Vegan foods..... are there any that are really unhealthy?!
I do what I do for MANY reasons but I'm not doing to get into that.
I eat following the vegan food pyramid closely, by modify a few things to work for me.
My main goal when preparing a meal is that MOST IMPORTANTLY it is vegan, healthy, has a adequate amount of protein, fibers, iron, etc.
I think I eat waaayyy healthier than most. I almost NEVER eat vegan "junk food".
But, I was wondering if some of the things I'm leaving out of my diet are actually healthy!
Are foods like Gardein healthy? Are they loaded with sodium? Do they contain a lot of added oils? Are they eco-friendly with all the plastic they use? Are they a highly-processed food?
Once in a while I get hungry for pizza. I've heard all the raving about daiya. Is daiya unhealthy? Once again does it contain a lot of added oils? Does it have any protein, calcium, iron, vitamins?
Another thing is tofurky, and mock meats. Is wheat gluten and high soy based foods healthy?
I'm very certain if these foods are very unhealthy, or if its just my stand-point of view. I always try to find the HEALTHIEST option. I'm very health conscience and wondering if I should be eating any of these foods?
Thanks! much love!
Answers:
I'm not sure I can answer all your questions, but I have a general response. If you want to eat a processed food, just look at the nutrition facts. I scan the calories, the fat, the sodium, and the ingredients list. What is it made of? Are the first ingredients some type of sugar? Are there several types of sugar listed? Are there mysterious chemicals? Artificial flavors and colors? You probably want to avoid these. I check out the fiber if I'm wondering how much whole grains there are. I don't think looking at the vitamin and mineral numbers will improve your health, since manufacturers can spray these onto any junk - it doesn't make it health food, and you can better get these through your whole foods.
Here is a good rule of thumb for sodium: since we need *approximately* 2000 calories per day and a maximum of *approximately* 2000 mg of sodium, then if the sodium mg of the product are much higher than the calories, the product has too much sodium. Check out a few packages and you will see big differences in the factor - some have twice as much sodium as they should have. I will still by a product that has a little more sodium than calories, for example 250 calories has 300 mg sodium, I would buy it if it looks good otherwise. But you will find 250 calorie meals with 800 mg sodium! In case you don't know, sodium is not only an issue for high blood pressure, which only affects some people; it robs anybody's body of calcium, significantly.
You ask about Gardein, which I've never had. At random I chose Gardein Chipotle Lime Chicken Fingers (http://www.gardein.com/products.php?t=fr… First thing I notice is that it has about 3 times the sodium it should. It has a long ingredients list, but most are recognizable. They label the breading ingredients "toasted wheat crumbs" and "wheat flour" but that does not mean whole wheat; it is white flour, a lost opportunity. The second ingredient is soy protein; it's not organic but their FAQ says all ingredients are non-GMO. I personally prefer to make my own awesome breaded tofu, and I can alter it to make any flavor I think of. A recipe: http://expandingcircle.wordpress.com/ent… For all I know that recipe has more salt than theirs, but I could always alter that.
Processed food is as a matter of course usually going to use more packaging.
I haven't looked into it too much, but I haven't heard a convincing argument why non-celiacs should avoid gluten. I eat whole soy foods such as tofu, tempeh, and edamame, maybe twice a week. I don't avoid it, it is just one part of my variety. The Chinese have been eating whole soy for centuries and they seem to do OK. I think the main problem is that food processors use chemicalized soy as a cheap filler in processed foods, and so people get a lot more than they think. I never eat GMO soy.
You don't have to give up pizza! Pizza without cheese is wonderful! I could have vegan cheese (I put it on my vegan daughter's portion) but I choose not to. I tried it once and it tasted OK but I just lost my taste for it. I think if you give cheeseless a try with plenty of veggies you will discover you don't want heavy salty gloop on your pizza any more. If you order out, ask if there is dairy in the sauce (cheese in sauce is common but one restaurant I know uses butter). I make it myself so it is whole wheat. Recipe: http://expandingcircle.wordpress.com/bre… Not too much oil in it, and you're in control of that. Wheat has protein. If I have leftover seasoned black beans I will sometimes put them on, make a Mexican pizza.
It's good you are always looking to improve your diet. It's too easy to decide we have "arrived" and have nothing more to learn. But also enjoy your food. You are doing so well, if you want to have these things sometimes, have them.
Hello
Some are loaded with abnormal ingredients e.g mock meats, fats, sugars, preservatives, colourings and so on.
I'll put the link to Gardein below. You can read the nutritional labels on their products yourself and decide if they're, nutritionally, ok for you to eat. Safety wise, I'm sure they wouldn't be on the market if they were not safe for consumption. Safe for your health, however, is your decision.
I can tell you that EVERY fake meat is highly processed. They're soy beans, for goodness sake. And they've been turned into "meat"? Nature doesn't do that; machines, corporations, do that. And they use a lot of gas hauling the beans to factories. And electricity to process the soybeans into meat.
BTW, soybeans and grains are the crops where a higher percentage of bunny rabbits, mice, ground nesting birds, etc., tend to be killed during planting, cultivation and harvesting of the crop. You did know that animals died during the production of your veggies???
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.food.…
http://www.gardein.com/products.php?t=fr…
