A few months ago my daughter decided she wanted to be vegan. I loved her idea and we went in search of some healthy vegan cookbooks. We found two good ones we liked. They are great because they focus on nutrient dense foods, are gluten free and offer tasty recipes.
Being vegan is very doable and noble and it also brings some challenges. Such as making sure a developing teenager learns to focus on eating healthy foods instead of junk and for her to make sure she gets enough proteins. Two websites helped: one for calculating how much protein she needs every day:
and one for researching the protein content of different foods (per 100g of a given food)
Focusing on plant based foods opens up a world of wonderful, healthy and delicious dishes. Plus, you are not adding to the cruelty done to animals in mass production farming. Reducing meat and dairy intake alone, and replacing them with plant based milks and milk products makes A HUGE difference. And if you chose to enjoy animal protein, make sure it comes from ethical farms, pasture raised, organic and preferably local farms.
Here are some steps to ensure your vegan experience will be a good one:
Calculate how much protein you'll need every day and keep track of your intake.
Have protein with every meal.
Only consume healthy fats such as: Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Walnut Oil, Avocado Oil, Vegan Cultured Butter, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Flax Seed Oil etc.
Avoid all of these oil: Canola Oil , Cottonseed Oil, Soybean Oil,(all three are in many prepared foods and have absolutely no health benefits), any and all hydrogenated fats
One last book recommendation, this one is good, not as focused on health foods but she has some good recipes in there, kinda like vegan versions of foods you may be more used to already:
Go ahead, and try some new things, you may surprise yourself. And my doing so, you are doing something good for yourself and our planet.
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