Vegan 4 a Day

Happy Thursday and Happy Vegan 4 a Day! More on that in a bit. My breakfast was a vegan version of the classic yogurt and granola breakfast or snack. My yogurt component was made easy with this So Delicious Passionate Mango Coconut Milk yogurt.

I topped my yogurt with ground golden flax, granola, raw pumpkin seeds and raw sunflower seeds. I love texture in my foods and the chew from the seeds and the crunch from the granola and freeze-dried fruit pieces was awesome!

Obligatory close up of the deliciousness:

I have another Pina Colada flavor of this yogurt that is bound to be amazing, can’t wait to try it!

Like I mentioned earlier in this post, today is Vegan 4 a Day part of #VeganWeek that Katy and Michelle have put on. Obviously it’s easy for me to participate because I am a vegan. For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been vegan officially since September 1, 2009. I started out with a month-long challenge to see how going vegan would assist me in my ever-evolving quest for a healthy lifestyle. I had never been a huge fan of meat (it was normal to see vegetarian and even vegan meals three or four times a week), but I loved dairy. Unfortunately, with the huge stomach problems and other issues it caused me, dairy did not love me.

Sure, it was difficult at times transitioning fully to a vegan diet. I mentioned some reflections on a vegan diet in this post, and discussed some non-vegan cravings here. Sure, I still will randomly have cravings for dairy and meat as I still am a pretty new vegan. But the cravings do go away and subside. And ultimately, for me it is worth it. You can find my thoughts after my month-long vegan venture and why I decided to continue my vegan diet here.

My goal with my blog is not to try to convert everyone to veganism – diet and lifestyle choices are unique to every person. However my blog is here to share my life, vegan meal by vegan meal, and to hopefully give inspiration for those interested in vegan meals or an all-out vegan lifestyle. I have developed a huge passion for developing vegan recipes, and I love sharing them with others.

In my post last night I asked if anyone had any questions for me about vegan diets in general or about my personal vegan diet and choices. Here are a few questions I’ve received and my answers:

Q: Are z-bars and CLIF bars vegan?

A: To the best of my knowledge, yes. I can’t eat all CLIF bars because some contain tree nuts (a deathly allergy of mine), but most are vegan. If the ones with the “icing” or the spooky s’mores z-bars; I believe they are both soy based, so eat away!

Q: Do you eat anything that says in fine print “may be manufactured with soy, dairy, wheat products”?

A: Yes. Growing up with a huge tree nut allergy, you learn quickly that most every packaged product has a similar disclaimer. And that’s purely what it is – a disclaimer that most companies put on all their products to legally cover their behinds by telling you what else is manufactured in their facility.

Q: Do you have a vegan stuffing Thanksgiving dinner side recipe?

A: Not yet but I do have easy substitutions for whatever recipe you may want to use! Simply use Earth Balance (or any other vegan “butter”) in place of butter, vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, vegan day-old bread or cornbread, and whatever fresh herbs and vegetables you would normally use. I know my family has made an Apple Sausage Stuffing, and this could easily be veganized with apples and Tofurkey sausage.

Q: What B-12 or Iron supplement do you use?

A: I don’t take any specific supplements. I try to obtain as many nutrients as I possibly can with my daily diet, and will usually take a woman’s multi-vitamin daily as “nutrition security”. I also love having GoodBelly daily as a way to get healthy probiotics into my system.

Q: Do you eat a lot of meat substitutes that you can find in the freezer section (like veggie burgers)?

A: No. I first went vegan when I was unemployed and on a very tight budget. I still am on a very tight budget! I much prefer to get my protein from beans, lentils, quinoa, etc. I will occasionally purchase tofu and tempeh, but I definitely do not rely on it. I also have a container of chocolate brown rice protein powder. I love the nutritional stats on it (minimal, if any, added sugar, 57 calories, 12 grams of protein) so it’s a perfect way to add some protein to a smoothie for a meal.

Q: How are you not hungry all the time? I tried a vegan diet and I was always hungry!

A: They key for me is to definitely balance my meals. Last night’s salad was a perfect example. It had a plethora of vegetables, but it also had carbohydrates (kabocha squash), protein (tofu) and healthy fat (avocado). As long as I have some protein and a little healthy fat with a meal, it has guaranteed staying power.

Q: How do you feel about cosmetics, clothing, etc? Do you use animal products?

A: When I first went vegan it was for health concerns, so this wasn’t a major worry of mine. However, I interestingly enough find my heart growing more compassionate towards animals the longer I am vegan. I’m still phasing out some of my old shampoo, cosmetics, etc., but I do try to exert an effort to make sure my products are animal free. I prefer shoes that are made with man-made materials and not genuine leather. I prefer my cosmetics to be animal free. The way I look at it is that if I’m not willing to put animal products in my body, why would I clean my body or slather animal products all over my skin, the largest organ of my body? Plus animal products genuinely just skeeve me out.

Please let me know if you have any more questions! You can leave a comment here or send me an email at lindsey @ soundeats.com (no spaces) or through my contact form.

In the meantime, check out a guest post on being vegan through the holidays that Ryan and I put together!

See you later tonight! Here’s hoping that I can manage to get through work (12-8) without wanting to chew my arm off!