (or excuses or misconceptions) out there about why NOT to become a vegan. So I figured I’d compile a quick FunnySpoon Five list of common myths about veganism, and then debunk them. I mean, if you don’t want to give up meat and cheese because you really like them, that’s one thing. But if you’re refusing to become vegan based on misinformation, that’s another. So here goes:

The FunnySpoon Five: Top 5 Myths About Veganism

1. A lack of meat causes anemia/iron deficiency. While eating red meat is a common (and great) source of iron, avoiding red meat does not automatically lead to anemia or iron deficiency. Vegans can get plenty of iron from whole grain bread, cereals, dried fruit, spinach, broccoli, and tofu. Get more info about veganism and anemia.


2. A lack of dairy causes calcium deficiency. Again, while non-vegans can easily get their recommended daily dose of calcium from "traditional" sources – milk, cheese, yogurt – there are plenty of options out there for vegans. Tofu, spinach, broccoli, and nuts are great natural sources of calcium, and some soy milks and instant breakfast cereals are fortified with calcium as well. Get more info about veganism and calcium deficiency.


3. Going vegan will help you lose weight quickly. You will not necessarily lose weight just by going vegan – if you fill up on fatty vegan foods or junk foods (many junk foods are still vegan), and especially if you fill up on sweets, your daily caloric intake can still be high. However, if you pay attention to what you eat and focus mainly on whole grains and veggies, you should be fine. The Vegan Food Pyramid can help you figure out how much of each type of food you should be eating.


4. Vegans are all crazy tree huggers who love animals more than people. There are many reasons why people choose to become vegan. There may be some vegan “whackos” out there, but there are also “whackos” who eat meat, too! Vegans may have made the choice to become vegan because they care about animals, or because they don’t like the taste of meat/cheese, or for environmental reasons, or just for general health. Becoming vegan doesn’t automatically attach the “crazy tree hugger” label to you – if you’re educated about veganism you can respond to these stereotypes and inform the very people who are perpetuating these myths!


5. Vegan products are too hard to find, too expensive, and taste gross. No way! We’ve compiled a list of tasty vegan products that are available almost anywhere and also created some special vegan recipes we thought Ellen (and all vegans!) would enjoy. Dig in!

Have you heard of any other myths or misconceptions about veganism? Share in the comments!

Vegan Products: Shopping Made Easy

From just a week of going vegan, we've found loads of products that are tasty and still totally vegan. I've personally found that (and I guess this is pretty obvious) if you just get rid of the stuff you're not supposed to eat and only buy the stuff you are supposed to eat, it's much easier. Once I got the cheese out of my house and bought soy yogurt and soy burgers, all I had to do was look in the fridge and make something to eat. No temptations!So, to help out any other wannabe vegans out there (or even just to introduce some products to current vegans) I figured I'd do a round-up of some products that make being vegan totally easier:

1. MorningStar Farms Grillers Vegan Burger
2. Lightlife Smart Bacon
3. Lightlife Smart Ground Crumbles
4. Mission Whole Wheat Tortillas
5. Silk Plain Soy Yogurt
6. All Natural So Delicious Soy Yogurt
7. Fresh Express 3-Color Cole Slaw
8. Vegenaise Vegan Mayonnaise
9. Rich's Non-Dairy Creamer
10. Earth Balance Soy Garden Vegan Butter

What about you? What are your favorite vegan products? What vegan products do you think Ellen would eat?

High Protein Foods for Vegans

One of the biggest challenges of going vegan is ensuring you still get all the protein you need, since you're no longer eating meat and dairy. Here is a list of high-protein vegan foods. I used it to plan my meals and organize my grocery shopping - if you only have vegan foods on hand then it's much easier to stick to! Of course there are many other foods that are vegan, but if you focus on the highest-protein options you'll be able to get all your nutrients in less calories.

Top High Protein Foods

1. Nuts (peanut butter, trail mix)
2. Beans (all of them, especially soy and lentils, hummus, black bean soup, edamame, rice and beans)
3. Whole Grains (quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal)
4. Soy Products (soymilk, tofu, soy beans, soy yogurt, tofu in stir fry, tofu smoothies)
5. Meat Substitutes (veggie burgers, veggie dogs, veggie crumbles)
6. Veggies (broccoli, kale, spinach, squash, pumpkin)

Day 5: Vicki Goes Vegan

Let's ignore what I had for dinner last night and focus on my breakfast and lunch:

Breakfast

• Espresso (always vegan - but this is a cheat because I never use cream or milk in my coffee. However, you can use Rich's Non-Dairy Creamer if you're looking for a vegan creamer).
• All Natural So Delicious Soy Yogurt, raspberry flavor. They've got a great line-up of flavors and you're not missing a thing when compared to "regular" yogurt.

Lunch

• BLT: Bread, Lightlife Smart Bacon, Vegenaise, lettuce, tomato.
• Water - it's important to drink loads of water no matter what diet/eating lifestyle you choose and I'm lucky that I love water. It really adds to the healthy feeling I get from watching what I eat.

OK, so can we all agree that I've taken major steps this week and therefore keep what I had for dinner between you and me? Thanks :)

Day 1: Vicki Goes Vegan

I thought this challenge was going to be hard but so far it's been alright. Very easy for me to say, though, since it's only been a few hours! By the end of the week you might catch me in the corner unwrapping sticks of butter and eating them like candy bars, but for now I feel like I've found some healthy alternatives to meat and dairy.

I highlighted these two recipes on the FunnyScoop blog as part of our FunnySpoon Challenge:

Teriyaki Salmon Burgers



Yogurt Poppy Slaw



It was easier than I thought to go vegan - I just substituted the following ingredients in the recipes:

MorningStar Farms Grillers Vegan Burger

Silk Plain Soy Yogurt

Vegenaise Vegan Mayonnaise

Delish! I really didn't feel like I was missing out on anything, plus I got that "feel-good" feeling that I was being more eco-friendly and eating a little healthier. (Plus I was thinking this is "what Ellen would eat" and got a little excited that she might give me a gold star or a pat on the back. Fingers crossed!)