How to Eat Healthy as a Vegan

Just because you're eating vegan, doesn't mean you're eating healthy. A vegan could eat a bag of potato chips or cookies for each meal. If you're going to choose the vegan lifestyle, make sure you're getting the proper nutrients.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Limit your intake of prepackaged vegan foods. Make your own vegan burgers rather than buying frozen ones. Don't eat vegan ice cream too often because it contains preservatives and additives.

2. Incorporate rice and beans into your diet as much as possible. They're versatile, vegan and economical. Rice and beans together form a complete protein and are packed with nutrients.

3. Vary your choice of grains. Don't eat oatmeal for breakfast every single morning. Eat rye, kasha or barley in addition to oats.

4. Include ancient grains in your diet. Quinoa, millet, and amaranth are healthful and vitamin-packed.

5. Take advantage of the vegetable tray in social settings. If you look hard enough, you'll usually find vegan options.

6. Use a variety of dairy-free milk products. Don't use soy milk every day, since it can raise estrogen levels. Substitute rice milk, oat milk or almond milk.

7. Opt for whole foods as much as possible. It's possible to find foods with long ingredient lists that are actually vegan, but they're not the healthiest choices. Don't choose foods containing unhealthy ingredients, such as excessive sugars and bad fats, simply because they qualify as vegan.

8. Purchase vegan margarine that doesn't contain hydrogenated oils. Make sure you read the labels.

Tips & Warnings

• When buying vegan packaged foods, look for food items that have shorter ingredient lists. If you don't know what an ingredient is, don't buy the food until you've researched it.

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[chilibop]

on 2/25/2009 you're exactly right! Processed food, whether you are vegan are not, should be limited. 5*