Veganism is a form of vegetarianism that excludes all animal products such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy and honey. People choose a vegan lifestyle for ethical reasons related to animal welfare, environmental concerns, and health benefits. A balanced vegan diet focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds to provide sufficient nutrients. However, vegans must supplement with vitamin B12 and consider iodine and vitamin D intake depending on their individual needs and diet.

1. Vegan Diet
vegan food
from here
WHAT IS VEGAN?
People who eat vegan avoid all foods that are of animal origin. Veganism is a form of
vegetarianism that has different characteristics. Like vegetarians, vegans eat no meat and no
fish.
Unlike vegetarians, they also abstain from eggs, dairy products and honey. So everything
that comes from the animal.
Vegans who opt for a vegan lifestyle for ethical reasons also make sure that no animal
products, such as leather, have been used for their clothing.
Also in the field of cosmetics, they only use products for which no animal tests have been
carried out. For them, veganism not only plays a big role in food, but is a very conscious
attitude towards life.
WHY VEGAN?
There are many reasons to opt for the vegan diet. Depending on the perspective of the
person, they can be weighted differently.
Here are the most common reasons for a vegan diet or a vegan lifestyle:
1. VEGAN FOR THE ANIMALS:

2. Factory farming has reached such cruel proportions nowadays that many people do not want

3. to support it anymore. It is all about profit and the animal welfare is completely in the
background.
Livestock, such as pigs, cows and chickens live in the smallest of spaces and are massively
restricted in their natural way of life. The idea that cows, as is often suggested in advertising,
grazing happily on green pastures, is only the case in absolute exceptional cases.
Farm animals often see the sun for the first time when they are on their way to the butcher. A
horrible idea for me!
In addition, animals in mass farming usually reach only 5% of their natural life expectancy. As
always present in the media, there are often new scandals when dealing with the animals,
especially during the process of slaughter.
Even food scandals by mass animal husbandry are the order of the day! Unfortunately, the
consumption of eggs and dairy products is inevitably associated with animal suffering.
For example, many people do not realize that a cow, just like us humans, actually only
produces milk when it has a calf. So she has to get pregnant all the time. The calf is then
taken away from the cow usually a few days after birth.
I personally read animals eating by Jonathan Safran Foer at the beginning of my transition to
a vegan lifestyle, which I highly recommend. The documentation of Earthling is well known.
2. VEGAN FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH:
As numerous studies show, our current consumption of meat is directly related to lifestyle
diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and elevated cholesterol levels.
Also, some types of cancers can be attributed to the diet.
If you want to get more involved in the topic of veganism and health, I recommend the
following documentation and books:
•How Not To Die by Michael Greger
•What The Health (for example, at Netflix)
•Fork instead of scalpel
3. FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE FIGHT AGAINST THE WORLD HUNGER
Not only the animals suffer from today's mass animal husbandry, but also the environment.
So our high meat consumption is the biggest cause of harmful greenhouse gases. Our
groundwater is also heavily polluted.
In addition, animal products require a lot of water. For example, between 4,000 and 15,000
liters of water are needed to produce one kilogram of beef. Just one percent of this water
consumes the beef itself. The remaining 99% are needed for the production of the feed.
One third of the global grain harvest and even a staggering 85% of the world's soybean
harvest is used for animal feed in factory farming. And although in many countries staple
foods are scarce and people are starving.
WHAT DO VEGANS EAT?
A balanced vegan diet should consist of:
•a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables
•healthy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, quinoa, potatoes, wholemeal bread, amaranth,
millet, etc. (if possible, choose whole grains)
•Protein sources such as pulses (chickpeas, beans, lentils etc.) as well as tofu and tempeh
•healthy fats (eg linseed oil and avocados)
•Nuts and seeds
•fresh herbs
VEGAN - WHAT DO I HAVE TO CONSIDER?
As the American Nutrition Society says, a well-planned and wholesome vegan diet is healthy
and suitable for all circumstances.
However, one should pay particular attention to the adequate supply of the following

4. nutrients:
1.Vitamin B12 : occurs almost exclusively in animal foods (or is added to the animal feed )
and should therefore be supplemented with a vegan diet. Vitamin B12 toothpaste, vitamin
B12 drops and vitamin B12 tablets are suitable for this purpose
2.Iodine: use iodized food or eat algae more often (for example, nori algae with vegan sushi)
3.Vitamin D : Many people in Germany have a vitamin D deficiency. This does not only apply
to vegans. In spring and summer we get vitamin D over the sun. In the winter months it
should be supplemented with drops or tablets.
In a balanced and well-planned vegan diet, you get enough iron, protein, calcium, zinc, folic
acid as well as vitamin B2 and omega-3 fatty acids from the foods you eat.
So and after all the information, now it goes to the most beautiful part of this post! The
RECIPES !!!