FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. What is Veganism?
A. Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. If we are talking strictly in terms of diet, Vegans exclude meat (and yes, fish included), all dairy, eggs and honey.
Q. What is the difference between being Vegan and following a plant-based diet?
A. All Vegans follow a plant-based diet but not all people who follow a plant-based diet are necessarily Vegan. There are many people who do it only for health concerns and not because of ethical reasons so they have no problem wearing leather, silk, etc.
Q. Eating Vegan is very expensive. How do you do it taking into consideration that we are in recession?
A. Contrary to popular belief, Veganism is not expensive. As a matter of fact, my food bill was reduced significantly without the meat and dairy products.
Personally, I do not enjoy meat substitutes or processed Vegan foods such as Vegan hot dogs, etc so I don’t buy it.
A plate of rice, beans and vegetables is a meal. You can make countless dishes with potatoes, sweet potatoes, pasta, pumpkin, broccoli, patchoy and the list goes on. These things are way cheaper than meat products and dairy.
Q. Can I get adequate protein, iron, calcium, and vitamins on a Vegan diet?
A. Of course. Protein is found in lots of foods. Lentils, beans, seeds, spinach, nuts, quinoa, avocado, raisins, tempeh and the list continues! A lot of these foods also provide you with iron, you also have watermelon, potatoes, chickpeas, etc.
About calcium, we have a long list of vegetables that contain it: Broccoli, okra, celery, green beans, onions, spinach, kale, cabbage, fennel, etc! What about vitamins? All of these same foods and fruits!
Q. What is vitamin B12 and how do you get it on a Vegan diet?
A. Vitamin B12 does a lot of things for your body. It helps make your DNA and your red blood cells. Also helps fight anemia and dementia between other things so it is an important vitamin.
Vegans eat fortified foods that contain Vitamin B12 such as some breakfast cereals and nutritional yeasts. Some Vegans also choose to take a B12 supplement.
Q. Are you a health or an ethical Vegan?
A. I am foremost an ethical Vegan but I am also very passionate about health related issues happening in our country.
Q. How can I become Vegan?
A. Personally, I suggest you start by researching, reading and studying everything about Veganism so you can make an informed decision. Keep also an eye on this blog. 😉
Second, keep in mind this is going to be a process and how long it will take depends on the individual. Please, do not jump from eating meat and dairy to going Vegan overnight because you might not end up sticking to it for very long.
You have to be very patient with yourself, there will be times that you will try and you might fail. Do not give up! Check what exactly went wrong and try again as many times as necessary.
It is a very personal journey so take whatever time you need to do it right. Your body will thank you for it and our beautiful animals too.