In the past, vegan simply meant not eating or using animal products. That's it. Today, however, vegan means much more. It goes far beyond diet and avoiding leather, etc., and is more of a description of a mindset, a conviction, a way of life. Incidentally, around 1 billion people worldwide live vegan.
The reasons why people want to go vegan vary widely, yet they all point in the same direction. For some, the primary motivation is love for animals and the rejection of the degrading living conditions of animals in the meat industry. For other vegans, health considerations are paramount. For others, converting to veganism is a general expression of a sustainable lifestyle. And yet others consider all three aspects equally important.
Veganism is a mindset, not a diet!
Living a vegan lifestyle isn't always easy. Hidden animal products are everywhere—even in places you wouldn't expect them, like cosmetics. When making the switch, old habits and things you take for granted, like wearing leather shoes, have to be abandoned. Even visiting a restaurant is often difficult, as many owners and chefs aren't sufficiently familiar with vegan cuisine.
Would you like to live a vegan lifestyle with your family in the future? Then we'd like to help you with this article. We've compiled a wealth of tips and information for you.
The biggest hurdle: Switching to a vegan lifestyle
The transition from an omnivorous lifestyle to a vegan one is the most difficult for most people. This is partly because they have to get used to a vegan lifestyle. It's also often because they're simply not very familiar with the subject yet.
Take it slow. Don't overdo the transition and approach the process carefully and with common sense. Choosing a vegan lifestyle also means throwing away a lot of things and buying new ones. For most people, it's financially impossible to throw away, for example, all the leather shoes of a family member and replace them with new ones on a given day.
Take the pressure off yourself!
You don't have to go vegan all at once. Allow yourself a transition period of a few months—especially when changing everything beyond your diet. When it comes to food, however, you can indeed make a change overnight. However, it's much better if you don't put too much pressure on yourself and take it slow. Gradually replace your dishes with vegan alternatives. This may take a few weeks.
All family members should really want to participate
If possible, all family members should be fully committed to the transition. Ideally, you should consult your pediatrician or a vegan nutritionist before the transition to ensure the process is safe and seamless.
Have in-depth discussions about this as a family. Talk about all aspects of the transition and be aware of the many benefits. But also address potential difficulties and problems. If a family member absolutely refuses to adopt a vegan lifestyle, you won't be able to force them. And that won't help either.
While there will be only vegan food at home from now on, outside the home this person will eat whatever they like and may continue to wear leather shoes. So talk about how you want to handle this and how you will respect each other's lifestyle.
The vegan diet
One of the main aspects of a vegan lifestyle is, of course, food. This is where the difficulties begin for many converts. It's less about knowing what you shouldn't eat, but rather about knowing what you need to eat to provide your body with sufficient nutrients.
The vegan food pyramid can help with this. It provides guidance on which vegan foods you should consume and in what proportions. The specific recommendations are as follows:
- Get plenty of exercise and drink at least 1.5 liters of water a day.
- Eat 300g of fruit and 400g of vegetables daily.
- Eat four servings of potatoes, cereals and whole grain products daily.
- Eat legumes, nuts, seeds and algae several times a week.
- Eat only good fats and very little alcohol and sweets.
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Tip #1 It's best to create a meal plan (along with a shopping list) for the entire week. This way, you won't forget anything and you'll keep track of the nutrients and levels of the pyramid.
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Tip #2 Combine vegan and sustainable food into a holistic concept. Just because you eat vegan doesn't mean you're eating completely sustainably. When choosing dishes and products, consider other aspects such as regional producers, seasonal vegetables and fruit, fair trade products, and many organic-certified foods.
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Vitamin B12 and other possible nutrient deficiencies
Some nutrients are (almost) only found in sufficient quantities in animal products. This is due, among other things, to the way our food is processed today. For this reason, you should pay attention to the foods you eat and the nutrients they contain.
As with an omnivorous diet, vegans also need to maintain a balanced diet. You need to know where to get the nutrients you need. However, vitamin B12 is rarely found in plant-based foods and should therefore be supplemented. It's best to seek advice from your family doctor.
iron
Let's take iron as an example. Scientists have since discovered that there are different forms of iron and that the plant-derived, so-called "non-heme iron" can only be utilized by our bodies to the extent of one-twentieth. So, even if spinach contains 3 mg of iron per 100 g of spinach, the body can only absorb 0.15 mg of it. To meet your daily requirement of 10 mg, you would have to eat almost 7 kg of spinach per day. Of course, there are also vegan foods that provide you with sufficient iron. To avoid a nutrient deficiency, you need to be well-informed about the different foods and their properties.
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Tip #3
An easy way to prevent a potential deficiency in these nutrients is to use appropriate supplements. Make sure they are labeled vegan and, for example, do not contain lactose .
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Tip #4 Don't be fooled into thinking that every vegan product is automatically healthy. French fries may be vegan, but they're anything but healthy. Moreover, many vegan convenience foods contain a lot of fat, sugar, and flavorings to imitate the taste of meat, for example.
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Tip #5 For many of your favorite recipes, you can simply use vegan substitutes for milk (e.g., almond or oat milk), eggs (plant-based protein powder), butter (vegan margarine), and cheese (vegan cheese). These taste just as good as those made from animal-based ingredients.
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Vegan everyday life
Besides diet, many other factors play a role in a vegan lifestyle. Let's focus on two aspects: clothing and personal hygiene.
Vegan clothing
As a vegan, you reject all animal products, including wool, leather, and silk. When transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, you shouldn't immediately throw away all of these items of clothing, as that would not only be expensive but also not truly sustainable . The items are there, after all. Perhaps start with the items you no longer like or fit as well and gradually work your way up to your former favorites.
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Tip #6 Don't just throw away clothes. Try selling them at a secondhand shop, for example, or swapping them with a friend. Of course, you can also give them away or donate them. Anything is better than throwing them away.
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The same applies to shoes, of course. Just like your clothing, gradually replace your footwear with vegan alternatives. There are now many fashion labels that completely avoid leather, wool, and other animal-based materials.
Body care and cosmetics
When it comes to body care and cosmetics, there are two aspects to consider. First, there are products that contain animal-based raw materials, such as shampoos containing dairy products or honey.
Second, you should consider animal welfare and make sure the products were developed without animal testing. This can be a bit tricky, though. While animal testing for cosmetic products has long been banned in the EU, there are still companies that continue to conduct animal testing in other countries, for example. You'll need to do a bit of online research to make sure you're not buying such a product.
Of course, producers have also recognized the general trend and are increasingly offering a vegan seal or even an entire vegan care or cosmetics range.
Vegan nutrition for children
Feeding children a vegan diet requires careful preparation. Children have different nutritional needs than adults. Children's growth and development require a lot of energy, vitamins, and nutrients. Therefore, it's especially important to consult a pediatrician or a vegan nutritionist.
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Tip #7 To ensure that your child is doing well and staying healthy on a vegan diet, you should have them checked regularly by a doctor and have their nutrient levels measured in their blood.
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Is breast milk vegan?
A nice observation to conclude our article: If you look closely, we humans are also animals. And even if we eat a vegan diet (after all, cows do too), that doesn't automatically make human breast milk vegan, does it?
But let's be honest: What is it really about if we want to avoid animal products? It's about the welfare of the animals. It's about ensuring they aren't exploited for our own ends. It's about not taking away the milk from a mother (a cow) that she actually only produces to give to her calves (who were taken away from them).
And that's completely different with breast milk. Of course, it comes from an animal (because we humans are also animals by definition), but the mother produces it precisely for the baby that receives the milk. And the mother wasn't forced to undergo artificial insemination, doesn't have to live in prison, and isn't forced to give up her milk.
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Tip #8 Not only is it perfectly fine for vegans to breastfeed their babies, it is also strongly recommended.
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We'd love to hear about your experiences with your family's transition to a vegan lifestyle. Feel free to email us!
