1. Vegans are individuals who’ve taken it upon themselves to completely exclude any
form of animal products from their diet and lifestyle. They do not consume beef,
pork, chicken, poultry, fish and seafood and even dairy products and eggs. This
could be a religious or cultural choice as well as for health and medical reasons.
There are also those who, for ethical reasons, some do not use fur, leather, animal
hair products.
The journey to veganism is oftentimes a path people take in search for a healthy,
environment-friendly lifestyle. With the prevalence of the internet, websites and
social networking (not to mention books and magazines) provide valuable
information for those who are on various stages. For those who started with a
conventional (carnivorous) lifestyle, it is recommended to take things slow and
gradual–taking out animal products slowly and replacing with plant-based food.
Quitting cold turkey may lead to withdrawal if done abruptly and/or without the
advice of health and nutrition experts.
These recipes are proof enough that vegan dishes are not difficult to prepare, tasty
and provide all the needed nutrition for a healthy body. Be spoilt for choice from
different categories from easy and quick to gourmet, holiday, breakfast, lunch and
dinner. Highlighting the use of fruits and vegetables, whether sourced from the
farmers market, health food store or grocery, you will not run out of ideas options.
Usually having very short cooking times, recipes are usually quite simple and quick to
prepare. From breakfast smoothies to hearty lunch salads and dinner casseroles,
vegan dishes need not be boring, bland and lacking in texture. However, for special
occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas, you can go gourmet simply by using extra
special ingredients such as truffles, mushrooms, wine and employing more complex
cooking methods. Unconventional food preparation methods of vegan cuisine
include dehydration, sprouting and fermentation.
Highlighting the use of fruits and vegetables, whether sourced from the farmers
market, health food store or grocery, you will not run out of ideas for convenient,
affordable dishes from appetizers to soups, salads to entrees, snacks to drinks and
desserts.

2. Vegans need to be extra aware that
macro and micronutrients such as
protein, iron, calcium and important
vitamins and minerals are enough to
sustain their bodies’ needs. This can be
achieved by careful choices in
ingredients and balance of vegetables,
fruits, nuts, seeds and oils – the former
being consumed in larger quantities more
while the latter used more sparingly.