For many people, a vegan diet is beyond comprehension. If you don’t eat meat or animal products what is left? How can you cook without using eggs and dairy? These are the questions often asked of those who follow a vegan diet.
Vegans eat many different foods. The only foods that they don’t eat are meat and animal products. This leaves them with fruits, vegetables, grains, and many other great foods to eat and experiment with.
Healthy Eating with Vegan Food
For those struggling to find a health-balanced vegan diet, the vegan food pyramid can be a great tool. Broken down like the regular food pyramid, it discusses the different food groups available to vegans, and the amount of each that should be consumed per day.
The bottom of the vegan food pyramid is made up of fruits and vegetables. This means that you should be eating these as the basis of your vegan diet. You should try to eat three to five servings of both per day.
The second largest level of the vegan food pyramid is made up of whole grains. These include many different things, such as oats, wheat bread, and oats. While bread and white flour do not count, they aren’t as nutritious.
The third level of the vegan food pyramid is made includes beans and soy. You should be eating each of these groups two to three times a day. They include lentils, beans and seeds, and tempeh, tofu, and soy milk.
At the top of the vegan food pyramid rests fats and sugars, just as in the regular food pyramid. This is an area that should only be eaten from sparingly, and it includes olive oil and processed candies and treats.
