Going Vegan Is Great For You And The Planet, Just Sayin’.
You can eat nutrient-rich food including full proteins (all eight essential amino acids and then some) and never feel hungry. Plus, it’s the original fast food since you can easily grab fruit and veggies and eat them just as they are. But, how can you be sure it really is vegan?
Ask the Cook – If you’re at a restaurant that has a good chef who understands that people often come back and choose the same menu items, you can ask. Usually, chefs are happy to tell you the ingredients in the food that they cook. And it’s not hard for them to swap things out and in for you because they know this will increase the likelihood of you coming back. Happy repeat customers are what keep restaurants alive. The best time to ask is before you go and if the restaurant doesn’t have what you want you can even negotiate: “We’re a party of four and we love your restaurant. Can you have those ingredients on hand for me by next Thursday? I’ll book now if you can.” Restaurants are businesses and if you’re not impossible about things they will look after you, their customer. Or find a restaurant that does!
Read the Labels – When you buy any type of prepared food, even if it was vegan the last time you checked, if the front label doesn’t point out that it’s vegan, assume that it’s not and read the label. When you read labels it’s important for you to not make assumptions about what something means if it’s a word you don’t know. Look it up.
Cook it Yourself – Obviously, this is the best way to ensure that your food is vegan every time, but check the labels on your ingredients. The best way to ensure that shrimp paste or gelatin from pigs’ trotters or anything else like that doesn’t end up on your plate is to stay with single word foods: carrot, potatoes, eggplant, yogurt, olive oil (ok that’s two) but you get the idea. Foods that haven’t been processed are the foods that retain most nutrients and that your body will recognize as actual food.
Get an App – There are apps that can help you figure out if something you want to eat is vegan or not. Go here and choose one that suits you: “Happy Cow”, “Is It Vegan” and “Bunny Free” are all reliable apps – download one onto your Iphone or Android phone and never be in doubt again!
Check Online – The website Peta.org (People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals) offers a list of accidentally vegan food that they keep updated. You can also lookup any food item on Google. Just type in “Is package food name, vegan?” and you are likely to find where someone else has asked the same question and get your answer.
If you really want to be sure what you’re eating is vegan it’s imperative to get to know the words on the labels and what they mean. It’s also important to realize the easiest way to ensure something is vegan is to buy the food yourself from the produce department and avoid packaged food.
Karla.
Have you seen The Game Changers on Netflix? The Game Changers spun me around about what was at stake for me and everyone I know. it’s well worth watching.
