New research indicates that eating a diet containing animal proteins increase the risk of heart disease, cholesterol, cancer, and obesity and researchers are encouraging people to eat vegetarian protein sources instead of animal protein sources. Although the high-protein diets like the Atkins diet have been fading away to obscurity, most popular diets include meat an other animal by-products as an essential part of the diet. It seems that for years we’ve been told the trick to loosing weight is to cut down on carbs and increase our animal proteins. If these diets are no longer healthy, how are we going to lose weight? A vegan diet is the answer.

Unlike diets, veganism is a lifestyle change. You don’t just change the way you eat for a few months; you change the way you live. By making a lifestyle change the weight will come off easier and it will stay off.

When you are on a vegan diet you will skip the refined foods. The vegan diet includes a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. A variety of fresh fruits and vegetables are essential to any healthy diet. They are low in calories and fat and high in nutrition. The government recommends you eat 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Eat a vegan diet and you’ll reach that number in no time.

The vegan diet also includes whole grains, beans and legumes which are also essential for a healthy, well-balanced diet. These foods make the diet high in fiber, which means that you will feel fuller for longer. Feeling fuller longer will help tremendously when trying to avoid snacking.

Following a vegan diet not only offers many health benefits, it can aide you in your quest to lose and maintain a healthy weight. If you’re ready to try a vegan diet, check out Starting a Vegan Diet for tips.

Sloppy joes have been a staple in American cooking for years. Here is the vegan answer to an old favorite. Lentils take the place of ground meat and tamari gives this sandwich a new zing. Kids and adults will love this messy and healthy meal. After a long day at work and school, you will love coming home to the wonderful smells of Sloppy Lentils cooking, and dinner will be on the table in a snap.

Vegan Sloppy Lentils Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped
• 1 small red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 cups dried brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
• One 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons tamari or other soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar or a natural sweetener
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 to 6 buns/rolls

Directions:

1. Heat a medium-sized non-stick skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and bell pepper, cover, and cook until softened, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the chili powder, stirring to coat.
4. Transfer the onion mixture to a 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker.
5. Add the lentils, tomatoes, water, tamari, mustard, brown sugar, salt, and pepper to taste and stir to combine.
6. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours.
7. When you get home, preheat broiler on oven.
8. Slice buns/rolls and place on broiler safe baking sheet, inside facing up.
9. Place buns/rolls in oven for 2-3 minutes or until they are toasted. Keep an eye on them as they can burn easily.
10. Serve sloppy lentils on the toated buns/rolls with your favorite condiments, sides and lots of napkins.

Serves: 4 to 6

[Recipe Courtesy of Fatfreevegan.com]

Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Moskowitz and Terry Romero

For those of you just beginning a vegan diet and those who have been vegan for years, Veganomicon is a must have cookbook. The beginning of the book outlines the best way to cut and cook every fruit and vegetable you can think of and how to prepare grains of all shapes and sizes. The recipes are fresh and delicious. You won’t find fake meat or substitutes in this book. The authors have really tapped into the joy of eating a vegan diet. As an added bonus, each recipe has icons (prep time, if there’s soy in it, where to find what you need) which will allow to find recipes to try a glance.

Veganomicon will spice up your vegan diet and will satisfy the non-vegans in your life as well.

Get Your Copy Today

Summertime is the best season for salads. This salad is bursting with great flavors, lots of color and a lot of crunch. Vegan Mexican Bean Salad is so hearty, you could serve it as a main dish instead of on the side. Make the salad one to two days ahead for the best result.

Vegan Mexican Bean Salad

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) package of frozen corn thawed or 1 (15 ounce)
• 1 red onion, chopped

Salad Dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons vegan white sugar
• 3/4-1 tablespoon salt
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Salad Directions:

1. In a very large bowl, combine salad ingredients and stir.
2. In small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, lime and lemon juice, garlic, cilantro, cumin and black pepper.
3. Add smaller amounts of sugar and salt to dressing mixture and whisk. Add more to taste.
4. Add hot sauce and chili powder to taste.
5. Poor dressing over salad and combine until salad is coated.
6. Cover and chill overnight or at least several hours.
7. Serve salad well chilled.

[Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com]

Apparently there is some question as to whether or not sugar is Vegan friendly.  Sugar does come from plants, but during the refining process some sugar does come into contact with animal products. Here’s the scoop on how to know if the sugar you are using is vegan or not.

White sugar comes from two sources: cane and beet. Beet sugar is refined but it never comes into contact with bone char. Bone char is made from cow bones and is sometimes during the refining process of cane sugar in the filters to whiten the sugar. Each refinery is different and below you will find a list of refineries that use bone char and those that do not.

Confectioner’s sugar (or powdered sugar) is made with refined white sugar and cornstarch. It may or may not be vegan depending on if the white sugar is can sugar and where it was refined.

Brown Sugar is refined white sugar with molasses added in. It may or may not be vegan depending on on if the white sugar is can sugar and where it was refined.

Fructose may or may not be refined using bone char. You will need to check with the refinery.

If you would prefer to use sugar substitutes, according to PETA Sucanat and turbinado sugar are never filtered using bone char.

Just to recap, if your white sugar is beet sugar you do not need to worry. If you use white sugar that is cane sugar, you want to make sure your sugar is not refined by a company that uses bone char during the refining process. You will want to avoid store brand white cane sugar because it is hard to know which refinery it came from. For confectioner’s and brown sugar that use white cane sugar as a base you will need to determine where it was refined. Here is a list of refineries.

Refineries that DO NOT use bone char:

Florida Crystals Refinery
P.O. Box 86
South Bay, FL 33493
407-996-9072
Labels: Florida Crystals

Refined Sugars Incorporated
One Federal St.
Yonkers, NY 10702
914-963-2400
Labels: Jack Frost, Country Cane, 4# Flow-Sweet

Pillsbury
Makes powdered brown sugar

Supreme Sugar Company (subsidiary of Archer Daniels Midland)
P.O. Box 56009
New Orleans, LA 70156
504-831-0901
Labels: Supreme, Southern Bell, Rouse’s Markets

Refineries that DO use bone char:

Domino
1114 Ave. of the Americas
25th Fl.
New York, NY 10036
212-789-9700

Savannah Foods
P.O. Box 335
Savannah, GA 31402
912-234-1261

California & Hawaiian Sugar Company (with the exception of its Washed Raw Sugar)
830 Loring Ave.
Crockett, CA 94525-1104
510-787-2121