Vegan Bulletin

Tofurkey!

No I didn’t just sneeze. Tofurkey is “Tofu-Turkey,” a vegan substitute for, you guessed it, turkey.  Since it’s Thanksgiving, aka “Turkey Day” here in the USA, there’s no better time to look into this substitute.

From Wikipedia:

Tofurkey (a portmanteau of tofu and turkey) is faux turkey – a loaf or casserole of vegetarian protein, usually made from seitan (wheat protein) or tofu (soybean protein) with a stuffing made from grain(s) and/or bread flavored with a broth and seasoned with herbs and spices. Tofurkey is oven roasted or baked. Tofurkey can serve as the main dish of a formal meal for people who abstain from or would like to abstain from eating meat. It has

become popular as a vegetarian meat alternative served at Thanksgiving (USA and Canada), Harvest festivals, and other winter holidays. Tofurkey can be homemade or purchased pre-made and frozen from multiple sources.

November 27th, 2008 | Category: Substitutes | Leave a comment

Soy Cheese

Continuing the previous post’s concerns about dairy products for vegans, we now start looking at substitutes. As you can gather from the name, Soy Cheese is made from soy, and, at least in most brands, no real dairy ingredients are used.  Soy cheese is generally lower in fat and cholesterol.

Soy cheese is commonly available in the following flavors:

Cheddar flavor
Mozzarella flavor
Swiss flavor
Monterey Jack flavor
Pepper Jack / jalapeno flavor
Mexican flavor
Garlic/Herb flavor
American flavor
Parmesan flavor
Provolone flavor
Cream cheese alternative

Some brands taste and smell fairly close to the real thing, others vary considerably. You’ll need to sample them and decide for yourself. Many can be used similarly to real cheese in recipes, while others do not melt in the same way as dairy cheese, and recipes may require some modification.

Where to find it: Larger supermarkets (although selection may be thin) and health food stores.

November 10th, 2008 | Tags: cheese, soy, substitute | Category: Substitutes | Leave a comment

If you are looking at becoming a vegan, you are going to be avoiding dairy products. This doesn’t apply if you are going the easier vegetarian route. This means that you’ll probably get getting less Calcium.
Calcium is important for a variety of factors, bone health being the primary reason.  Defending against osteoporosis, building bone strength (in the young at least), and healthy teeth are only some of the benefits of having enough calcium in your diet. There is a great deal of debate about the relationship between calcium and arthritis; some people say too much calcium is bad, some say it doesn’t matter… The jury is still out.

The simplest way to keep up your calcium is to take some kind of calcium supplements. Many vegans recommend coral calcium to replenish calcium. There are technical reasons, but coral calcium is said to be more efficiently absorbed into the system than some other types of calcium.

Better still, there are natural ways of adding calcium to your diet. Many brands of store-bought orange and/or apple juice now have calcium added. There is also calcium in oranges, tofu, figs, sweet potatoes, and green vegetable such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kale.

There are many nutritional concerns that we will deal with here, but the lack of dairy in a vegan diet makes this one of the most easily spotted potential risks.

November 6th, 2008 | Tags: calcium, oranges, supplements, tofu | Category: Nutrition | Leave a comment

Before we go any further, let me point this out:

I am neither a doctor nor a nutritionist. I have no medical training whatsoever. I do, however, pay attention to science, and believe in critically analyzing claims made by so-called “experts.”  I’m not an expert, but within a few months of exploring the topic, maybe that will change. In the meantime, weigh everything I say carefully, and don’t be afraid to email me with concerns or doubts about my posts. It’s absolutely a good idea to see your doctor before starting any kind of diet, much less something as potentially life-changing as vegetarianism/veganism.

November 6th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment