"Ever eat a cheeseless pizza or dunk a cookie into a glass of soymilk? For about one out of every 100 people, avoiding all animal products – meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products – is second nature. They do it every day and don’t give it a second thought... Vegans (and vegetarians, in general) are less likely than nonvegetarians to be overweight, and they have lower rates of coronary artery disease. They have lower blood cholesterol levels and lower rates of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer... It’s not hard to understand why. If you don’t eat meat and cheese, you likely get a lot less saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet. Vegans don’t eat ice cream or most commercial cakes and cookies (they contain eggs). Rule out mayo-laden sandwiches, milk chocolate and butter. Vegans avoid margarine made with casein (a milk protein) and pie crusts that contain milk solids.
When you eat out as a vegan, you tend to eat healthier foods. Vegans eat more bulky, low-calorie. But perhaps the most important lesson we could all learn from vegans is their thoughtfulness toward food. Vegans mindfully consider everything they eat. They study the fine print on food labels and pepper restaurant wait staff with questions. While most people would consider a vegan lifestyle too extreme for themselves, adopting a more thoughtful approach to what goes onto your plate can be a giant first step toward a healthier diet."
[Very edited from (registered dietician and well-known nutritional author) Suzanne Havala Hobbs article here and below.]
From:
http://www.onthetable.net/vegans.html
Vegans teach lessons for all of us
February 23, 2006
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Ever eat a cheeseless pizza or dunk a cookie into a glass of soymilk?
For about one out of every 100 people, avoiding all animal products – meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products – is second nature. They do it every day and don’t give it a second thought.
They’re vegan (VEE-gun) – vegetarians who go a few steps farther than the rest. In fact, most vegans also steer clear of honey, and some even avoid refined sugar (much of it is whitened with bone char).
What motivates people to go to such extremes? Ethics, usually.
Vegans are typically motivated by deeply felt convictions about ecology, world hunger, and animal rights. Simply put, they believe it’s wrong to kill or misuse animals.
Any use of animals that exploits them or contributes to suffering is off limits, and that extends to clothing and cosmetics, too. Vegans don’t wear leather, wool, or silk and they avoid make-up, shampoo, and other household products made with animal ingredients or tested on animals.
Health reasons may be motivating factors, too, though they usually aren’t the driving force.
Vegans (and vegetarians, in general) are less likely than nonvegetarians to be overweight, and they have lower rates of coronary artery disease. They have lower blood cholesterol levels and lower rates of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.
It’s not hard to understand why.
If you don’t eat meat and cheese, you likely get a lot less saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet.
Vegans don’t eat ice cream or most commercial cakes and cookies (they contain eggs). Rule out mayo-laden sandwiches, milk chocolate and butter. Vegans avoid margarine made with casein (a milk protein) and pie crusts that contain milk solids.
Some of my best friends are vegan, and I’ve spent enough time with them to know there’s another advantage, too: When you eat out as a vegan, you tend to eat healthier foods.
Vega"ns eat more bulky, low-calorie foods, such as fruits and vegetables. They get more fiber, less fat, and more of the beneficial phytochemicals found in foods of plant origin.
Instead of burgers and steaks, vegans gravitate towards Chinese restaurants where they fill up on hot and sour soup and big plates of vegetable stir-fry with steamed rice. Or they go for Indian or Ethiopian food – heavy on vegetables and beans.
Even if you’re not a vegan, you could benefit from eating more vegan foods. Some great vegan products:
* Veggie meat substitutes. I discussed these in a previous column, but it’s worth repeating: Veggie burger patties, meatless hotdogs and cold cuts, sausages and bacon, and meatless burger crumbles that look like ground beef can be found in mainstream supermarkets and are far healthier than their meat counterparts. They taste great, too.
* Soymilk and rice milk. Fortified with calcium and vitamins A and D, they’re better for your health than cow’s milk. During the holidays, look for one of my favorite products: Silk brand eggnog made with soymilk. It’s delicious, and you can feel okay about drinking a large glass of it.
* Egg replacer. Find Ener-G Egg Replacer in natural foods stores. It’s a mixture of vegetable starches packed in a one-pound box. Mixed with a few tablespoons of water, the white powder can be used in place of whole eggs in almost any recipe.
But perhaps the most important lesson we could all learn from vegans is their thoughtfulness toward food. Vegans mindfully consider everything they eat. They study the fine print on food labels and pepper restaurant wait staff with questions.
While most people would consider a vegan lifestyle too extreme for themselves, adopting a more thoughtful approach to what goes onto your plate can be a giant first step toward a healthier diet."
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