So imagine my surprise when I found out that table salts – even the kosher salt I used to season my soups and curries, and bring out the natural sweetness of roasted veggies – is one of the most processed foods you can buy. 

Before I go into the differences between natural salts and standard table salts, let’s first explore more about salt in general.

The Role of Salts in Health

Salt has an undeserved reputation of being all-around unhealthy, but in truth, a moderate amount of salt is needed for your body’s primary functions.  In fact, a lack of salt in the diet can result in health problems just like an overabundance of it.

Made up of sodium and chloride ions, salt is the main source of these nutrients in the human diet. Sodium is an essential player in nerve and muscle functions, as well as fluid regulation within our bodies. It also helps maintain blood pressure and volume.

Chloride is the second element that makes up salt, and its ions serve as electrolytes that have a crucial role in regulating blood pH and pressure, as well as being an important component of human stomach acid.

So all those Gatorade commercials that talk about the importance of electrolytes? It’s not just marketing – we need to replace our electrolytes when we sweat them out, and usually, that replenishment comes from salt.

Too Little Sodium

Too little sodium can result in health problems like hyponatremia, or low blood sodium. It is considered a medical emergency and can result in serious side effects like loss of consciousness, seizures, and coma.

If your sodium is depleting slowly, it may manifest itself in symptoms like weakness, nausea, confusion, and muscle cramps. Getting enough sodium is essential for active people, or those working or living in hot conditions.

Too Much Sodium

On the flip side, too much sodium can also result in health problems, but these tend to be slower to come on than hyponatremia – these are the things you hear about the adverse long-term effects of a high-sodium diet.

When you consume too much sodium, your kidneys struggle to keep up with processing. To dilute the excess sodium in the blood, your body holds onto water.  Ever get puffy fingers and feel bloated after a super salty meal? That’s your body trying to maintain the right ratio of salt to water in your blood.

This retention increases the blood volume in the body, which ultimately creates more work for your heart, and more strain on your blood vessels. Over time, this stiffens the blood vessels and can lead to health risks such as high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. 

Groups with Salt Sensitivities

People over 50, those with elevated blood pressure, people with diabetes, and African-Americans tend to be at high risk for developing health problems related to salt consumptions.

Before adding or changing the amount of salt in your diet, be sure to consult your doctor.

So How Much Salt Do I Need?

When it comes to sodium, it’s all about balance – both too much and too little can result in undesirable health issues and side effects.

For healthy adults, The American Heart Association recommends a limit of 2,300mg per day, with the optimal amount being no more than 1,500mg per day.

Regarding volume, this equates to about ½-1 teaspoon of salt per day. For very active persons, such as endurance athletes or team sports players, this amount should increase depending on your level of activity.

What’s Wrong with Regular Table Salt?

While salt itself is a natural product, table salt is far from it. Whereas “gourmet” salts, like sea salt, are harvested through the evaporation of salty water (we’ll talk more about this later), table salt is mined from underground salt deposits.

After being extracted, the salt is processed to remove “impurities” and create a uniform white color – this leaves you with mostly sodium chloride (in an unnatural form), as the processing removes any and all nutrients from the salt.

Once table salt’s trace minerals and nutrients are removed, other ingredients are usually added, such as anti-clumping agents and iodine.

Not all salt has to be some ultra-refined, processed product. Those harvested naturally, such as Himalayan and sea salts, still retain many of their trace minerals and nutrients. Because these are usually processed through evaporation, the salt’s natural state is left intact, and there are no additives combined with the finished product.  

It’s important to note that other salts, such as Himalayan or sea salts, are not low-sodium alternatives to table salt. All these options contain roughly the same amount of sodium per serving, so if you need to cut down on your sodium consumption for health purposes, keep this in mind.

Our Preferred Forms of Natural, Unrefined Salts

You don’t need to forego salt when you’re choosing an all-natural, whole foods diet. By choosing from one of our favorite salts below, you’re still consuming the naturally occurring minerals and nutrients from the salt and the sodium your body needs to stay healthy and functioning.

1. Himalayan Pink Salt

Himalayan pink salt is getting a lot of attention from the health-conscious crowd, and with good reason!

In addition to its gorgeous rose-like color, Himalayan pink salt contains over 80 minerals and trace elements, making it the most nutritious salt you can use. The salt comes from the Punjab region of Pakistan, about 190 miles from the Himalayas.

Himalayan salt is incredibly clean, as it is typically mined by hand instead of going through the cumbersome processing of table salt. Whereas table salt is 97-99% sodium chloride, Himalayan salt is only about 87% sodium chloride, the rest being comprised of other healthy minerals and elements.

In addition to being a clean, unprocessed food, Himalayan salt also has a number of health benefits. These include regulating sleep, supporting libido, and promoting vascular health.

Along with its gorgeous pink color, these health benefits make Himalayan salt my go-to salt for everyday cooking.

Himalayan Brands we like:

Wild Himalayan Pink Salt

Wild's Himalayan Pink Salt is nutritious, beautiful, and ethically harvested. My favorite thing about this salt is how it's harvested – the company is certified slavery-free and the workers who produce it enjoy a living wage. The texture of this salt is fine, which makes it ideal for everyday cooking.It's particularly good in beverages like smoothies and tonics and helps you bring out the flavors of the ingredients without altering the texture or giving it a strange, metallic taste. If you need a coarse salt, the company does offer varying textures. The color of this salt is just breathtaking, and looks beautiful in a grinder or displayed on your kitchen counter.

Sherpa Pink Himalayan Salt

Available in a coarse/medium grain, the Himalayan Pink Salt from Sherpa Pink is perfect for everyday cooking, as well as finishing. The salt comes in a five-pound bag, helping you save money by buying in bulk - plus, you'll have enough on hand for soaks and, in addition to using in recipes. Sherpa Pink also offers fine and extra fine grinds, which is perfect for putting in shakers or including in beverages and soups. Purchasers give this salt overwhelmingly positive reviews and love the quality, price, and taste.

VIVADORIA Himalayan Pink Salt

Viva Doria's Himalayan Pink salt has big, coarse, beautifully pink grains that are perfect for finishing or adding to a grinder. Its large grains can be used to garnish the rim o fa cocktail glass for an extra bit of interest and detail, and the salt itself contains 84 trace minerals and elements. Reviewers love the flavor of this salt, stating that the taste is intense, so they wind up using less of the product during mealtimes. This helps you save money, as the salt will last longer, and helps you ingest less sodium.

2. Sea Salt

As the name suggests, sea salt comes from oceans or salinized lakes. Sea salt is, generally speaking, minimally processed, as the salt crystals are isolated by letting the water evaporate away.

It’s a good choice for those who want to eat as close to nature as possible, and who benefit from the many minerals that occur naturally in these salts.

While you can purchase sea salt in a fine texture that blends easily into dishes, sea salt is often sought after for its unique, coarse texture. The large crystals can take the form of small pyramids or crispy flakes, and add a delightful crunch that brings out the natural sweetness of many savory foods.

It’s my opinion that sea salt is the ideal partner for dark chocolate!

When looking for real sea salt, beware of imitators! Just like some “wheat” bread is just processed white flour with brown coloring, there is “sea salt” out there that isn’t the real deal.

Real, authentic sea salt should never be stark white – the minerals in real sea salt give it a beautiful color that can be any combination of green, blue, and gray (each batch is unique!). If you come across large, coarse “sea salt” that is bright white, with no sign of other colors, it’s probably not authentic sea salt.

An example of authentic sea salt coloring:

Photo credit: leavesofhealing.com.au

Sea Salt Brands we like:

Light Grey Celtic Sea Salt

This beautiful salt is hand-harvested from the coastal region of France. The large crystals are packed with flavor, so you can use less salt to get the same taste. Purchasers note that this adds a richness and complexity to soups, stews, and cooked dishes, and tastes delicious when sprinkled on top of your finished meal. The sea salt is a bit too wet for grinders or shakers. If you're hoping to use it in a grinder, spread crystals into a thin layer and bake in the oven at 300 degrees until dry. Allow to cool and transfer to your favorite shaker. Otherwise, keep this in a salt bowl to sprinkle on to finished dishes.

Maldon Sea Salt Flakes

When you try flaky Maldon sea salt, you remember why, at one point in history, salt was considered valuable enough to double as currency. With big, triangular flakes and a creamy white color, Maldon flakes are sought out for their texture and are best used when sprinkled onto food just before serving. Don't try to put this salt in a grinder – it would be a shame to miss out on the beautiful texture! This sea salt is harvested and packaged in southeast England, and does not contain any additives. The delicate pyramid shape of the crystals keeps it from caking or clumping.

Redmond Ancient Fine Sea Salt

Redmond's ancient fine sea salt is extracted from deep within the earth and packaged without any form of heat processing, additives, or chemicals. The salts come from the city of Redmond, Utah, and maintains a full nutrition profile, providing minerals like calcium, potassium, sulfur, magnesium, iron, and iodine, to name a few. This particular product is 'fine', which is smooth enough to add to dishes while cooking, even very thin, liquid soup, stew, and sauces. It doesn't have the same coarse texture of other sea salts, so there is no need to dry it out and put it into a grinder. This is an ideal 'everyday' salt for home cooking, but if you're looking for a coarser variety, the company does offer several textures.

Healthy Salts for Your Kitchen

In moderation, salt is an important part of the human diet and provides essential nutrients we need for optimal performance. However, there are plenty of options out there that are far less processed and much more nutritious than regular table salt.

Whether you’re new to healthy, whole-foods-based diets or a longtime vegan veteran, consider swapping your highly refined table salt for one that’s been naturally processed and is high in minerals and trace elements.

In addition to bringing out the natural flavors of your food, these salts can keep your body healthy and provide you with support. Treat yourself to the salts of the earth, and your body and mind will thank you!

The post What is the Best Unrefined, Natural & Healthy Salt? appeared first on Urban Vegan.

Leaving for work before the sun came up and getting home well after sunset, the last thing I wanted to think about at night was what I was going to make for breakfast and lunch the next day.

As a result, I spent a lot of money picking up meals, when I could make better – and healthier – food at home.

Spending just a few hours at the beginning of your week preparing your meals can eliminate the stress of having to plan out each day’s meals individually when you’re already in the throes of your hectic week.

Having your meals waiting for you will save you:

• checkTime: you can spend more time doing things you like, rather than planning and cooking
• checkCalories: you’ll control exactly how much oil, salt, and calories are in each of your meals
• checkMoney: homemade meals cost a fraction of takeout
• checkSanity: Take one less decision out of your life – prep saves valuable brain space!

While meal prepping is popular in the fitness world, many of the recipes and resources out there center around meats, and it can be hard to find enough vegan and vegetarian meal prep plans to keep things interesting.

Luckily, it’s easy to meal prep as someone living a plant-based lifestyle – all you need are a few materials to get you started, and some basic meal formulas that can be changed up to keep you from getting bored.

Quick NavigationPlanning Your Week1. Eating to Your Tastes2. What You’ll Eat3. Macros/Nutritional Need4. What You’ll SpendWhat You’re Going to NeedContainersA Slow CookerA Good Quality KnifeBreakfast PreppingOatmealTofu ScrambleLunch & Dinner PreppingProteinBaked TofuGrilled TempehSloppy Joe LentilsCarbsBrown RiceQuinoaBaked Sweet PotatoesVegetablesSteamed BroccoliRoasted CauliflowerFrozen VegetablesMeal Prep FAQs…1. I don’t like eating the same thing every day. Can I still meal prep?2. What if I don’t want to prep three meals a day?3. I want to meal prep for weight loss. What should I do?The Goodness of Vegan Meal Prep

Planning Your Week

The success or failure of your meal prep will rest in your plan. Don’t be tempted to go to the grocery store and “wing it” – chances are, you’ll wind up spending more money on a lot of foods that don’t really “go together.”

By devoting one day a week (what amounts to just a few hours a week) to planning and preparing your food, you’ll set yourself up for a week of success.

Here’s some things to consider when you’re planning your meals:

1. Eating to Your Tastes

Preparing meals ahead of time is only effective if you actually eat them during the week, so make sure you’re planning foods you like.

Sure, green beans are a convenient food to prep because you can make them in large amounts, but if you don’t like green beans, it won’t make you as apt to stick to your meal prep.

Find foods you enjoy, and change up the seasonings or combinations to keep yourself from getting tired of the way they taste.

If you do want to try something new, like a new vegetable, pair it with protein and starch you know you like, so you aren’t left with an entire meal you can’t eat.

2. What You’ll Eat

The ideal formula for a meal prep is a protein, a carb, and a green. Using this combination, you have seemingly endless options for healthy, well-balanced meals. Here are just a few ideas for each category, but this is by no means an exhaustive list.

• thumbs-o-upProteins: tofu, tempeh, lentils, veggie burgers, seitan, chickpeas, edamame
• thumbs-o-upCarbs: Brown rice, quinoa, farro, potatoes, jasmine rice, pasta, amaranth
• thumbs-o-upGreens: Broccoli, green beans, kale, brussels sprouts, zucchini, collards, snap peas
• thumbs-o-upFlavor boosters: Seasoning blends, flavored oils, and vinegar, sauces, condiments

Using this blend of protein, carbs, and greens, you’ll ensure that you’re eating a well-rounded meal rich in nutrients and fiber; that will not only help keep you healthy but will keep you full until dinnertime.

Flavor boosters help you keep your meals tasty, exciting, and varied. If you make tofu in an Asian marinade one week, try barbecue tofu the next week. You can make completely different meals using the same ingredients, and incorporating a few tweaks.

3. Macros/Nutritional Need

Aside from the sheer convenience of having your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners ready to grab from the fridge, prep can also help you meet a variety of health and fitness goals.

Lifting heavy and looking to gain muscle? Add more protein and include more calories.

Trying to lose a little weight? Increase the volume of greens and veggies, and decrease some of the calorie-dense starches.

People on lower-carb or lower-fat diets can adjust their meals accordingly.

Remember that your needs will also change depending on your age and sex – the nutritional needs of an 18-year-old girl are going to look very different from a 40-year-old man.

Anyone can prep, but spend some time figuring out the right calorie and macronutrient intake for your body.

4. What You’ll Spend

Cooking at home is almost always cheaper than buying meals at a restaurant or convenience store, especially when you’re not including meat and dairy.

When it comes down to it, plant-based proteins and grains just aren’t that expensive, as long as you don’t turn to processed vegan foods.

To stretch your dollar even further, plan your meals based on the weekly ads at your local grocery store. If my supermarket has broccoli for 99 cents a pound, you can bet I’m eating broccoli as my side that week.

Same goes for proteins – stock up on your favorite vegan-friendly proteins like tofu, tempeh, and even veggie burgers and chicken tenders when they go on sale. When Gardein products go on sale, I buy as many as will fit in my freezer.

What You’re Going to Need

Aside from the food itself, you’ll need a few important tools around the house to make your meal prep adventure successful.

Meal Prep Containers

After you’ve prepared your meals for the week, you’ll need a way to store them. Most preppers opt for microwave- and dishwasher-safe containers for maximum ease of use and cleanup.

A few things you should consider when buying meal prep containers:

• Type of MaterialIt’s important to get containers that are BPA-free – if you’re using a plastic container with BPA, it can begin to leach hormone-altering chemicals into your food after prolonged heating in the microwave or dishwasher.
• Number/Size of ContainersWill you be prepping all three meals for every weekday, or are you just looking for easy work lunches? Will you be bringing full meals with an entree and sides, or just a cup of oatmeal for the morning? Think about the size, number, and type of your meals, and purchase accordingly.
• Number of CompartmentsSome containers consist of just one compartment, while others are divided into two or three wells to keep foods separate. If you’re bringing meals like chili or stew, or don’t mind your foods touching, one compartment might be fine. However, if you’re looking to keep your proteins, grains, and greens separate, look for a bento-style container divided into wells.While most containers are extremely reasonably priced – $10-15 for a set of seven containers – try to buy the best quality you can afford. Cheaply made, flimsy plastic containers reused from takeout will fall apart, and you’ll need to spend more money, in the long run, replacing them.
• Quality of SealSoupy or saucy meals with a tendency to “slosh” require a container with a tight-fitting seal, unless you’re into your meal spilling all of the inside of your bag or backpack.

Here’s a few of our favorite containers:

LIFT's Certified BPA-Free Reusable Meal Prep Containers with Lids

Perfect for meal prepping multiple meals at once, freezing in the freezer, microwaving (no lid), then washing in the dishwasher (recommended top rack) before next use.

Buy from Amazon

Meal Lab's 3-Compartment BPA-FREE Stackable Meal Prep Food Storage Containers with Lids

MICROWAVEABLE, DISHWASHER, FREEZER SAFE & LEAK-PROOF DESIGN: Made of the highest quality eco-friendly food safe materials, these meal prep tupperware and lids withstand temperatures from -40 to 250

Buy from Amazon

Misc Home's 3-Compartment BPA-FREE Meal Prep Containers

MiscHome's #1 Meal prep containers are made of 100% BPA free food safe materials. Our products are tested by SGS, a world leader in product safety testing, and are certified by the FDA as food safe.

Buy from Amazon

A Slow Cooker

While not a necessary item, a slow cooker can help make meal prep even easier – especially as a vegan. Using a slow cooker means you can prepare big batches of grains and dried beans (super frugal!) without having to stand at the stove and keep an eye on it.

Here’s our favorite slow cookers:

Instant Pot IP-DUO60 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Cooker

Duo, the number 1 selling multi-cooker, combines 7 kitchen appliances in 1, Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer, prepares dishes up to 70% faster to support your busy lifestyle

Buy from Amazon

Side Note: I live and die by my Instant Pot [review], as the pressure cooking function allows me to cook foods super quickly, and spend even less time prepping. If I could recommend a single kitchen tool, it would be this one.

Hamilton Beach 33182A 8-quart Slow Cooker

With an 8 qt. capacity, this slow cooker is ideal for families or feeding a crowd. It features low and high cook settings and a warm setting, ideal for buffets or when dinner ends up later than you planned.

Buy from Amazon

A Good Quality Knife

You’ll be doing a fair amount of chopping, so it’s helpful to invest in a good chef’s knife to cut down on time and to keep your meal prep safe – a sharp, good-quality knife actually makes it less likely that you’ll injure yourself.

You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a good-quality knife. Many great knives can be had for relatively little money – $20-$50 will get you a great knife for home cooking.

Here’s our favorite kitchen knives:

J.A. Henckels 8-inch Chef’s Knife

*My personal blade of choice! The Henckels International CLASSIC 8 inch Chef's Knife boasts a precision, fine-edge blade that is honed for long-lasting sharpness.

Buy from Amazon

Victorinox 8-inch Chef’s Knife

The Fibrox Pro 8 inch Chef’s Knife is optimally weighted with high-quality, lightweight European steel that reduces hand and wrist fatigue, making it feel less like a knife and more like an extension of the hand. t

Buy from Amazon

Imarku Professional 8-inch Chef’s Knife

The Imarku 8-inch knife is designed for professionals who include chefs, culinary experts, food caterers as well as an ordinary person.

Buy from Amazon

Breakfast Prepping

Weekday breakfasts are one of the best things to meal prep.

Chances are, you don’t have time to sit down to a big breakfast when you’re headed to work or school, so it’s a good option to have something in the fridge ready to go.

Here’s a few tried and true breakfasts that lend themselves well to meal prep:

• Fresh, frozen, or dried fruit
• Brown sugar & cinnamon
• Apples
• Bananas
• Peanut butter
• Nuts

5 Day Cooking Directions:

1. In a stock pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil.
2. Add 1.5 cups of steel cut oats and a pinch of salt, and reduce the heat to low.
3. Let cook, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until the oats are tender and creamy.
4. Divide into containers and top or mix in add-ins of your choice.
5. Eat hot or cold.

• Mushrooms
• Spinach
• Peppers
• Onions
• Asparagus

5 Day Cooking Directions:

1. Put 1-2 tablespoons of oil, or a thin layer of cooking spray, into a large frying pan and use your hands to crumble the tofu into the pan.
2. Sprinkle with spices and 4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
3. let cook on medium until the tofu is just lightly browned.
4. Add veggies and allow to cook until they are soft.

Lunch & Dinner Prepping

My favorite lunches and dinners follow the protein-grain-bean formula.

Mix and match these options for healthy and delicious prepped meals every week.

Protein

Baked Tofu

The perfect high-protein vegan entree! Relatively flavorless on its own, use whatever condiments and sauces you enjoy – barbecue sauce, teryaki, and italian salad dressing are all fabulous options.

What to buy:

• 1 block extra-firm tofu

5 Day Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Press your tofu in a tofu press or between two plates lined with paper towels to remove the water, then slice into ½-inch slices.
3. Place slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20-25 minutes.
4. Eat hot or cold.

Grilled Tempeh

Tempeh has a firm, toothsome texture and pleasing nutty flavor. It’s even more delicious when marinated in your favorite sauce or dressing and grilled to a little char on the barbecue. It’s a filling, satisfying protein, and holds well in stored meals.

What to buy:

• One block tempeh
• Marinade or salad dressing

5 Day Cooking Directions:

1. Cut your tempeh into thin slices and place into a bag or container with ½ cup of your marinade or dressing of choice.
2. Allow to marinate for at least two hours, but longer marinating will mean more flavor.
3. Take the tempeh out and pat dry with a towel, reserving the excess sauce.
4. Grill on a barbecue or grill pan until grill marks appear.
5. To create a sauce, add the marinade to the pan and cook down until the marinade is slightly thick.

Sloppy Joe Lentils

A tangy, filling, and very cheap lunch option, these lentils are reminiscent of the sloppy joes you might have eaten as a child. These are great for those who might be meal prepping for more than one person, as the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

What to buy:

• 1 pound green or brown lentils
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red onion
• 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• Ketchup
• Mustard

5 Day Cooking Directions:

1. Chop the pepper and onion in some oil or cooking spray for about 6 minutes until soft.
2. Add the tomato sauce, ¼ cup of ketchup, one teaspoon of mustard, and salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil.
3. Simmer for 20 minutes, and add in 2.5 cups of cooked lentils.
4. Stir well to coat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Serve with rice, potatoes, or buns.

Carbs

Despite the bad reputation they seem to have acquired, carbs are a vitamin- and fiber-rich addition to your prepped meals. Depending on the type, there are certain methods of cooking that will ensure the best possible result.

If you have a slow or pressure cooker, use the settings on the machine for each food.

However, follow these instructions if you don’t have access to one – all you’ll need is a stove or hotplate, or an oven.

Brown Rice

1. In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water and 1.5 teaspoons salt to a boil.
2. Add the rice, stir, and partially cover with a lid.
3. Cook on medium-high heat for 30 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and drain the rice in a strainer.
5. Return to the pot and cover tightly with a lid.
6. Allow the rice to steam in the pot for 20 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Quinoa

1. In a large pot, bring two cups of water or vegetable broth to a boil.
2. Add ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 cup rinsed quinoa.
3. Put a lid on the pot, lower the heat to a simmer, and allow to cook for 15 minutes.
4. Let stand with the lid on for 5 minutes before fluffing.

Baked Sweet Potatoes

1. Prick five sweet potatoes two or three times with your fork and place them directly on the oven rack.
2. Place a baking sheet lined with foil directly below the potatoes to catch any syrup that drips out.
3. Turn the oven on 425 degrees and bake for 45-60 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.
4. Once the potatoes have finished baking, turn it off and keep the oven door closed.
5. Let the potatoes sit in the oven for 30 minutes.

Vegetables

Steamed Broccoli

1. Cut two heads of broccoli into bite-size pieces.
2. Put an inch of water into the bottom of a pot and place a steamer basket inside.
3. Put the broccoli in the basket and cook with the lid on the pot for four minutes.
4. Put the cooked broccoli in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process.
5. Once the broccoli has dried off, toss with garlic powder, sriracha, and salt, or your favorite spices.

Roasted Cauliflower

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut one head of cauliflower into florets and toss on a baking sheet with three tablespoons of olive oil, sliced red onion, thyme, and kosher salt.
3. Roast, tossing the vegetables occasionally, for 35-40 minutes, until the cauliflower is soft and browned.
4. For variations on this recipe, replace the thyme with curry powder and turmeric.

Frozen Vegetables

I know there’s always the mantra of “fresh is best,” but hear me out.

Not only are frozen vegetables easy and convenient, but they may also contain more nutrients than fresh, as frozen veggies are flash-frozen after picking. They’re an especially good choice in the winter months, when fresh veggies can be lacking.

Frozen veggies are also extremely affordable – my local supermarket often sells one-pound bags of frozen vegetables for 99 cents. Available in broccoli, green beans, California blend, sauced and non-sauced variety, I often heat up a bag of frozen veggies in the microwave to eat alongside my prep.

Plus, you’re paying for 100% edible food – no trimming, no tossing away stems, just pure fuel.

For especially busy weeks, or when you just want an easy, nutritious side, don’t rule frozen veggies out just because they’re available in the freezer section.

Meal Prep FAQs…

1. I don’t like eating the same thing every day. Can I still meal prep?

Some people (like myself) absolutely adore leftovers, while others get tired of eating the same foods every day.

If you’re one of the latter, try cooking your meals for the week without any spices or seasoning, and use a different flavor every day to keep things different. If you have a meal of tofu, rice, and vegetables, use soy sauce and garlic powder one day, barbecue sauce another day, and buffalo sauce the next.

Alternatively, you could prepare three servings of one meal and two servings of another on your prep day, and alternate each day.

For maximum efficiency, try to center them around the same ingredients – for example, an Indian curry with tempeh and grilled tempeh.

2. What if I don’t want to prep three meals a day?

You certainly don’t have to prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner for every single weekday.

Maybe you enjoy preparing dinner with your family on weeknights, or you have class late in the day and can enjoy a big sit-down breakfast.

For me, breakfast and lunch are meals I usually eat at my desk, while I enjoy winding down at night by cooking a fun new recipe.

I prepare my breakfasts and lunches on the weekend, and cook dinner each evening.

Figure out which meals are more about going through the motions rather than a social or pleasurable experience, and have those ready to go. That way, you only have to focus your energy on the meals you enjoy cooking on the fly.

3. I want to meal prep for weight loss. What should I do?

Meal prep is ideal for those looking to lose weight, as it’s easiest to stay committed by eating pre-portioned meals made from ingredients you control.

Ultimately, weight loss comes down to burning more calories than you consume. Increasing the amount of calories you burn or decreasing the number you consume will result in more aggressive weight loss.

In order to figure out how many calories you need to consume for weight loss, plug your stats into this handy calculator or use one of the formulas below:

Men: BMR = 10 * weight(kg) + 6.25 * height(cm) – 5 * age(y) + 5

Women: BMR = 10 * weight(kg) + 6.25 * height(cm) – 5 * age(y) – 161

The result of this formula shows you your Basal Metabolic Rate, or how many calories you need to maintain your weight. Eating less than your BMR will result in weight loss while eating more will result in weight gain.

Let’s say your BMR is 2,000 calories, so you decide to set your daily calorie intake to 1,500. By creating three meals a day with 500 calories each, you would easily consume 1,500 calories per day, which would result in a one-pound loss per week (500 * 7 days = 3,500 weekly calorie deficit)

Eating much less than your BMR will result in faster weight loss, but remember to consume enough calories to keep you full and satisfied, and to keep your body healthy and functioning well.

You can stretch these calories by including more nutrient-dense, low-calorie vegetables into your meals, so you’re still eating a large volume of food. Don’t shy away from carbs or healthy fats, either – your focus for weight loss should be 100% on the number of calories you’re consuming.

The Goodness of Vegan Meal Prep

Whether you’re preparing your meals to save you time during your busy week, to meet individual fitness or weight loss goals, or simply because you’re tired of having to think about what you’re going to make for lunch every day, your up-front investment will be sure to pay off.

By focusing on fresh, whole foods, you can create delicious, healthy, and affordable meals that are ready to go in your refrigerator every day.

With the use of some simple, easy-to-tweak recipes, a few affordable tools, and a few hours a week, you can eliminate a large chunk of stress from your life and spend more time focusing on the things that you truly enjoy.

The post A Simple Healthy Vegan Meal Prep Plan for the Week appeared first on Urban Vegan.

Remember back in grade school, learning about shapes?

Maybe your teacher was like mine and taught you that all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares.

You can apply the same logic to vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, in that all vegans are vegetarians, but not all vegetarians are vegans. While both diets exclude meat, there are a few key differences that separate the two.

Differences Between the Veg*ns

	Vegetarian	Vegan
Meat
Eggs/Dairy
Leather/Silk/Wool
Animal Tested Products
Zoos/Circus/Aquariums

Types of Vegetarianism

• Ovo-vegetarian: Consume eggs, avoid meat, seafood, and dairy
• Lacto-vegetarian: Consume milk products, avoid meat, seafood, and eggs
• Ovo-lacto-vegetarian: Consume eggs and dairy, avoid meat and seafood
• Vegan: Avoid meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy

At a basic level, vegetarians don’t eat the flesh, or “meat,” of any animal, which includes pigs, chickens, cows, sheep, and all other members of the animal kingdom.

Some vegetarians use the phrase “nothing with a face” to describe their diet.

This also means vegetarians do not eat fish or other sea creatures – those who do choose to include sea animals in their diets are called pescetarians, and are not included under the vegetarian umbrella.

Like vegetarians, vegans do not eat any meat, but the differentiating factor is the fact that they leave all animal products off their plates and out of their closets. This means that vegans do not eat meat, dairy, or egg products, and they do not wear or use products with animal-derived ingredients, which might include things like leather, wool, and even beeswax.

In many ways, vegetarianism is a diet, whereas veganism is a lifestyle.

Vegans believe that animal exploitation in all forms, from animals used for food, for cosmetics, and even for entertainment, is wrong. While a vegetarian believes that animals are not ours to kill and eat, vegans believe that animals are not ours to use in any way, and that’s not just limited to the plate.

Vegetarian and vegan lifestyles also differ on how clearly they are defined. While there are some variations on veganism (usually toward the more extreme end) such as raw vegans, on the whole, the lifestyle is clearly defined: no eating, wearing, or exploiting animals, for any reason.

Vegetarianism, however, is a little more wiggly as far as how it’s defined. A vegetarian who avoids dairy but eats eggs, a vegetarian who wears a leather belt, and a vegetarian who goes to the zoo are all technically vegetarian, as long as they don’t eat meat.

There are classifications of vegetarianism that help clear things up, such as Ovo-Lacto vegetarian, for a person who eats dairy and eggs, but avoids meat, but these distinctions don’t appear to get very much use in the real world.

Why All the Labeling?

There are whole lists of the types of vegetarians, from ovo to lacto, even to the relatively new flexitarian, which is just a fancy word for an omnivorous diet.

While it might feel confining to have to choose a label for oneself, it isn’t about finding a fancy word to define yourself with as it is a way to ensure that people’s dietary needs can be met.

Take, for example, restaurant labeling. A meal that contains eggs and/or cheese could be labeled on a menu as “vegetarian,” and rightly so, as it contains no meat. However, a vegetarian who eats eggs, but avoids dairy, might be very disappointed to discover that her salad comes topped with feta cheese.

Using the correct terminology for things is not simply a way to express oneself or a desire to be “labeled,” rather, it ensures that everyone gets what they need and expect thanks to clear definitions.

Motivations for Veg*nism

There are a variety of reasons someone might become vegetarian or vegan, and those can extend to moral, environmental, and even religious motivations.

People might become vegan or vegetarian because of ethical considerations – the idea that it is wrong to slaughter an animal to eat its body. This can come from a profound philosophical belief that animals are autonomous beings who want to live and have rights to their own bodies, all the way to the idea that a person might be squeamish when they think about where meat comes from.

Many vegetarians start out that way simply because they feel that, if pressed, they could not do the killing themselves, and therefore choose not to partake.

For many vegans, called ethical vegans, what starts out as a moral aversion to meat extends to other aspects of the animal’s life, including their eggs and milk, skin, and general freedom over their own bodies.

This is not so much a difference between the two ideologies, rather, vegetarianism is usually the seed that sprouts the flower of veganism.

Some vegetarians, seeing the toll the meat industry takes on the environment, may choose to abstain not because they view eating meat as wrong, but because they do not want to contribute to the large expenditure of resources that comes with raising food animals.

After learning about how much food, water, and land goes to raising a single pound of beef, many people turn to vegetarianism simply because eating plants is gentler for the Earth when you add up the total price.

Many world religions also preach varying degrees of vegetarianism. For example, in the Hindu culture, cows are considered a sacred animal, so the followers of that religion do not consume beef, but may be lax about wearing leather.

In other religions, such as Jainism, or Buddhist monks, it is the responsibility of that person to create as little suffering in the world as possible. People who adhere to these religions may go so far as to take a broom with them as they walk outside, to be used to sweep away bugs on the sidewalk, so they do not step on them.

Similarly to the moral argument, many religions adhere to varying degrees of vegetarianism, some of which simply avoid the flesh of a certain animal, all the way to completely integrating the reduction of suffering into everyday tasks like walking outside.

Impact of Veg*nism on Health

VEGETARIAN

• Easy to get enough protein and Vitamin B12 through food
• Can raise cholesterol
• Can be high-calorie if meat is replaced with cheese, pasta, etc.

VEGAN

• Requires B12 supplementation
• Can lower cholesterol
• Tends to be lower calorie
• Need to monitor micronutrients like iron, calcium, and Vitamin D

Depending on how much animal food a person eliminates from their diet, they may also see varying effects on their health.

While studies show that any reduction in meat is, in general, a healthy step to take, vegetarians and vegans need to address different aspects of their diets to keep their bodies healthy.

For example, because vegans consume absolutely no animal products, they cannot get Vitamin B12, an essential nutrient responsible for nerve and eye health, from food. Because of this, it is necessary that vegans take a B12 supplement in addition to eating a healthy, balanced diet rich in whole foods.

Vegans will also want to monitor their protein, iron, and calcium levels, at least at the beginning of their transition, to make sure that they are getting the right nutrients in the right amounts to fuel their bodies.

On the flip side, vegans tend to have a lower overall body mass and better cholesterol than their vegetarian and omnivorous counterparts.

While vegetarians don’t have to worry about supplementing with B12 because they generally consume some animal products which contain the nutrient, there are other health factors they will want to pay attention to.

Especially if they consume eggs and dairy, vegetarians will need to monitor their cholesterol levels, as all animal products contain at least some amount of cholesterol. When first transitioning from an omnivorous diet, vegetarians will also want to watch their weight and how much they are eating.

Especially in the beginning, many vegetarians try to replace meat with high-calorie foods like pasta and cheese, which can lead to weight gain if eaten in large amounts. It’s important to remember that just because a food is vegetarian doesn’t necessarily mean it is healthier or lower in calories than a food made from animal products.

Varying Levels of the Same Idea

Though the online community might have you believe that there is some sort of rivalry between vegetarians and vegans, in reality, both lifestyles stem from the same core belief of the avoidance of meat and are simply different points along the same continuum.

Aside from a few key differences, many meals can be enjoyed by both vegetarians and vegans, and when it comes down to it, the main goal of the lifestyle is the same.

Whether you’re a long-time vegan, or someone who’s just starting to dabble with the idea of vegetarianism, knowing the key differences between the two lifestyles will not only help you better understand how the two sides eat, but will also help you navigate menus, dinner parties, and roadside snack stands for varied, yet similar, lifestyles.

The post Vegan vs. Vegetarian – What’s Difference Between the Two? appeared first on Urban Vegan.

Not only does this vital nutrient carry out a lot of important tasks within your body, but the deficiency in this vitamin can cause serious, sometimes fatal side effects.

Because plant-based foods do not provide adequate amounts of B12, vegans and vegetarians must supplement this nutrient to avoid deficiency.

Article NavigationThe Role of B12 in HealthAm I Getting Enough B12?Problems with Reliance on Food SourcesDoes That Mean Veganism is Unnatural?I Probably Don’t Need to Supplement If I Don’t Want To…Right?What Kind of Supplement Should I Take?Supplementing for Life

The Role of B12 in Health

Aptly dubbed the “energy vitamin”, B12 is used in a variety of bodily functions, including but not limited to energy production, the creation of red blood cells (which are responsible for transporting oxygen in your body), DNA synthesis, and the creation of myelin, which is the protective sheath that keeps your nerves safe and allows them to communicate with one another.

These are all critical tasks that are responsible for keeping your body healthy and functioning at its best, especially if you’re an athlete or live an otherwise active lifestyle.

Deficiency in vitamin B12 can be serious, and nearly half the United States population has suboptimal levels, with vegans and vegetarians making up a large portion of that group.

Because few plant-based foods provide enough of this vitamin, those who don’t supplement B12 are at risk for consequences as serious as blindness and brain abnormalities. Other unpleasant side effects include anemia, gastrointestinal distress, and memory problems or behavioral changes.

Luckily, vegans and vegetarians can still thrive while consuming an animal-free, plant-based diet – it just takes a little research and supplementation to keep your levels of this essential nutrient topped off.

More Reading: Choosing the best Vegan B12 Supplements

Am I Getting Enough B12?

Healthy adults only need a few micrograms of B12 per day – usually somewhere between 2-4mcg daily.

However, because your body absorbs only a small amount of B12 at a time, compounded with the fact that few non-animal foods – nutritional yeast, seaweed, and some mushrooms – contain the nutrient, vegans and vegetarians should supplement with a higher dose – a pill with roughly 100mcg will be enough to ensure you’re getting enough to keep your body functioning well.

While there are a small handful of plant-based foods that provide vitamin B12, these should not be relied on as the sole source of B12.

While hotly debated within the vegan community, it is a simple fact that one cannot live a healthy plant-based life without supplementing their diet with a B12 pill.

Problems with Reliance on Food Sources

In most cases, yes, there is a clear preference for whole-food sources of a nutrient over a manmade supplement every day of the week. However, in the case of B12, it simply isn’t possible to get enough of the vitamin through diet alone.

Vegan foods like Red Star nutritional yeast (the brand name here is important) are among the few plant sources of vitamin B12, but even then, there are external factors that can affect the amount of the nutrient per serving.

For example, B12 is a highly light-sensitive vitamin, which means that it loses potency over time the longer it is exposed to the light. This presents a problem, as the Red Star nutritional yeast at your grocery store is probably stored in a clear plastic bottle or bulk bin.

While the nutrition label might say a certain amount of micrograms per serving, that may not translate into a) how potent the vitamin is at that point in time, and b) how much will be absorbed by your body.

While foods like Red Star yeast and other fortified foods might provide some B12 on their labeling, vitamin B12 deficiency isn’t something to gamble with. The only reliable way for plant-based eaters to get enough of this nutrient is through supplementation.

Does That Mean Veganism is Unnatural?

It is very trendy these days to get “back to basics,” with a lot of emphasis on the word “natural” – things like the Paleo Diet, which touts the benefits of “eating the way ancient man ate.”

From food to medicine, there is a whole movement around the idea that we should only be doing the things that come “naturally” to us.

Of course, the idea that there is an essential vitamin in a plant-based diet that must come solely from a supplement is enough for some to deem veganism “bad” solely because it is “unnatural.” How could someone possibly eat a diet that they clearly weren’t “designed” to eat?

I find this argument that unnatural somehow equals bad to be a weak one, especially when it comes to a plant-based diet. As a modern society, nearly every aspect of our lives is “unnatural” – even people 100 years ago wouldn’t have any idea what to make of how we live, much less ancient man.

Air conditioning, hair dye, vaccinations, shoes, sitting at a desk, being monogamous – these are all “unnatural” things that are perfectly normal and accepted parts of modern day living. The fact that a vegan must take a supplement to get enough B12 is deemed as bad, while parents are not allowed to enroll a child in daycare who has not had the proper vaccinations. This goes to show that the “unnatural” argument is being cherry-picked for the purpose of invalidating the benefits of a plant-based diet.

Besides, even if supplementing with B12 does make veganism “unnatural,” is the past really where we should be looking for how to live in the future? At this moment, we’re living in the most peaceful era in human history, of unprecedented medical ability, and where the child mortality rate is only five in every 1,000 births. Clearly, all of these “unnatural” behaviors are benefiting us humans in a big way.

Above all else, ethical veganism is very different than diets like the Paleo Diet because its aim is to alleviate suffering in the world – not to eat according to the dietary habits of a human ancestor.

It is not a “diet” as much as it is a moral compass, an urge to do what one believes is the right thing to do. For many ethical vegans, having to take B12 through a supplement is a small price to pay for the ability not to contribute to the suffering, pain and death of animals all over the world.

I Probably Don’t Need to Supplement If I Don’t Want To…Right?

On the flip side, some vegans take up the dangerous idea that they can finagle their diets in such a way that they don’t have to take supplements.

Whether from efforts to cut cost, a personal aversion to supplements, or a need to prove that a vegan diet is “natural” and therefore does not need supplementation, these people are not only potentially doing great harm to their health, but they are also, perhaps unwillingly, deterring others from the lifestyle.

Whether or not we choose to be, each vegan and vegetarian is something of an ambassador for a plant-based lifestyle. Though we may not sign up for the job, people may be gauging our health, happiness, and overall satisfaction with the lifestyle when deciding whether or not they want to try it themselves.

Think about how you would view it from someone else’s shoes – if someone was constantly fatigued, anemic, and had trouble with memory loss or behavioral changes, would you want to try their “awesome, all-natural diet”? If there is one thing that would get people to refuse to try a plant-based lifestyle, it is the assumption that one must sacrifice his or her own health for the sake of living a plant-based diet.

In addition to potentially dissuading others from trying a diet free of animal products, refusal to supplement with B12 out of principle is simply taking an unnecessary risk with your health. While deficiency of some nutrients can be reversed, because vitamin B12 deals mainly with the nervous system, the damage caused by B12 deficiency cannot be undone. Once the protective myelin sheaths have been damaged, they cannot be repaired again.

So, even if you aren’t crazy about the idea of supplementing your whole-food diet, remember that veganism is not a competition, and your health and wellness is just as important as the morals and values you stand for.

What Kind of Supplement Should I Take?

When considering the type of B12 to take, methylcobalamin is hands-down the best choice. To understand why let’s first discuss how B12 is absorbed into the blood.

Like many other nutrients, vitamin B12 cannot survive in stomach acid. To be absorbed into the bloodstream, it needs the help of intrinsic factor, a protein produced by the stomach and salivary glands that allow the nutrient to pass safely through the stomach and into the small intestine. Once it makes it there, intrinsic factor dissolves and B12 binds to another protein to transition into the blood, where it’s used to do everything from creating red blood cells to synthesize DNA.

As it requires little effort to be absorbed and crosses easily into the bloodstream, methylcobalamin gets you the best bang for your buck when it comes to B12 supplementation.

In addition to keeping your stores of the vitamin topped off, methylcobalamin has also been shown to help people with impaired kidney function and also helps relieve sleep disorders.

While supplements are available in all kinds of forms, including tablets and capsules, research has shown that sublingual supplements are the most efficiently absorbed of all. Usually, in tablets or liquid drops, sublingual supplements are meant to be applied to the area under the tongue, where the substance is then absorbed through the membrane that lines your mouth, rather than making the nutrient go all the way through the digestive system to the small intestine.

Servings of sublingual supplements usually contain 500-1,000mg of B12 per serving, and tend to be as affordable as other oral supplements, and more affordable than B12 injections or intravenous B12, which must be administered by a health professional and are usually reserved for people who are already deficient or have some gastrointestinal disorder that inhibits the absorption of the vitamin through the GI tract.

Supplementing for Life

Most nutrients, from iron to protein to zinc, can be found in abundance in plant-based foods, and vegans and vegetarians can, therefore, turn to whole-food sources to reach their daily recommended allowance.

However, in the case of vitamin B12, it must be consumed through supplementation – plant foods simply do not offer enough bioavailable B12 to protect those who do not eat meat from the serious side effects that can come with B12 deficiency. This is not a knock against veganism, nor a sign that humans are not meant to lead plant-based lifestyles – merely that supplementation of this particular nutrient is required to alleviate suffering – both animal and human!

For the most efficient absorption of this vitamin, look for methylcobalamin supplements that can be placed under the tongue, so the nutrient is immediately absorbed, rather than having to make the difficult journey through the stomach and into the small intestine.

By supplementing with B12 and ensuring you are living your most healthy plant-based life possible, you are setting a good example for others, and showing that one does not have to sacrifice personal health and wellness to alleviate the suffering in the world.

The post A Vegan’s Guide to Vitamin B12 appeared first on Urban Vegan.

Without getting much recognition from nutritionists and the food marketing world, zinc plays a vital role in keeping our bodies healthy. Responsible for healing wounds, our perceptions of taste and smell, the creation of protein and DNA, and effectively treating the common cold, zinc is one of the great multi-taskers, so it’s essential to consume enough to keep all these functions running seamlessly.

Our bodies don’t readily store zinc, so we need to consume some every day. The recommended daily allowance for most adults is 8mg per day, but that jumps to 11mg for pregnant women, and 12mg for nursing moms.

Vegans and vegetarians should consume the baseline 8mg at a minimum but are better off aiming for 12mg per day, as zinc from plant sources is not as easily absorbed as that from animal products.

Many plant-based foods pack in a punch of zinc in each serving, including many legumes, nuts, and seeds. Below, we’ve provided a food-by-food guide to help you include the most zinc-rich plant foods into your diet.

Top Vegan Zinc Sources

Sesame Seeds

2.7mg per ¼ cup

Yes, those little seeds on your bagels and burger buns are one of the top plant sources of zinc, and their applications go way beyond bread topping. A quarter-cup serving of these little seeds provides 2.7mg of zinc.

Sesame seeds make a great addition to stir-fries and salads, but with a little extra effort, you can make these seeds a luxurious, as well as nutritious, addition to your diet.

Use toasted sesame seeds to make tahini, a delicious Middle Eastern sesame paste. This paste can be used to create a variety of healthy sauces and salad dressings, and can also be turned into the sumptuous Middle Eastern sweet halvah, which is like a sweet sesame seed fudge, which can be made in plain flavors all the way to fun additions like cinnamon and chocolate.

Sesame seeds are one of the oldest condiments in human history and are very susceptible to rancidity, so be sure to buy small quantities often, and store your seeds in the freezer for maximum shelf life.

Chickpeas, Cooked

2.7mg per 1 cup

Chickpeas are one of the superheroes of the plant-based diet. Lending protein and fiber to dishes like salads, curries, and hummus, chickpeas are also among the best sources of zinc. A cup of cooked beans provides 2.5mg of zinc or about a quarter of your daily intake of the mineral.

One of my favorite uses for chickpeas is in chana masala, an Indian curry of chickpeas in a spiced tomato sauce. In addition to being freaking delicious when served with rice or naan bread, this dish is also a nutritional powerhouse, with the vitamin C from the tomatoes helping absorb all that iron, and providing plenty of protein and fiber.

For an easy chana masala recipe, try one of my all-time favorite recipes from Vegan Richa.

Chickpeas also make great zinc-rich snacks – try roasting a can of chickpeas in the oven with sweet or savory spices for a crunchy, poppable snack you can feel good about – and that goes perfectly with your favorite movie.

Pumpkin Seeds

2.5mg per ¼ cup

I only discovered pumpkin seeds relatively late in life, but I think I’ve more than made up for lost time. In addition to lots of iron and an insane amount of heart-healthy protein per serving, a ¼ cup portion of pumpkin seeds provides 2.5mg of zinc.

You have a few options when it comes to pumpkin seeds. Because the shells are tender, you can roast them with a little salt as you might after carving your Halloween Jack-o’-Lantern. You can also purchase roasted and salted pumpkin seeds at most convenience stores or online.

These make great on-the-go snacks for eating on long car trips, or at your desk when you get a little hungry between meals.

Alternatively, Pepitas are shelled pumpkin seeds and are the smaller, delicate innards of the pumpkin seed once the white shell has been discarded. These are fantastic raw or roasted, and are perfectly suited to a salad topping thanks to their delicate crunch and slightly nutty flavor.

Cashews

2.3mg per ¼ cup

I liken cashews to the velvet of the food world – a truly luxurious nut, cashews are delicious on their own, but are elevated when stir-fried alongside nutritious vegetables, added to curries and salads, and blended down into a smooth, creamy vegan sour cream (view recipe).

In addition to luxury and healthy fats, cashews also provide 2.3mg of healthy zinc per quarter-cup serving.  Roasting the nuts helps you squeeze every last bit of zinc out of each cashew – you can buy them pre-roasted and salted if you’re pressed for time, but if you can roast your own from raw cashews, you can control the fat and sodium content.

Try dry-roasting your cashews in a cast iron pan, moving them around frequently to prevent burning, until they are golden brown and fragrant. Eat immediately or store in the freezer to prevent the oils from going rancid.

Quinoa

2.0mg per ¾ cup

Pronounced keen-wah, this Bolivian food has quickly made its way to the top of basically every superfood list in North America – and with good reason. Actually, the seed of a type of grass as opposed to grain, quinoa is 100% gluten-free, and delivers a hefty dose of protein, fiber, and other vitamins and minerals in addition to zinc.

Also relevant to vegans is that quinoa is, in itself, a complete protein, so you don’t have to worry about combining it with other foods to maximize its nutrition.

To protect itself from being eaten by birds, quinoa grains are covered in a bitter-tasting coating. Many bagged quinoa blends are pre-washed, but it can’t hurt to give your quinoa a good rinse before cooking to prevent a ruined batch of the stuff.

Cook your rinsed quinoa in boiling water until the grains are fluffy and have sprung little white “tails.” You can use quinoa anywhere you would use rice.

Tofu

1.8mg per 4oz

Photo Credit: fodmapmonash.blogspot.com

Is there any vegan “best of” list on which tofu doesn’t appear? Tofu is perhaps the most infamous food of the plant-based world, and with good reason – in addition to providing a hearty helping of protein and calcium, tofu is also a great vegan source of zinc, delivery 1.8mg of zinc in each 4-ounce serving.

You really have a lot of options when it comes to how to serve your tofu. For savory applications like stir-fries, salads, and as the center protein of your meal, choose firm or extra-firm varieties, and press the water out using a tofu press.  This will ensure a dense, chewy end product that easily soaks up the flavors from sauces and marinades.

For sweets and dessert applications, soft and silken tofu will be the type to fill your basket with at the grocery store. Easily blending down into a smooth puree, soft and silken tofus provide a creamy base for smoothies, as well as pie and cheesecake fillings.

By using tofu as the base for your desserts, you can get plenty of nutrition out of your sweets.

Fortified Foods

Varies

While we’d all love to base our diets completely around nutritious, whole, plant-based foods, sometimes that just isn’t possible. Fortified foods, those that have added nutrients that would not occur naturally, are a convenient way to reach your nutritional goals when you’re pressed for time, or when you don’t have full access to your kitchen, like camping, traveling, or simply getting to your next event.

Fortified breakfast cereals are a great source of zinc, and provide about 3.8mg per ¾-cup serving. For the best nutritional bang for your buck, choose a cereal that provides a hefty helping of vitamin D and iron, in addition to zinc – this way, you get the equivalent of a one-stop nutrition shop, and don’t have to worry about getting your vitamins and minerals from a ton of different foods.

To make sure you’re absorbing every bit of the nutrition from your fortified cereals, add a few sliced ripe strawberries to your bowl, or chase it down with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Vitamin C will help you better absorb the cereal’s iron, which, combined with the zinc, will help keep you sniffle-free throughout the winter months.

Getting Zinc from Plant-based Foods

An impressive multi-tasker within the human body, zinc is an essential nutrient, despite its lack of limelight from food marketers and experts. When you’re eating a plant-based diet, aim for anywhere from 8-18mg of zinc per day to make sure you’re absorbing enough of this mineral to keep your body functioning well and keeping yourself in tip-top condition.

With such a variety of plant-based foods, ranging from legumes to nuts and seeds to protein-rich foods like tofu, it’s easy to reach your recommended daily amount of zinc without having to rely on animal-based products.

For optimum nutrition, try mixing and matching these zinc-rich foods into your meals – for example, topping a salad with tofu and pepitas, or stirring a tablespoon or two of tahini into your morning oatmeal.

Getting creative with your food combinations will not only ensure you’re getting enough zinc but will also provide your body with all the essential nutrients that come from a varied, whole-food based vegan diet.

The post A Guide to Vegan Sources of Zinc appeared first on Urban Vegan.

Vegan moms who want to breastfeed are encouraged to do so – it’s in line with the lifestyle, as we discuss at length in this article.

Eating a vegan diet while breastfeeding is an excellent way to keep mom’s body healthy, but there are certain vitamins and nutrients that you will want to monitor or increase/decrease your intake of, to ensure your baby is getting all the essentials.

While it’s extra effort to monitor your diet while you’re breastfeeding, remember that the choices you’re making are affecting another person.

Keeping tabs on your intake of certain nutrients, or taking some extra supplements in the morning is a small price to pay to ensure optimal health and nutrition for your little one.

Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of breastfeeding while on a plant-based diet.

Article NavigationIs It Safe to Breastfeed My Baby If I’m on a Vegan Diet?Vegan Breastfeeding Supplements & Important NutrientsVitamin B12CalciumIronDHA (Omega-3)Foods to Avoid While BreastfeedingStrong Tasting FoodsCaffeineAlcohol“Forcing Beliefs” on Your Child, and Other Common ArgumentsThe Beginning of a Vegan Life

Is It Safe to Breastfeed My Baby If I’m on a Vegan Diet?

Veganism is a safe, nutritious, healthy way to eat at all points of the life cycle, including when we our using our bodies to feed babies.

A vegan mother who is getting enough calories and protein should have nothing to worry about the quality of her breast milk.

Breastfeeding creates a lot of extra effort for your body, which means you need to up your caloric intake to give your body the energy it needs to feed a child.

Studies show that most women produce a generous supply of milk when they consume between 1,800-2,200 calories per day – of course, you will need more if you’re very active. Consuming less than 1,500-1,800 calories can cause a stark drop in your milk production, and puts you at risk for not being able to produce enough milk for your baby. 

Of course, no two women are the same – your caloric needs may vary greatly depending on your lifestyle.

Are you very active? Is your weight in a healthy range? Is your baby breastfed exclusively, or does he also eat some solid food?

All these variables will affect how much you need to eat. Be sure to listen to your body during this time – if you’re hungry, eat!

Your body is doing more work to create and supply food for your child. If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of simply listening to your body’s hunger signals, a good baseline is 300-500 more calories per day than you ate before breastfeeding.

Fluid intake is also important while nursing.

Depending on your age and activity level, you’ll need ½-¾ ounce of water per pound of bodyweight, per day. So, a 150-pound nursing mother should drink anywhere from 75-112 ounces of water per day – basically, 10-12 cups.

Try carrying a water bottle with you and drink to thirst – there’s no need to force fluids.

Vegan Breastfeeding Supplements & Important Nutrients

Many of these nutrients are perennially important when eating a plant-based diet, but they become even more so when your body is responsible for making food for another person.

Below is a list of the nutrients vegan breastfeeding moms should make sure they’re getting enough of while nursing.

Vitamin B12

While there are some vegan food sources of B12 – mushrooms and nutritional yeast, for example – these usually won’t cut it as the sole providers of this vitamin, so supplementation is the only option here.

Vitamin B12 is non-negotiable when it comes to baby’s – and moms! – health.

This vitamin is responsible for maintaining the health of nerve cells, keeping blood cells healthy, and creating DNA.

People who are deficient in B12 will experience serious health complications and may experience symptoms like weakness and fatigue, digestive issues, and mental problems.

Vitamin B12 is vitally important for mom’s health, as well as healthy brain development for baby. If nothing else, make sure you’re supplementing your B12 intake, especially while nursing.

Calcium

For both mom and child, calcium is responsible for building and maintaining strong, healthy bones, and promoting healthy enzymatic activity within the body.

It’s an important building block of a healthy body!

Thanks to TV and print advertising, many people still believe that milk and cheese are the sole sources of calcium, and anyone who doesn’t consume them is at risk for brittle bones.

Simply not true!

In fact, as we note in our complete guide to vegan calcium, there are many plant-based sources of calcium that are even more bioavailable than those from dairy products, without the cholesterol or saturated fat.

For plant-based calcium, turn to cooked collard greens, fortified foods like soy milk and orange juice, and cooked white beans.

Even a handful of dried fruit, like dried figs, can be a calcium-rich source of calories.

Iron

Essential for the transportation of oxygen throughout the body via red blood cells, Iron is another important nutrient nursing moms should make sure to consume enough of.

Like calcium, there are plenty of plant-based food sources of iron, and consuming them with foods high in vitamin C will make your body absorb this nutrient more efficiently.

You can supplement iron, but it can cause nausea (no fun, especially while nursing), and food sources are more efficiently used by the body anyway, so try to eat your iron if you can.

Vegan-friendly sources of iron include cooked lentils, tofu, mushrooms, and nuts.

To get the most bang for your calorie buck, consume these foods with other foods that are high in vitamin C, like tomato sauce or orange juice.

DHA (Omega-3)

Also known as “omega-3”, this nutrient is an essential fatty acid that is responsible for the healthy development of your baby’s brain – being deficient in this nutrient can lead to serious defects, and compromise your baby’s mental health.

Plant-based foods like hemp seeds, flax seeds, and walnuts contain small amounts of this nutrient, but honestly, DHA is too important to leave to chance, especially since it is not as efficiently utilized by the body.

Like B12, you are best off consuming a multivitamin rich in omega-3, or a specific omega-3 supplement to make sure you’re getting the amount of this nutrient you need.

Talk to your doctor to figure out what the right amount and option is best for you and your baby.

Foods to Avoid While Breastfeeding

Because your food sources will affect your baby’s health, mood, and nutrition, it’s important to keep these things in mind when deciding what foods to include and not include in your diet.

Strong Tasting Foods

In some cases, strong-tasting foods might affect the taste of your milk and can cause your baby to react adversely. These foods usually include things like cruciferous vegetables (brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower), foods with a laxative effect (cherries and prunes), and strong-tasting citrus fruits like lemon or pineapple.

To find out if your baby reacts adversely to these foods, test them out slowly so you can tell if the addition of that food causes any problems.

Caffeine

It can be a little bit torturous that nursing moms should cut down on caffeine right when they are most likely to be up at all hours of the night, but caffeinated beverages should be restricted to morning hours, and to just a cup or two instead of sipping all day.

The caffeine in tea and coffee can affect the caffeine content of your milk, which can keep your baby up at night and make him fussy. Remember that caffeine can be found in other food sources too, like chocolate, soda, and some over-the-counter medicines. Like the strong-tasting foods, start out small, and adjust as needed.

Alcohol

Nursing moms should also avoid certain foods and beverages due to health reasons. When nursing, it’s important to limit alcohol consumption to one occasional treat.

Consuming more than one alcohol drink can change your blood alcohol content enough for it to change the alcohol content of your milk. If you do have an extra drink, wait at least two hours until you nurse again, or try to time your drink, so you consume it after you’re done feeding baby.

Like lots of aspects of raising a child, pay close attention to how your baby reacts to certain foods or beverages. You may find that baby is more sensitive to certain things, or that you can mostly consume what you like, and all you need to monitor is whether or not you’re consuming enough of the nutrients listed above.

“Forcing Beliefs” on Your Child, and Other Common Arguments

Eating a plant-based diet can get enough comments on its own – from the supermarket to the office, it seems like everyone has something to say.

That tendency only compounds when you choose to raise your child vegan – especially when you mention eating a vegan diet while breastfeeding.

This knowledge can bring out the worst in people – most notably, the idea that raising your baby vegan is “forcing your beliefs on your child.”

Being confronted by someone about your choices can make it hard to feel good about sticking true to your morals and values, and passing those down to your children. It can be exhausting to have to defend yourself against friends, family, and sometimes even complete strangers, and can make you second-guess whether what you’re doing might somehow be unfair to your child.

When confronted with this argument, remember that “forcing your beliefs on your children” is the nature of parenting.

The whole role of a parent is to teach their child the difference between right and wrong, how to treat others, human or non-human animal, and the ethical code they will take along with them through their lives.

People don’t balk about “forcing beliefs” when you celebrate certain winter holidays, or when you teach your children to be kind to others no matter what they can “do” for you.

That sort of argument is simply a cop-out, to recoil from something they don’t know about or understand. When making the decision to nurse your child while on a vegan diet – and frankly, to keep raising them vegan – it can be helpful to research some common responses to arguments against raising a child on a plant-based diet.

This will not only help you stay strong and confident in your choice, but it may also help educate someone who doesn’t know much about raising healthy vegan kids.

The Beginning of a Vegan Life

Making a choice to stick to your moral code while nursing your child is an important step in raising a vegan baby – if you’re able to breastfeed, you’re already setting the example for your child that it’s possible to live a healthy, happy life without needing to harm animals.

By ensuring you’re getting enough calories, proteins, and nutrients like B12, DHA, and calcium, your baby can not only survive, but thrive with breast milk from a vegan mom.

While many of these nutrients can be consumed through food, you may need to supplement for things like B12 and DHA to make sure you and baby are getting enough to keep you healthy.

This doesn’t invalidate veganism or make it unsustainable – it simply means you’re doing everything in your power to keep your baby healthy without needing to contribute to the suffering of animals.

What could be a better example for a parent to set than that?

The post Your Guide to Vegan Breastfeeding appeared first on Urban Vegan.

These commercials (paid for by, you guessed it, the dairy industry) would have you believe that unless you’re sporting an iconic “milk mustache”, there’s simply no way to get enough of this vital mineral to keep your bones healthy and strong.

In reality, milk isn’t the only – or even best – food source of calcium.

In fact, calcium is found beyond the dairy aisle, naturally occurring in a wide variety of plant foods, and added to many other vegan-friendly foods and beverages.

So if you’re not going to turn to cow’s milk for calcium anymore, where should you get it, and how much will you be consuming?

Let’s take a closer look at our favorite vegan-friendly calcium powerhouses.

Article NavigationTop Vegan-Friendly Calcium SourcesSoymilkOrange JuiceCollard GreensTofuWhite BeansDried FigsTahiniSupplementsHow Do These Sources Stack Up Against Cow’s Milk?How Much Calcium Do I Need?Strong Vegan Bones with Plant-Based Calcium

Top Vegan-Friendly Calcium Sources

Soy Milk

368mg/1 cup

Photo Credit: davidwolfe.com

Soy is such a wonder food – it seems that no matter what kind of nutritional article we’re writing, soy makes it onto the list.

In addition to its already impressive resume of protein and vitamin content, soy milk tops the list for calcium delivery per serving.

Just one cup of soy milk added to your coffee, smoothie, or oatmeal, gets you almost 40% of your daily calcium goal, all for basically no effort involved.

Much of the calcium in foods like soymilk, orange juice, cereal, and other fortified foods is added in during processing, so if you’re looking for a good calcium boost, be sure to reach for the fortified stuff instead of homemade.

To make sure the calcium doesn’t separate from the liquid and settle at the bottom of the carton, give your milk a good shake each time you open it to make sure every last bit of that essential mineral makes it to your bones.

Orange Juice

300mg/1 cup

If you’re looking for an easy way to boost your calcium intake for the day, consider adding 1 cup of fortified orange juice to your diet.

A cup of this beverage with your breakfast gets you nearly a third of the way to your calcium goal, all before you even get to work!

To make sure you’re getting a product that does deliver this amount of calcium, look for brands that are calcium-fortified, or have added calcium – this is one of the rare circumstances where the fresh-squeezed stuff isn’t the best option.

The calcium in fortified orange juice is just as bioavailable as the stuff in dairy cow’s milk, so you won’t notice any difference when you’re making the switch.

You can just drink a glass of OJ with your meals, but for a fun citrus twist, try adding orange juice to your breakfast smoothie or using it to cook your oats instead of plant-based milk or water. Orange juice also makes a great acidic addition to homemade salad dressings and sauces.

Collard Greens

266mg/1 cup cookeed

Photo Credit: liveanddiet.com

Leafy greens are truly the unsung heroes of the plant world, and this is never truer than it is for the humble collard green.

While its cousin kale usually gets all the glory when it comes to nutrition in the health food sphere, collards quietly provide iron, protein, and nearly a quarter of your recommended amount of calcium for the day.

In fact, a 1-cup serving of cooked collard greens provides over double the amount of calcium compared to a 1-cup serving of cooked kale (source). From a nutritional vantage point, collard greens should be a staple in every person’s diet, vegan or otherwise!

In order to maximize calcium content, you’ll need to cook your greens – a cup of cooked collards has 266mg of calcium, while raw collards provide about 50mg.

Much of this is due to volume – simply put, you can pack a lot more cooked leaves into one cup than you can raw.

Stir-frying collards is a quick and tasty way to prepare them – simply brown some chopped onion and garlic in a wok or large frying pan and add washed, chopped collard leaves. Stir until the leaves are tender and wilted, but still bright green. Use the greens as a side dish on their own, or stir into tofu scramble for a one-two punch of calcium.

Tofu

253mg/ ½ cup

Photo Credit: fodmapmonash.blogspot.com

In addition to the calcium found naturally in soybeans, calcium is also a key ingredient in processing the beans into tofu, which makes it a fantastic source of the mineral as well as nutrients like protein.

There are many varieties of tofu, which differ mostly on their consistencies. On one side of the spectrum is silken tofu, which has a high water content and lends itself well to blending for smoothies, puddings, and pie filling.

On the other side of the spectrum is dense extra-firm tofu, which has a very small amount of water and is best for applications like baking, stir-fries, and scrambles.

Keeping cubes of perfectly cooked tofu in the fridge makes mealtime easy – just add to salads for a boost of protein and calcium, or toss with your favorite sauce and a few vegetables over brown rice.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and cut pressed tofu into cubes. Place cubes on a lightly oiled baking tray and bake for 30 minutes, or until cubes are golden brown.  Consume immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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White Beans

191mg/1 cup cooked

White beans are the velvet of the legume family. With soft, silky skins and creamy, buttery insides, white beans are a perfect addition to pasta and blend down beautifully to make luxurious dips – for an unexpected twist on hummus, use cooked white beans instead of chickpeas.

While canned white beans are relatively inexpensive and convenient, cooking dried white beans from scratch delivers calcium, protein, and iron for pennies. Simply soak dried white beans overnight.

Drain the soaked beans (they’ll have nearly doubled in size!), move to a stockpot and cover with two inches of water. After bringing the water to a boil, simmer the beans for 60-90 minute, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender.

Dried Figs

140mg/10 dried figs

Dried figs are one of the most surprising sources of calcium, packing a healthy dose into a serving of these sweet morsels. In addition to just popping these little jewels into your mouth as a snack, dried figs make a tasty and unexpected topping for oatmeal, pureed into a luxurious filling for energy bars and pastries, or a fun replacement for raisins in your favorite cookie recipe.

When it comes to dried figs, you have a few options based on your needs and preferences. Turkish figs, which are squat and light-colored, are among the sweetest varieties, along with moist, black Mission figs. California figs are a good option for someone with a more mild sweet tooth, who wants to add just a touch of sweetness to snacks and baked goods.

Tahini

130mg/2 tablespoons

A staple in many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean kitchens, Tahini, is a creamy, satisfying, pleasantly bitter paste made from toasted ground sesame seeds.

Tahini is available in jars at most supermarkets, grocery stores, and ethnic food stores, but it can also be easily made at home – simply run toasted, hulled sesame seeds through your food processor until it becomes a smooth, creamy butter – you may need to scrape down the sides every so often.

Like most nut and seed butter, tahini is an incredibly versatile ingredient and lends itself well to both sweet and savory applications.

Tahini consumption can start at breakfast, stirred into oatmeal or blended into a coffee shake for sophisticated creaminess.

At lunch and dinner, tahini can be blended with herbs for a healthy salad dressing, or simply drizzled over roasted vegetables for added richness. Finally, use tahini for dessert in cookies for an adult version of peanut butter cookies.

Supplements

800-1,000mg

Maybe you’re a picky eater and don’t like many of the foods on this list, or perhaps you’ll be on the road for a little while and want to make sure you’re getting enough calcium while traveling.

If all else fails, adding a calcium supplement to your diet can help you fill in any nutritional gaps that might lead to calcium deficiency.

Supplements vary in potency, so you’ll want to make sure to choose something that is not only vegan-friendly, but provides exactly the amount you need to avoid deficiency as well as toxicity, or taking in excess calcium.

For more information on choosing the right vegan calcium supplement be sure to read our indepth guide here.

How Do These Sources Stack Up Against Cow’s Milk?

We mentioned earlier that dairy-based milk from cows, sheep, and other mammals might not be the most effective source of calcium, which may be surprising considering the fact that it’s held up as the standard of calcium sources.

While the calcium in dairy milk does protect against bone problems such as osteoporosis and colon cancer, consumption of dairy milk has been shown to increase the risk of prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer.

Even worse, the high amount of vitamin A present in cow’s milk can counteract the protecting benefits of calcium, actually weakening bones and working against any protective properties that the calcium in milk might offer.

Add a hefty dose of saturated fat from cow’s milk, and it seems like a pretty big tradeoff, especially when you consider the amount of plants that serve as good sources of calcium and contain none of these troubling side effects.

It goes to show that you should always take any health claims made by the industry that produces a product with a hefty grain of salt – ultimately, if you’re getting your calcium from beans, leaves, and fruits, you’re doing the opposite of what the dairy industry wants: spending fewer dollars on dairy-based foods.

How Much Calcium Do I Need?

Most adults age 19-70 need about 1,000mg per day to keep bones strong and promote healthy enzymatic activity throughout the body.

Because you have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis and bone density problems if you’re female, especially when going through menopause, women over the age of 51 should consume closer to 1,200mg per day to ensure they’re protecting their bones throughout the aging process.

You probably know the signs of calcium deficiency, which are usually related to weakness and curving of bones, such as bowed legs in children, tooth decay, and osteoporosis. If you’re experiencing any of these side effects, talk to your doctor about upping your calcium intake – they may suggest or prescribe a calcium supplement.

It may be tempting to take out nutritional insurance and simply consume much more calcium than needed to make up for any potential dietary deficiencies.

However, in the case of calcium, consuming in excess can be dangerous. Bone spurs, fatigue, depression, kidney stones, and gallstones are all symptoms of calcium toxicity. In the case of this nutrient, more is not better, so take care to consume only the amount of calcium you need.

Strong Vegan Bones with Plant-Based Calcium

Contrary to popular belief, there is a whole world of plant-based foods out there that provide more, if not better, calcium than cow’s milk.

By eating these legumes, leaves, dried fruits, and beverages as part of a healthy, varied diet, you can make sure that your bones will be strong and healthy enough for activity and support without ever having to turn to cruel dairy products to meet your daily goals.

On the plus side, you can still wear an iconic milk mustache – this one will just be soy-based, and you won’t need any to deal with any of the nasty side effects to get it.

The post Your Guide to the Best Vegan Sources of Calcium appeared first on Urban Vegan.

Add the decision to raise that child vegan on top, and suddenly it seems like everyone you meet is an expert on pediatric nutrition.

One low-hanging fruit decision you can answer right away?

Breastfeeding your vegan baby.

Doctors and PETA agree that, if you’re able to do it, breastfeeding is the best form of nourishment for at least the first year of your child’s life.

For some people, this assertion raises eyebrows: isn’t the whole point of veganism to abstain from anything that comes from an animal?

The short answer? Most of the time, yes.

In this case? No.The long answer?

Let’s dive into the details of why human breast milk is 100% vegan for growing human babies.

The Purpose of Milk

This might seem elementary, but it’s important to remember that there is a biological function for milk, and it’s not for lightening coffee or making into cheese.

Female bodies create milk for the sole purpose of feeding babies.

Each mother creates the perfect blend of nutrients and nourishment for her own child, which means the best food for baby cows is cow’s milk, the best food for baby goats is goat milk, and the best food for baby humans is human milk.

Just as drinking mother’s milk is a natural process for baby mammals, so is the weaning process – when a baby cow, goat, or human moves away from the milk its mother makes for solid food.

At that point, the baby can get all the nutrition it needs from other sources – there’s a reason it’s weird to think about a teenager still breastfeeding!

After a certain point, breastmilk is no longer necessary, but while the youngster is growing, mom’s milk is the best, most nourishing food possible.

Whether she is a cow, sheep, or a human, her body produces her baby’s food naturally, and she gives it willingly – which leads us to consent and autonomy.

The Basics of Ethical Veganism

The idea of “abstaining from all animal products” makes veganism conceptually easy to understand when you’re, say, answering a question about what you eat, or need to explain veganism to your grandmother.

But, like many ideologies, there is more to why we are vegans than a blanket statement about abstention – determining whether or not something is truly vegan has more to do with autonomy than the fact that it is an animal product.

Autonomy and consent boil down to the idea that no one can do something with your body unless you give them explicit permission – no violence, no sexual advances, no unwanted contact, nothing unless you have given them an absolute green light.

The idea is that your body is yours and yours alone, and only you are in a position of authority to determine what anyone else can do to it.

When asked why they choose not to purchase and consume animal products, most ethical vegans will give the same general answer – simply put, “it’s not mine.”

It’s always a strange thing to hear someone begin grace with “we thank the animal, which gave its life for this meal,” because in actuality, the animal’s life was taken unwillingly, and if given a chance to escape or avoid slaughter, it would have.

Because the animal’s body belongs to that animal and not to humans, a person has no right to take that animal’s life against its will.

As we mentioned earlier, female bodies produce milk for the purpose of feeding their babies.

Because milk is produced by the mother’s body, it is the mother’s choice alone what happens to that milk.

How Is Taking Milk the Same as Meat?

I’ve always found it helpful, when talking about bodily autonomy, to think about the difference between your flesh and your hair.

Your flesh can be compared to meat – to take it would be to cause, at best, terrible pain, and at worst, your life.

But what about your hair?

It’s something that’s produced by your body, falls out sometimes on its own, and that you might regularly make the decision to cut off entirely, or not at all.

Now think about how you would feel if someone were to cut all your hair off against your will.

It would probably feel like the complete opposite of when you decide to get a haircut – it would be violating, inappropriate, and immoral – because your hair is produced by your body, and only you get to decide what happens to it.

Milk – Making the Connection

When a mother cow produces milk, she’s doing so with the intent of feeding her baby.

However, when she is a dairy cow, and that milk needs to be sold to humans, the calf must be removed from the picture entirely, so it doesn’t slurp up all the product and profit.

Mother and calf are separated almost immediately, which deprives the calf of the milk its mother has created for it, steals the mother cow’s child, and completely violates that cow’s bodily autonomy.

That mother cow’s body has been exploited for its production of milk, and she has had no say in where that milk ends up.

She didn’t make it for people – she made it for her calf.

Think about how different this is from the normal, completely natural process of a mother cow feeding her baby.

Just as vegans encourage a mother cow being able to feed her calf the milk produced by her body, vegans also encourage human babies to drink the milk their mother’s body has created.

When a human mother feeds her child, she is doing exactly what nature intended – nourishing her child with the milk she’s created for it.

She has autonomy over her body to decide to use that milk to feed her child, and consents to doing so – she is making the conscious choice to breastfeed her baby.

This philosophy is in perfect harmony with vegan morals and values.

Veganism is not about abstaining from milk or dairy because of some belief that milk is bad or evil – it comes from the idea that we should only be drinking someone’s milk if:

1. we are the growing child of the person or animal who produced that milk, or
2. we have been given clear permission to consume it.

Because we cannot obtain consent from a mother cow, sheep, or goat, we do not have the right to consume her milk.

However, we can obtain permission from a willing, autonomous human woman, so consensual breastfeeding is absolutely 100% in line with vegan values and beliefs.

What About Banked Human Milk?

Women who are unable to breastfeed may turn to milk banks, which use milk that has been donated by lactating women to use to feed their baby.

Some people believe that, because the mother is not feeding the milk directly to her own baby, this would not be vegan, but in practice, it is also in line with vegan morals and values.

Again, it is the idea of consent here that makes banked breast milk vegan.

Women who donate their milk to banks are doing so willingly, with full knowledge of what the milk will be used for. No one is forcing them to give their milk away, and no one is having them go through the process under any false pretenses, or without full knowledge of the intent.

Unlike cow’s milk, the milk used in banks is not stolen from the mouths of any babies, and the women who bring it there have agreed to give it away.

In addition to consent, compassion, a pillar of veganism, is an important part of what makes banked breast milk vegan.

For a woman who wants to breastfeed her baby, the inability to – whether that be because she cannot produce enough milk, her baby will not latch, or some other issue – can be devastating.

Compassion, the feeling of concern for others that prompts the need to help, is what might drive another woman to donate her breastmilk to help give someone else’s baby the nutrition they need to grow up healthy and happy.

If cows, sheep, and goats could somehow open their mouths, agree to donate their milk to humans, and provide it without force, even that would be vegan.

The difference between a woman breastfeeding her baby or using willingly donated banked milk, versus humans taking milk meant for a baby cow, sheep, or goat, without consent, is what makes breastfeeding and banked milk vegan-friendly ways to feed a child, and other animal-based milk incompatible with a vegan way of life.

If you are thinking of donating your breastmilk to a mother-to-be or you want to feed your baby human breast milk instead of formula, visit the Human Milk Banking Association of North America for more information and locations.

Breastfeeding a Vegan Baby

While it is certainly milk that comes from an animal, there is a huge difference between human breastfeeding and consuming milk from other species.

Because a human woman can consent to providing milk to her child and is capable of making her own decision to do so without the need for force, a human mother breastfeeding her baby, or using banked breast milk from a consenting human female, is perfectly in line with the vegan way of life.

Just as a calf drinking its mother’s milk is completely natural, so is a human child drinking the milk from its own mother – or at least, a willing member of its own species.

The post Is Breast Milk Vegan? appeared first on Urban Vegan.

These “good” bacteria, which help you digest food and keep you feeling healthy, light, and energized, are called probiotics.

Beyond digestive health, probiotics have also been shown to play a role in strengthening the immune system and supporting mental health.  These friendly flora are found naturally in your body, but you can also get probiotics from food.

Dairy products usually get all the glory when it comes to probiotics – nearly every dairy-based yogurt advertisement touts the high probiotic content of the product and its positive effect on digestion.

If you abstain from animal-based milk products because you’re vegan, or because you’re lactose intolerant (nearly 75% of adults are), it may seem like you’re doomed to suffer through poor digestive health.

Luckily, however, there are plenty of plant-based sources of probiotics that are vegan- and allergen-friendly, with none of the cruelty of the dairy industry or irritation that can be caused by the lactose in milk.

Let’s take a high-level look at some of the foods in the plant kingdom that are rich in belly-healing probiotics.

An Overview of Dairy-Free Probiotic Sources

Most probiotic supplements will tell you the strength of the supplement regarding the number of bacteria in each capsule – usually somewhere in the millions.

However, the information is much more difficult to come by when it comes to whole food sources, as a number of bacteria can change drastically depending on the fermentation time, storage method, and amount of heat the food was exposed to.

Instead of giving the exact probiotic counts for each food, we’ve provided the agreed upon servings that deliver a punch of probiotics.

Sauerkraut

4-6 ounces

Yes, believe it or not, the humble fermented cabbage is the top of the chart when it comes to plant-based probiotics, blowing the competition out of the water with some recipes packing nearly ten trillion bacteria in just 4-6 ounces of the stuff – that’s more than a bottle of 100-count probiotic capsules.

Can you believe people write this stuff off as a condiment for hot dogs?

To get the full panel of benefits from sauerkraut, the homemade stuff is a must – luckily, sauerkraut is incredibly easy to make at home, and this will allow you to control the amount of sodium that goes in (which can be high in store-bought brands), as well as flavor your kraut with carrots, beets, and even strong ingredients like ginger and chilis.

Alternatively, you can keep it simple – all you need for homemade sauerkraut is a head of cabbage, some salt, and a jar to keep it in.

The extra effort of homemade sauerkraut is worth it – with every mouthful, you’re consuming billions of helpful organisms that kill off the “bad” bacteria in your gut and help replenish and restore the right bacteria in your digestive tract.

Sauerkraut is an especially good addition to the diet for people who have autoimmune diseases or are coming off a round of antibiotics – anything that has created an imbalance of good and bad bacteria in the gut.

Here’s how to make sauerkraut at home:​

Non-Dairy Yogurt

3.5 ounces

If you enjoyed yogurt with your breakfast or as a snack in your dairy-eating days, there’s no need to go without that tasty tang – plant-based yogurts have come a long, long way since their inception.

Usually made from soy, almond, and coconut milk, non-dairy yogurts come in a variety of textures and flavors and offer probiotic benefits equivalent to yogurt made from cow’s milk.

While probiotics occur in food after fermentation, such as in the fermentation of cabbage into sauerkraut, non-dairy yogurts often have probiotics added in after they have finished processing, as the pasteurization process kills off any good bacteria present during the fermentation process.

The quality of storage of the yogurt will also affect the amount of organisms that make it to your gut.

While delicious, and delivering a good dose of probiotics along with your breakfast, smoothie, or snack, non-dairy yogurts tend to be runnier and less tangy than their cows-milk-based counterparts.

If you’re particular about the taste and texture of your yogurt, you can make your own plant-based yogurt (no-gurt?) at home using an inexpensive yogurt maker, like the Euro Cuisine YM100, and a starter from a store-bought product.

Remember always to look for a non-dairy yogurt that has “live cultures” on the label – this means there are happy, healthy probiotics ready to help heal your gut inside!

Kombucha

8 fluid ounces

Though it has taken off in North America within the last few years, Kombucha has been consumed for thousands of years.

A fermented probiotic drink made from tea, sugar, starter (usually from a previous or store-bought batch), and a SCOBY (a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), the brew, originated in China but is sometimes credited to have first popped up in Russia.

The ingredients are added together and fermented over the course of 7-31 days. This fermentation process results in a naturally carbonated, tangy, and delicious drink that is brimming with healthy probiotics.

In addition to improving digestion by keeping things moving, kombucha has been touted as a health tonic for almost as long as it has been around – it has been said to do everything from detoxifying the liver to increase metabolism to reduce blood pressure.

A “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast” may not be the most appetizing selling point, but rest assured – store-bought kombuchas are just as tasty as they are nutritious.

Companies produce kombucha in every flavor, including fun blends like pineapple-peach, lavender-melon, and tart cherry.

If you’re more the DIY type, kombucha is easy and cheap to make at home, and you can keep using your batches to “feed” your next recipe.

Tempeh

4 ounces

Photo Credit: Wikipedia.org

If you’re looking to get all the benefits of probiotics, but you’re not into the distinct tanginess that can come with many fermented foods, look no further than tempeh.

Also an excellent source of plant-based protein, tempeh is a firm “cake” of Indonesian origin made from fermented soybeans, sometimes with the addition of grains like barley and brown rice.

The fermentation of the soybeans means this food is an excellent source of probiotics, but it has a mild, almost nutty taste, and no detectable trace of sourness or tang.

Because it is fermented, the protein and other nutrients in the soybean not only become more digestible, but it also means the food will not cause gas, indigestion, and intestinal discomfort that can be associated with eating beans.

It’s a double-win for your digestive system!

Tempeh lends itself well to a wide variety of dishes – cubed for stir-fries, crumbled into spaghetti sauce, or sliced thinly for vegan “bacon,” tempeh is a toothsome, savory stand-in for meat.

Some people, like myself, enjoy the taste of tempeh fresh out of the package, but if the taste is too strong for you, boil the block briefly in hot water and serve with a light sauce.

Miso

1 tablespoon

Photo Credit: vegancrunk.blogspot.com

What you thought was a light appetizer at your favorite Japanese restaurant is also a powerhouse for plant-based probiotics.

Another fermented soy product, miso is usually found as a paste, which offers flavor and umami to soups, stews, and stir-fries.

Miso can be made from the fermentation of plain soybeans or can involve other grains like barley and brown rice. A good-quality miso can take up to three years to produce – the longer it ferments, the more smooth and complex the flavor becomes.

Miso paste is available in several varieties: white miso, which has a light, subtly sweet flavor; yellow miso, which is moderately intense; and red miso, which is the most strongly flavored miso available.

Precautions

Miso is a delicate source of probiotics, so it’s important to purchase unpasteurized miso, as the heat from pasteurization can destroy the helpful flora in the paste. You’ll also want to take special care not to heat the miso too much during cooking – if adding to soup or stir-fry, add the miso at the last possible moment to keep the probiotics intact.

Kefir

8 fluid ounces

While there are some types of kefir made from milk or yogurt, vegans and those who are lactose intolerant can enjoy water kefir, a probiotic beverage that uses water kefir grains to culture sugar water, juice, or coconut water.

Like kombucha, kefir grains are a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast – the term “grains” describes only the look of the cultures, as they contain no actual grains such as wheat, rye, or others.

While water kefir can be fermented using powdered kefir starter or kefir grains, you should consume the grain-fermented version whenever possible, as they have a larger number of probiotics than the powdered starter.

Additionally, you can use them indefinitely to keep feeding your next batch of water kefir.

Water kefir contains fewer strains of probiotics than milk kefir, but surprisingly, it packs more of the helpful bacteria in than other dairy-based products like yogurt or buttermilk.

Water kefir is easy to make at home, and it’s simple to adapt the basic recipe to fit your own tastes – watch the video below for detailed (yet simple) instructions.

Probiotic Supplements

1-4 capsules

Not everyone has time to ferment their own cabbage or make their own water kefir, but this doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from the power of probiotics.

While plant-based foods pack in more of a probiotic punch than supplements – just look at sauerkraut – some is better than none, so a probiotic supplement is a good thing to turn to if you really can’t stand the taste of fermented foods, are pressed for time, or are traveling.

When searching for a good vegan-friendly probiotic, make sure to read the back of the label, as many soft-gel capsules use gelatin to create the pills themselves.

Additionally, you’ll want to make sure that your probiotic supplement doesn’t contain any dairy products – look for dairy or milk listed under the allergen section.

If you’re serious about going the supplementation route, you’re going to want to read our in-depth guide to finding a vegan probiotic supplement.​

Bacteria and You

We’re taught from a young age that bacteria are bad, but the reality is that probiotics are not only good, but they’re also essential for our digestive health, keeping us regular, and keeping us feeling good.

While milk-based foods get a lot of the limelight when it comes to probiotics, in many cases, this is overshadowed by the havoc dairy products can wreak on our digestive tracts – nearly 75% of adults are lactose intolerant, and even more people experience uncomfortable bloating and cramping from the sugars in milk.

Luckily, the plant-based foods on this list are vegan-friendly, lactose-free ways to consume probiotics – in many cases, like sauerkraut and water kefir, they provide even more probiotics than foods like yogurt made from cow’s milk.

By incorporating relatively small amounts of these foods into your diet, you’re doing a solid favor for your digestive tract – and the rest of your body – by delivering the much-needed, super-friendly good bacteria your gut needs to keep things moving.

Plus, it doesn’t hurt that these foods are delicious and nutritious as well.

The post A Complete Guide to Vegan Probiotic Sources appeared first on Urban Vegan.

However, sometimes, it can’t make them from scratch and needs a little help – this is the case for Omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-3’s are defined as essential fats, as we are required to get them through foods like vegetable oils, walnuts, flax seeds and our favorite nutritional powerhouse, leafy greens.

What is it that makes Omega-3’s so special?

They are a hardworking fat and play a key structural role in cell membranes, make hormones that regulate blood clotting, and the movement of our artery walls.

They have been shown to help prevent heart disease, and can help control illnesses such as lupus, eczema, and arthritis – more info here.

Table of ContentsOmega-3 and Heart Disease PreventionOmega-3 BalanceSupplementationWhat Vegan Foods Have Omega-3?Flax SeedsChia SeedsMustard OilHemp SeedsSpirulinaTofuOmega-3 in the Vegan Diet

Omega-3 and Heart Disease Prevention

On the whole, vegans tend to be at lower risk for heart disease than omnivores, but as heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, it’s a good idea to take out a little insurance, especially since heart disease can also be hereditary.

Many studies have shown that the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids can decrease the likelihood of a person becoming afflicted with heart disease.

Heart attack survivors who took a one-gram capsule of omega-3’s every day for three years were less likely to have a repeat heart attack, stroke, or suffer sudden death than those who did not. Notably, their risk of sudden cardiac arrest was decreased by a whopping 50 percent – all thanks to a daily dose of a measly gram of omega-3.

Omega-3 Balance

Because the Standard American Diet is high in animal products, Americans tend to over consume another essential fat, omega-6.

Health professionals recommend an omega-6 to an omega-3 ratio of 4:1, but in reality, the average American consumes a ratio that’s closer to 15:1 – much higher than the ideal consumption of omega-6!

It’s important to balance these fats, as too much omega-6 can raise blood pressure, create blood clots, and cause the body to retain water.

A healthy balance between these fatty acids is important in disease prevention.

To date, there is no official recommended standard dose of omega-3, but some organizations suggest 250 to 500 mg of omega-3 for healthy adults.

The American Heart Association recommends 1,000-3,000mg for those with coronary heart disease or high triglycerides.

Supplementation

There are plenty of plant sources of omega-3 for vegans.  However, most of them only contain ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), and are lower in the other omegas, EPA and DHA.

Because the body has trouble efficiently turning ALA into the active forms, taking a supplement can help ensure that you’re getting all the omega-3 you need.

However, when it comes down to it, your body still requires ALA, and the additional nutrients you get from foods high in ALA are all the more beneficial.

Taking a vegan DHA supplement will ensure you’re getting all the important components of omega-3 fatty acids. If you’re looking in stores, make sure you look for a brand without animal ingredients or gelatin.

What Vegan Foods Have Omega-3?

While some people consume fish and fish oil for a dose of omega-3, there are plenty of healthy plant-based sources of omega-3 to maintain that ever-important balance without having to harm animals. Plenty of everyday foods contain healthy amounts of omega-3.

Flax Seeds

2.35g per 2tbsp, Whole

Flax seeds, sometimes called linseeds, are small, oblong brown seeds that have a glossy exterior and a nutty, toasty flavor.

In addition to being a good source of ALA (alpha-linoleic acid, one of the three omega-3 fatty acids), flax seeds are also high in dietary fiber and lignans, which have antioxidant benefits for anti-aging, hormone balance, cellular health, and anti-viral/antibacterial properties. They are frequently included on the list of the world’s healthiest foods.

Flax seeds are a delicious addition to any diet, and there are tons of ways to incorporate them into every part of your day.

Sprinkle whole flax seeds on salads or into your non-dairy yogurt or make muffins and crackers from the ground seeds.

You can buy ground flax seeds in a box at your local grocery store, but I like to purchase the whole seeds and grind them myself in a coffee or spice grinder. Store whole or ground seeds in the freezer to keep them fresh.

Chia Seeds

5g per 2tbsp

Gram for gram, chia seeds contain more omega-3s than salmon – that’s a hard-working little seed! However, it’s important to remember that chia seeds, like flax seeds, only contain ALA omega-3s, which can be hard for the body to convert into EPA and DHA, the “active” forms.

However, when combined with supplementation for EPA and DHA, chia seeds can provide the ALA that is also needed by the human body.

Not to mention, chia seeds are 100% delicious and a great addition to a vegan diet for the other nutrients they provide.

When added to liquid, chia seeds help to thicken and make a creamy texture, not unlike tapioca. A tablespoon of chia seeds in your smoothie or oatmeal make a creamy texture and can help thicken these foods without making them watery.

Mustard Oil

1.6g per 2tbsp

In India and Bangladesh, mustard oil has been used for centuries as a super food and even an aphrodisiac. Made from mustard seeds, the oil is thick, yellow, and pungent, and it is higher in healthy fats than cooking oils like olive, flaxseed, grapeseed, and peanut oils.

You can find mustard oil online or in Indian grocery stores.

Try this recipe for Aloo Sabzi (potatoes cooked in mustard oil) for a tasty, flavorful dish and a dose of ALA fatty acid.

Hemp Seeds

3.3g per 3tbsp

Photo Credit: huffingtonpost.ca

Often described as “a gift of nature”, hemp seeds are a perfect blend of complete protein, essential fats including omega-3, vitamins, and enzymes, without much sugar, starch, or saturated fat.

Most importantly, they include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the optimal balance for health, and the oil contained in the hemp seed is 75-80% “good fat”.

Hemp seeds are small, crunchy, and often compared to chia or flax seeds regarding texture. They lend themselves well to sweet and savory recipes so that you can use them in anything from homemade granola bars and energy balls to a salad topper or crust for grilled tofu.

They have a perfect nutty, mild flavor, so their versatility is pretty unparalleled.

Spirulina

0.88g per 1tbsp

Spirulina, blue-green algae, is food that it still firmly in the “hippie” category, but for all intents and purposes, should be more mainstream.

A good source of plant-based omega-3, Spirulina also contains vitamin B12 (which can be very hard for vegans to get through food), vitamin A, and iron, making it an ideal food to add to the vegan diet.

Perhaps the reason Spirulina hasn’t quite made it into the mainstream is that it doesn’t taste particularly good. However, due to its great health benefits like increasing energy and boosting immunity, it is a good addition to any diet, vegan in particular.

If you don’t want to include it in food (some add it to smoothies, where it can be covered up by the taste of stronger-tasting fruits), you can find spirulina tablets to take a pill, where taste isn’t an issue.

Tofu

0.6g per 4oz

Photo Courtesy of fodmapmonash.blogspot.com

Good old tofu – is there anything this vegan-friendly wonder food can’t do?

Tofu has a whole laundry list of ingredients that include omega-3 fatty acids, iron, magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins. On top of its impressive nutritional profile, tofu is also delicious, and can be cooked in a variety of ways.

For a one-two punch of omega-3s, try cooking tofu in mustard oil with potatoes and Indian spices. You can also blend soft or silken tofu into fruit smoothies for a sweet treat and an added boost of protein and omega-3.

Omega-3 in the Vegan Diet

Ultimately, it’s best if vegans get the majority of their omega-3s from supplementation and still focus on plant-based foods high in omega-3.

This ensures that you’re getting all the necessary kinds of fatty acids in your diet that your brain and body need, in addition to the other important nutrients that come as a package deal in those foods.

Try adding an omega-3 supplement and these omega-3 rich foods into your diet – your brain and body will thank you!

The post Ultimate Guide to Vegan Omega 3 Sources appeared first on Urban Vegan.