Diets – there’s so many of them!
From low carb to paleo through to vegetarian, there are diets to suit every lifestyle. While some are more common than others, veganism is becoming increasingly popular n-store, and at restaurants and cafes nationally. This is not only because of its sustainability, but the naturally healthy lifestyle that comes from being vegan.
What Is Vegan?
If you’ve been keeping up with the latest trends, you should be familiar with the term veganism. It involves a diet similar to vegetarianism, except that it excludes all animal byproducts. Having a vegan diet not only excludes meat, but eggs, honey, dairy, and other animal-derived products too.
While some think having a vegan diet is too challenging, there are many products readily available to cater for those wishing to make the transition. This includes plant based products in all major supermarkets and health food stores locally.
Individuals choose to go vegan for a variety of reasons; the most common being ethical, health and environmental factors.
What Do Vegans Eat?
There are many sustainable products and recipes that cater for vegans. As this diet involves excluding all animal byproducts, they rely heavily on foods that are high in protein and contain nutrients, such as beans, lentils, seeds, grains, tofu and nuts.
There are many plant based alternatives to choose from, such as mock meat and sweeteners. Vegans also tend to replace dairy products with plant based milk options. These alternative products make it easier to live sustainably on a vegan diet.
Popular Vegan Restaurants
There are many online recipes, and in-store vegan cook books to cater for the vegan lifestyle. Popular vegan recipes include vegan pho, lasagne, and of course, sweet treats such as chocolate mousse cake.
If you’re hesitant cooking new recipes, but still want to try eating a vegan dish, there’s no shortage of local cafes and restaurants that now cater for vegans. As veganism is becoming increasingly popular, many eateries are beginning to offer alternative products or dishes suitable for vegans.
If you’re looking for a highly rated vegan restaurant to sample some of the best dishes this diet has to offer, look no further! Popular vegan cafes include Melbourne hot spots such as St Kilda’s Matcha Mylkbar and Fitzroy’s Smith & Deli. Otherwise, Sydney has the famous Little Turtle and Gigi’s Pizzeria on offer.
Vegan vs Vegetarian
You may be wondering what the difference is between the two. The core difference between the two is the differing use of animal byproducts. While vegetarians and vegans avoid all meat products in their diet, vegans also avoid animal byproducts.
Alternative plant-based products, such as mock meats, tofu, plant based milk, flax seeds, chia seeds, and agave sweeteners, are commonly used to replace animal byproducts.
There are some foods you may not even realise aren’t vegan, include sweets such as chocolate, cakes, and baked goods which may contain dairy or eggs. Some supermarkets offer vegan products, but make sure to always check the ingredients prior to purchasing. On the more extreme level, did you know that certain lollies and vitamin containers contain gelatin – a material produced using proteins found in animal skin, bones and tissues?
While some chocolates may be vegetarian friendly, not all are vegan. Consider visiting your local health food store to find vegan alternative brands such as Loving Earth and Pana chocolate for your sweet fix!
Hopefully this article has helped clarify what’s involved with begin began and provided some useful resources for those looking to give it a try.
