Vegan Food Guide Pyramid

A vegan pyramid categorizes various kinds of vegetarian food that needs to be consumed to provide the benefits of a healthy and balanced vegetarian diet. This article gives a brief introduction to vegan food pyramid. If you`re looking for a list of easy Raw food and Vegan recipes have a look.

Is vegetarian diet inherently healthy? The opinion is however divided with half of the people saying yes while the other half say no. You would realize scraping meat from your meals would not ensure the benefits of the vegetarian diet. A vegetarian diet is healthy only if you follow a healthy vegetarian diet plan. Following a health diet plan will ensure your body gets all the basic nutrients daily.

Vegan Food Pyramid

A healthy and nutritional vegan diet consists of plant-based foods such as whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, fruits, vegetables and supplements (which are not discussed here, but are discussed here). A vegan diet normally contains less cholesterol and fat and is high in fiber. A vegan food pyramid would be helpful to plan out your vegan diet plan. Researchers and scientists of State University of Arizona formulated the vegan food pyramid. This food pyramid gives an insight into the quantity and types of food you need to have everyday to maintain the nutrient levels in the body.

• Whole Grains

Whole grains include foods such as bread, cereals, wheat germ, pasta and so on. Some of the examples of whole grains include, brown rice, oats, millet and barley. You could have small servings of whole grain food 6 to 11 times a day. Whole grain forms the lower base of a vegan food pyramid.

• Vegetables

Green leafy vegetables are an excellent source of fiber and folate. Many vegetables are rich in calcium also. You should include fresh and raw vegetables in your daily diet. Consume vegetables in form of salads or vegetable juice. In a day you could have 3 or more servings. This is the next level above the whole grain in a vegan food pyramid.

• Fruits

Fruits occupy the level just above the vegetables in a vegan food pyramid. You could eat an assortment of fruits rich in vitamin C. Fruits such as kiwi, strawberries, papaya, mangoes and citrus fruits would be a good choice. You could have one or two helpings of fruits in a day.

• Legumes

Legumes such as beans, peas and so on form the next level of a vegan food pyramid. Along with fruits and vegetables the body requires vitamin E and other essential minerals. Hence, it is necessary to include few nuts and legumes in your daily diet. You could have a meal consisting of tofu, soymilk, and cooked legumes.

• Fatty acids and other vitamins

Omega-3 fatty acids are a best source of fatty acids. Use canola or flax oil used to stir frying your vegetables. Couple of walnuts a day would help in balancing the fatty acids of the body. You could use flax oil as a salad dressing. You should take food rich in vitamin B12 and vitamin D to complete your vegan diet.

A vegan is classified on the basis of food consumed. A vegan consumes only plant-based food and avoids dairy products such as milk, yogurt, butter and cheese. A lacto-vegan avoids meat, chicken and fish. He consumes milk and milk products. A lacto-ovo vegan consumes eggs and milk products but avoids meat and poultry products. A flexitarian basically consumes plant-based diet. However, they occasionally consume small amounts of meat and poultry products.

Irrespective of one’s age, a well-planned vegan diet helps in meeting the nutritional needs of the body. A vegan food pyramid briefs on the various food choices that forms the foundations of a healthy vegetarian diet.

By Maya Pillai
Published: 7/25/2008

Some Relatated resources for you to wet your feet on…

How Veganism and Environment Are Interrelated

Is it really true that veganism and environment protection is related? A vegan diet impacts the environment more than all of the transportation industry combined.

Diets and veganism

While the article is more about veganism, it does make reference to even a vegetarian diet being advantageous for people. As a vegetarian myself, I can honestly say that I do feel much better and I’ve been able to successfully maintain the lifestyle.

As veganism becomes more mainstreamé…

As veganism becomes more mainstream, new foods and substitutes are making their way into shops, to the delight of many.

The Value in Veganism

I don’t believe in going on diets. You know the kind of thing I mean, eating only protein or eating only grapefruit for two weeks. Sure, you can lose weight and sometimes pretty quickly, but then the pounds all.

What is Veganism?

What is Veganism? … No meat, fish, eggs, or dairy?! But if you open a vegan cookbook, step inside a vegan restaurant or talk to a vegan, you’ll discover that a vegan diet can include a rich variety of dishes from all over the world.

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Home Food Storage and Healthy Food Choices

Eating Vagen is essential to your health we all know that, but keeping the food at it`s peak is as important as knowing the recipes needed to prepare the food (side note: Here`s our great recipe book if you`re looking for that too, it will open in a new window so you can check it out after you finish reading this article, now on with the show).  A home food storage program can be the gateway to controlling the additives in the food we eat.

"Our products do not contain aluminum, artificial fragrances, artificial flavors, dyes, mineral oil, parabens, petrolatum, phtalates, artificial preservatives, triclosan or other unwanted artificial ingredients." Thus states The Green Beaver Company, a Canadian firm manufacturing "healthy all natural personal care products", as they describe the toothpastes which they include in their lineup of products.

This is all part of a growing trend, a trend to go back to the natural, and the organic. Many consumers now actively seek products that are not filled with unknown and, to them, suspect chemicals. They don’t want cosmetics that have gone through much animal testing on the way to marketability. They want products that are environmentally safe and people friendly.

This thinking, however, is not limited to toothpaste and face creams. Our food supplies are also now coming under increased scrutiny by those who want to address these legitimate concerns. The typical North American now enjoys unprecedented choice, convenience and abundance when it comes to choosing food supplies for fridge, freezer or kitchen cupboard. Yet, is there a hidden price being paid? The answer to that depends upon what you feel about food additives, and to just what you consider to be an additive. Even fresh food can sometimes be suspect. Is it possible that those tomatoes might have a trace of pesticide residue left upon them? What really is in that waxy substance that is used to make those apples so shiny and attractive?

Often preservatives are necessary. They can extend shelf life, add flavor, and hinder bacterial growth. They are what have made possible much of the abundance and variety that we enjoy today. But is there anything that we can do to cut back on at least some of these chemicals that we almost unknowingly consume each and every day? Well, that is one area in which home food storage can play a role.

Consider a package of beef jerky. It is relatively inexpensive, easily available, and tasty. Check out the package cover. It likely says right on it, "High in Protein - Low in Fat." That certainly sounds like a nice, healthful snack, but what’s all of that in the list of ingredients? There’s beef, water, sugar, soy sauce, salt, spices, maltodextrin, monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed corn protein, sodium erthorbate, sodium nitrite and mesquite smoke. If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. There’s no other choice. This is on a "take it or leave it basis." You could, of course, look for another brand, but, again, you cannot remove what has already been added, and there is sure to have been something added.

Yet, making beef jerky at home is also a possibility. You’ll probably want a dehydrator and some lean ground beef. You will probably want to add some things yourself, but now you do get to choose. There is a commercially available product sold under the brand name Jerky Works. They provide jerky making tools and flavorings. Typically, you would mix one of their flavor packets and one of their cure packets with one pound of that lean, ground beef. Try your best though to stick to a raw vegetable diet, it`s just the wiser choice.

Yes, this means there are still "additives", but now you are only adding Dextrose, Salt, Natural Spices, Hickory Smoked Flavor, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Monosodium Glutamate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, and Imitation Maple Flavor in the seasoning, and salt and sodium nitrate in the "cure". Is that better?

Many would say, "yes", but if you are saying, "no", you still have the option of doing your own flavoring and curing. One recipe calls for flank steak, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoning salt. Is that even better? It might be, but you might want to consider the fact that Worcestershire sauce also has a list of ingredients - malt vinegar, white vinegar, blackstrap molasses, soya sauce (water, wheat, soybeans, salt, sodium benzoate), brown sugar, salt, spices, onion powder, garlic powder, tamarind concentrate, caramel color, anchovies, citric acid, spice extract, polysorbate 80, sulphites and natural flavor as found in one brand.

One could choose another recipe, but the simple fact is that you are unlikely to be able to entirely eliminate these so-called food additives whether you are buying it from the store, or whether you are doing your own food processing. Even salt, which is so often used and so often termed a "natural" ingredient, is actually a chemical - sodium chloride, so with it, you are still adding chemicals. On the other hand, by doing it yourself you do get to exercise control. You pick. You choose. They’re additives which you will have approved.

Beef jerky might not be something that would appeal to a vegan, but it does make for a good example. The fact is these choices can be made in relation to all sorts of food storage. Check out the additives in that can of tomato sauce. What could you eliminate if you made your own sauce?

Would a food washer put your mind at ease when it comes to those pesticide residues? Are you a hiker and enjoy trail mix, but have trouble finding something suitable for you personally? Again, you can do it yourself, and control it yourself.

Home food storage can indeed save you money, but it can also allow you to make more healthful food choices.

By Gary Palmer Published: 6/2/200

More Food for thought on storage…

The link to the "Foodie Food Storage"

So the first reality of food storage is that we’re headed back to the peasant cusines - as they existed for ordinary people. [...] The cookbooks are written mostly for Americans and their huge, seasonless quantities of milk, eggs and meat … Then I worked on getting rid of corn derivatives and getting as much organic as possible, until I was getting almost nothing at the local supermarket.

Overwhelmed by learning about long term food storage?

Overwhelmed by learning about long term food storage? Relax, here’s a plan. I know how you feel. Just take a deep breathe and compartmentalize…..it can be very overwhelming at first. That’s one reason I found the easy open buckets for … A year’s supply of organic< fef /b> sugar for our family is 50lbs. Stored right in the bucket in the pantry. As that gets low we restock to be prepared for a year. 

The Benefits Of Vacuum Sealer Food Storage

… bags are the right size, you may even store important legal papers in a vacuum sealed bag for your protection. Tilia vacuum sealers food storage is a practical method for you to preserve your family’s food. Not only could you extend the life of your foods, but you could also protect them from spoilage and be able to preserve their natural flavors. The vacuum bags can be used for simplifying food preparation as well.

Transition to Biodiverse, Organic, Local Food

In addition to reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience, biodiverse organic farmingalso produces more food and higher incomes. If all US cropland became organic it would increase soil-carbon storage by 367 million tons and would …

Grandmom’s guide to Green Living: Living without refrigerators …

The first way is to use only fresh food. Here in the Philippines, we have limited refrigerator storage and a lot of employees to feed. So our cook shops every day for meat/fish and vegetables.

Food Storage: A Crisis Savings Account

Unless your cupboard is bare, you have food storage. Most families in America can eat from the food stored in their pantries and freezers for three days to.

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