Are you someone who loves grilled sausages?
Are you someone who cannot resist chicken nuggets?
Are you someone who starts salivating at the sight of a fried beacon?
But, are you also the one who dreads the sight of animals crying in pain. Someone, who cannot see another creature screaming in misery.
If yes, then it's imperative for you to understand that the meal that tastes out of this world reaches your table after going through unimaginable suffering.
What if we tell you, it is 100% possible to get that similar taste and treat for your taste buds which satiates your soul through vegan meatloaf made with plant-based ingredients. Yes, it is possible to have delicious heart-filling meals with protein-rich vegan breakfast sausages, Gardein Chicken nuggets, and other plant protein vegan meats.
Veganism refers to a lifestyle where people choose plant-based ingredients for their nutrition. The dairy products like milk, cheese, butter are replaced by plant-based milk sources such as oat milk, soy milk, almond milk, vegan cheese, and butter. However, vegans slightly differ from vegetarians who don’t consume chicken, meat but may consume animal products such as milk and butter. Every year, on November 1, vegans around the world get together to celebrate World Vegan Day. People across the globe host potlucks, share their love by providing each other with scrumptious vegan food and celebrate veganism.
To make this world a more inclusive and cruelty-free place, many people have made a choice to adopt veganism as a lifestyle. Not only for ecologically ethical reasons but also for its immense health benefits.
According to www.sciencedaily.com, a plant-based diet reduces the probability of increased cholesterol levels. It is rich in fiber, which helps the body get rid of excess cholesterol from the digestive system in return, preventing the chances of obesity and hypertension, diabetes, and cancer.
A 2018 documentary, The Game Changers by Refuel Productions on Netflix (https://gamechangersmovie.com/) reveals several mind-boggling facts on the human body and nutrition. In the documentary, James Wilks, a combative expert who teaches fighting techniques to the US Army discovers that the famous Roman Gladiator fighters who received advanced training in fighting techniques and premium medical attention were primarily vegetarians. Yes, the study reveals that these vegetarian gladiators had higher strontium levels in their bones which refers to how strong their bones were, and their bones’ ability to repair broken bones was higher than the meat-eaters.
The documentary also reveals how top athletes across different games have explored and thrived because of a nutritious plant-based vegan diet. The most awe-inspiring example in the documentary is that of Patrik Baboumian, a four-world-record-holding Strongman. He amazed the audience by lifting the heaviest weight carried by a human being that is 1224 pounds and excitedly showed his strength by screaming “Vegan Power”.
The facts mentioned in the documentary question the age-old tradition of convincing children to eat meat if they want to be strong. A lot of it has to do with the advertisements that emerged in the culture scape, where vegetarians were considered weak and those who eat meat were seen as strong like a man.
Do you remember the advertisements on billboards and on televisions where Portuguese soccer star Christiano Ronaldo promotes KFC Chicken claiming it to be ‘so good’ and convinces people to consume more of it by affirming that this is the secret of his resilience, strength, and swiftness on the field? How many among us were convinced? Many among us, because a person of such stature was paid heavily by the Food and Beverage company to speak those words. Result: People were convinced and the sales of KFC shot up!
The Kentucky Fried Chicken serves deep-fried meals and is high in cholesterol, it is tasty but definitely not healthy. With the increasing awareness and benefits of a vegan diet, the number of people choosing and promoting a plant-based lifestyle has shot up. Instagrammers and Youtubers such as Pick up Limes, AvantGardeVegan, RainbowPlantLife, and many others share lip-smacking sweet and savory dishes for people to treat themselves with. There is a revolution in Food and Beverages Industry with emerging vegan restaurants across the globe to provide travelers with a choice to consume vegan food. Almost every major city such as London, New York, Melbourne, Berlin has plenty of options for travelers to choose from.
A sudden transition into the vegan world is definitely not easy, there are many people who crave meatloaf at the beginning of their journey as their body is accustomed to animal-based products. It takes time to alter the age-old dietary behavior but for such people, vegetarian meat has emerged as an innovative food item that tastes similar to meat but is made from 100% vegan ingredients. Companies like Gardein provide alternative options such as vegan chicken nuggets, vegan meats, vegan sausage and also have special variety in vegan soups.
Usually, vegan meats are prepared with soy protein, pea protein, mung bean protein, yeast extract, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, coconut oil, and sunflower oil. In some dishes, beet extract is used to give a similar color to that of meat. Plant-based ingredients used in vegan meat have lower sodium, fat, and cholesterol levels and are rich in dietary fiber and carbohydrates which are essential for the digestive enzymes of the human body.
A controversy that has been linked with the Vegan food industry has been the extensive use of Soya Flour and Soya Protein Isolate. It is believed that when consumed, Soy increases estrogen levels in the body which are responsible for the development and regulation of specific hormones. But in reality, Soy contains phytoestrogens which block bodies’ estrogen receptors
especially protecting women from diseases such as breast cancer. Higher estrogen levels caused by animal-based products such as chicken, eggs, dairy makes the human body prone to various diseases. Hence, vegan products are safe and healthy to consume by any age group.
Some other nutritional facts about the consumption of vegan plant-based food are that it helps to drop cortisol levels, also referred to as stress hormone in the body by 27% as compared to people who consume meat. The unprocessed carbohydrates such as oats, sweet potatoes, bananas are associated with fat loss and higher energy levels. Carbohydrates provide glycogen to the body which keeps the human body energetic for a longer period of time.
Michael Greger, the author of the book ‘How Not to Die’ explains that animals such as Chicken, Goat, Cow, Pig receive their protein from plant-based sources. If human beings want to satiate the requirement of protein for their body, they can directly access it from plant-based sources such as beans and lentils rather than including an animal protein in their diet which is much more complex for kidneys to digest than plant-based protein obtained from vegan food.
There are numerous health benefits of consuming vegan substitutes for animal-based meat. By choosing plant-based vegan meat, give some treats to your taste buds, and nutritious food to your organs. You will be amazed to observe how efficient and energetic your brain and body become to provide you with a healthy personal life and a professionally fruitful life. “Whether you go vegan for the environment, for your health, or for animals, you have the power to change the world, simply by changing what’s on your plate.”
If you want to begin your journey, begin now! https://how-to-go-vegan.peta.org/
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