The Vegan Diet: What it is, how it works, and recipe ideas

The Vegan Diet: What is it?

Going vegan can be everything from a diet regime to a wider lifestyle, but for now we'll focus on veganism from a food perspective alone.

Being vegan means cutting out meat and fish, as well as all other animal derived products - such as eggs and dairy.

Many vegans also chose to avoid honey, too.

So cut out the Saturday morning fry ups – simple, right? Wrong.

Where is gets more complex is the ingredients that turn up in food that you wouldn’t look at and think of as ‘animal derived’ – such as gelatine in sweets, egg in fresh pasta and milk in chocolate.

There are many reasons why people adopt a vegan diet, from environmental to their love of animals, or simply a distaste for meat, so don't assume everyone adopting a vegan diet is doing it for the same reason, or shares the same opinion.

Can vegans still have a balanced diet?

Jimmy Pierce, a spokesperson for The Vegan Societyexplains:

"Well-planned vegan diets can be devised to support optimal health at any age and life stage.

"It provides all the essential nutrients and minerals we need but, like any way of eating, you need to make sure you are getting everything you need nutritionally.

"Include plenty fresh veg and fruit, pulses, grains, nuts and seeds, make curries, soups, stews and you can still have the odd vegan burger, pizza, fajita or pasta dish."

Despite what is commonly thought, there are plenty ways you can get nutrients that are usually found in meat.

For example, nuts, lentils, tofu, soy milk and quinoa are all high in protein, and for a quick iron fix vegans can turn to beans, dark green leafy vegetable such as spinach and cereals.

Tips for going vegan

Although it may seems like a big challenge, Jimmy insists that: “It’s never been easier to be vegan. There are vegan alternatives to pretty much everything now. Whatever your favourite dish, you can so easily veganise it.”

And many high street restaurants are getting on board, too.

With so many subtitutes available in mainstream supermarkets now, you can easily access alternatives to your usual diet.

Swap out your regular milk and try one of the many options from rice, soy, almond to coconut milk to find what's right for you.

Switch up eggs for protein-rich tofu, and mince beef for soya mince (like this one from Sainsbury's)

and brands like Linda McCartney do a great vegan range, from sausages to pies.

Jimmy also advises:

“When shopping, look out for the Vegan Trademark, which is the original and most established standard for products that are free of animal use, meaning the ingredients and processes have been checked by The Vegan Society.

*The Vegan Trademark symbol to watch out for *

"Some other products state the manufacturer thinks they are suitable for vegans, while lists of ingredients often embolden allergen, so check these for the likes of egg, milk and cheese and so on.

As well shops like Wholefoods and Holland and Barrett clearly stocking vegan-friendly foods, supermarkets like Sainsbury's are also increasingly making is easily for vegans to decipher products - at least amongst thier own brand, labelling whether it's vegan clearly alongside the rest of the nutritional information.

“Join local vegan groups on Facebook, go to vegan fairs, chat to people and share tips," Jimmy also advises.

Vegan recipe ideas:

Recipe: Vegan Roasted Rosa Chick'n Schnitzel

Ingredients:

Find the instructions HERE.

Recipe: Vegan and gluten-free Braised Cauliflower and Puy Lentil Tabouleh

Ingredients:

For the garnish:

Find the instructions HERE.

Recipe: Vegan Sweet Potato Burgers

Ingredients:

Garlic Aioli:

Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups with Toasted Coconut

Ingredients:

For the instructions, see HERE.

Recipe: Vegan Raw Spiced Apple and Date Pie

Ingredients:

For the crust:

For the filling:

For the topping:

For the instructions, see HERE.

*Thanks to:

Jimmy Pierce, The Vegan Society and Veganaury.com.*