E Magazine December 4, 2007
http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3950
Cheeseless and Loving It
Going Vegan has Never Been Easier
By Melissa Knopper
Sarah Florez traces her veganism to a
life-altering experience at the age of seven.
Florez visited a turkey farm four days before
Thanksgiving. As she stood there with the rest of
her Girl Scout Troop, eye to eye with the
turkeys, something clicked. That night, she went
home and put her foot down. "I said 'I'm really
sorry, Mom, but I just can't do it. I can't eat
turkey this year.'"
Her well-meaning mother called a restaurant and
arranged for this budding vegetarian to have a
big slab of ham instead. But it was a start.
Today, Florez owns Three Little Figs, a vegan
market in Boulder, Colorado. She's famous for her
indulgent dairy-free mac 'n cheese and eggless
chocolate chip cookie dough. Her store sells
everything from spicy curry mix to soy cheese
ravioli and creamy strawberry truffles.
For Florez, it's all about the animals. She
adopted a vegan lifestyle after an internship at
Farm Sanctuary, a shelter for abused poultry and
livestock in Watkins Glen, New York.
"I thought I could never live without cheese,"
she says. "But once I learned about the cruelty
that goes on in the egg and dairy industry, it
took no effort to give it up."
In fact, People for the Ethical Treat-ment of
Animals (PETA) estimates you can save 100 farm
animals by switching to a vegan diet. Florez
calls it "voting for good with a sandwich."
A Big Commitment
It's not clear how many Americans are vegans. A
2002 Time/CNN poll said 0.2 percent. A 2006 poll
by the Vegetarian Resource Group says 1.4 percent
follow that diet. Chris Beckley, president of the
Colorado Vegetarian Society, cites a one percent
figure, and adds that more people are making the
switch every day. Many are motivated by
environmental concerns.
"It takes an enormous amount of water to make a
pound of meat," Beckley says. "It's extremely
wasteful from a resource standpoint to eat any
kind of animal products."
Give up meat, eggs and milk and you can do your
part to prevent erosion, factory farm runoff,
global warming and the overuse of antibiotics.
Not to mention salmonella and E.coli outbreaks.
Eating lower on the food chain also makes more
room to feed hungry people in developing
countries. And there's an equally convincing
reason to go vegan: better health. Studies show
vegans have a lower rate of heart disease and
diabetes because they eat less fat and more
fruits, veggies and fiber. The National Cancer
Institute is currently funding research into how
vegan diets might help prevent brain and prostate
cancer.
"Vegetarians tend to consume higher intakes of
phytochemicals, which have anti-cancer activity,"
says Keri Gans, a spokesperson for the American
Dietetic Association. Leafy greens and orange
vegetables offer the strongest cancer prevention.
Meanwhile, PETA estimates vegans are nine times
less likely to be obese. Vegans have an average
cholesterol of 133, compared with 210 for meat
eaters, PETA says. Eating less dairy also reduces
nasal congestion, ear infections and sinus
problems, according to the Encyclopedia of
Natural Medicine. Author John Robbins (The Food
Revolution) claims vegans live an average of six
to 10 years longer than meat eaters.
Meeting the Challenges
"Anybody who plans it well and thinks it out will
do fine on it," says Janet M. Melton, assistant
director of Inpatient Clinical Dietetics for Mayo
Healthcare in Rochester, Minnesota.
New vegans worry about getting enough protein
without eggs, milk or cheese. But Melton says we
don't need as much protein as people think. It's
about 50 grams per day for women and 60 grams per
day for men, she estimates. Good vegan protein
sources include tofu, tempeh, nut butters, soy or
rice milk and cheese, nuts and seeds.
Calcium can be another concern, especially for
women who are at higher risk for osteoporosis.
Luckily, there are plenty of fortified soy milks
and orange juice brands. Leafy greens, figs and
almonds are other good sources of calcium.
Calcium needs vary between about 1,000 and 1,200
milligrams per day, Melton says, increasing as
you get older.
Vegans who don't eat a varied diet can be at risk
for anemia (lack of iron) or vitamin B12
deficiency. Severe fatigue is a symptom of both.
Vegans should get 2.4 micrograms per day of B12,
Melton says. Men and post-menopausal women need
eight milligrams per day of iron, according to
the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). Women
age 18 to 50 need 18 milligrams of iron per day.
Iron-rich foods include dark leafy greens and
beans. Eat these foods with vitamin C (in orange
juice, lemon or tomatoes) for better absorption,
Melton says.
Take it Seriously
Being a vegan is a responsibility, says Miami
dietician Lisa Dorfman, nutrition advisor to the
U.S. Olympic women's sailing team and author of
The Vegetarian Sports Nutrition Guide. "You can't
be a poor-eating vegan," Dorfman says.
So what do experienced vegans eat? A tour around
Whole Foods shows you can find vegan substitutes
for nearly everything. They sell non-dairy ice
cream bars, milkless American cheese slices,
savory bean burritos and surprisingly tasty
canned chili with seitan instead of ground beef.
"You're seeing a lot of grocery stores going over
to vegan and vegetarian entrées," says Beckley.
"It's definitely a growing trend."
Eaters new to veganism may find their stomachs
rumbling late at night. Before you fill up on
another bowl of Soy Delicious ice cream, Joanne
Saltz-man (author of Intuitive Cooking) suggests
rethinking your meal plan.
She recommends eating good fats, such as olive
oil, avocado and nuts. "You need them to make you
feel satisfied," she adds.
In her vegetarian cooking classes at the School
of Natural Cookery in Boulder, Colorado, Saltzman
offers a simple strategy for creating vegan
meals. Just pick a protein source (like beans or
tofu), a whole grain (say, brown rice or cous
cous) and some vegetables. Put them together with
sauces and spices and you've got a well-rounded
dinner.
- MELISSA KNOPPER is a Denver-based science writer.