Nowadays, you’ll often hear people turning vegan. However, most of them may not understand the concept of veganism. Veganism is defined as a way of life in which people exclude all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty and refrain from consuming meat and animal by-products.
According to the Vegan Society, the term "vegan" was first used in 1944 by a small group of vegetarians who separated from the Leicester Vegetarian Society in England to form the Vegan Society. The term "vegan" was formed by combining the first and last letters of "vegetarian."
By 1949, the first definition of veganism had been born. Over the years, the meaning of the word has undergone several changes and resonates with what it means today.
What Is Veganism?
According to the latest definition by the Vegan Society, veganism is "a philosophy and way of living that seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of and cruelty to animals for food, clothing, or any other purposes."
Besides refraining from eating meat, vegans choose not to consume dairy, eggs, or any other products of animal origin.
Vegans avoid animal exploitation or cruelty in all aspects of their lives, including the clothes they wear, the cosmetics they use, and the recreational activities they engage in. They avoid purchasing wool coats, leather furniture, down pillows, and so on. They even opt to visit animal sanctuaries instead of going to zoos, circuses, and animal petting farms.
How Does Veganism Improve Health?
A plant-based diet helps lower the risk of developing or prematurely dying from diseases like cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Besides, consuming fewer animal-based products and favouring plant-based options improves digestion and reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
A vegan diet helps in losing unwanted weight. Several studies have stated that a vegan diet lowers the likelihood of obesity.
What Is Vegan Protein?
Protein is an important part of every individual's body. Skin, bones, muscles, and organs need protein to stay healthy. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. There are 20 amino acids found in nature that can be used by the body to build protein. Out of these 20 amino acids, nine are considered essential.
Animal protein, as well as plant protein, contains these nine essential amino acids. Vegans can get proteins from nuts, peanut butter, seeds, grains, legumes, and others.
What Are Some Vegan Protein Sources?
Vegans can gather protein from different plant-based sources. Take a look at them:
Soy: Soy protein can be a major part of the vegan diet. Foods like tofu, tempeh, edamame, and soy milk are great options for adding proteins to your diet. Soybeans are considered a complete source of protein, consisting of all essential amino acids. Edamame are immature soybeans with a sweet and subtle grassy taste. They need to be steamed or boiled before eating. Tofu, on the other hand, is made from bean curds pressed together in a process similar to cheesemaking.
Seitan: It is considered a staple in a plant-based diet. It is created with vital wheat gluten, where the main protein is wheat, which results in a chewy and hearty texture. It is important to note that seitan is made with wheat gluten and is not gluten-free. Seitan can be pan-fried, sautéed, or even grilled.
Whole grains: Although we consider whole grains a source of carbohydrate, they also grant extra protein to each meal. Many whole grains are naturally high in protein and provide fibre, vitamins, and minerals. For instance, you start your day with a warm bowl of oatmeal, keep your lunch ready with quinoa salad, and end your day with wild rice-stuffed peppers.
Green vegetables: Green vegetables are more than a source of vitamins and minerals. Foods like spinach, Brussels sprouts, and green peas contain a good amount of proteins. Besides being rich in antioxidants and fibre, greens are low in calories.
Nuts: Nuts are an important source of protein in a vegan diet. Nuts, including almonds, walnuts, cashews, and peanut butter, can be added to your diet almost every day. Nuts are also a great source of fibre and healthy fats, along with iron, calcium, magnesium, selenium, phosphorus, vitamin E, and certain B vitamins.
Greek Yogurt: Delicious to eat and add as dip or to smoothies, it is a pure source of vegan protein. It have full of calcium and gut-healthy probiotics. One can easily choose yogurt over flavoured varieties to save added sugar.
Cottage cheese: It is a good source of protein and has a little higher in Sodium than Greek yogurt. Besides cottage cheese serve as a savory dip or try it sweetened up with fruit.