A Guide to Vegan Foods During Pregnancy
Should I change my vegetarian diet to get pregnant? Is it safe to eat a vegetarian diet during pregnancy? These may be your questions too. In general, a balanced plant-based diet can provide all the nutrients needed for a healthy pregnancy. But never suddenly change your diet to a vegan or vegetarian diet during or very close to pregnancy.
If you are also on a vegan or vegetarian diet, pay special attention to the intake of protein, vitamin B12, calcium, vitamin D, zinc and iron during pregnancy and after giving birth while breastfeeding, because these nutrients are important for your body, cell growth , the development of the fetus's brain and other organs, and the baby's weight gain are vital, and as long as you eat a wide range of healthy plant foods and plan your diet to include key nutrients for a vegetarian expectant mother, you can get all the nutrients you need. Get what you and your baby need, but:
Never suddenly change your diet to a vegan or vegetarian diet during or very close to your pregnancy.
It's best to see a nutritionist to make sure your diet is balanced during pregnancy, especially if you're on a vegan diet.
In some cases, you'll need to rely on fortified foods or supplements to make sure you're getting enough of each nutrient you need.
In the pre-pregnancy examinations or in the first care of the pregnancy period, let your doctor know about your diet.
Along with eating a wide variety of fruits, fresh vegetables and whole grain products, you should make sure you are getting the necessary supplements.
Pregnancy supplements are very important for pregnant women who follow a vegan diet.
Always talk to your doctor, midwife or nutritionist before taking any supplements.
If you are vegan, meaning you don't eat any animal products including animal meat, eggs, dairy and honey, read her mother's article on vegan food during pregnancy. But what foods should a pregnant vegetarian mother eat?
Protein
Protein is made of structures called amino acids, which are essential for cell growth and embryo development. So eat several meals of protein-rich food every day. Good sources of protein include eggs, dairy products, legumes, soy products, nuts, seeds, and nut butters. Suggestions for including these foods in your diet:
Add beans such as red, black or white beans, peas, lentils or tofu to your salad.
Make and eat bean burritos or bean dishes with different recipes.
As a snack, eat a handful of almonds, walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, or roasted chickpeas.
Spread on whole grain bread or apple slices, peanut butter or almond butter.
Eat yogurt or cottage cheese as a snack.
Eat the hard-boiled egg slices with a salad or greens.
A vegetarian diet that includes eggs and dairy products can provide high-quality protein, but an exclusively plant-based vegan diet requires more careful planning and a variety of plant-based protein sources should be included in your daily diet.
iron
You will have a blood test early in your pregnancy to check your iron levels. If your blood iron is low, your doctor may recommend that you take an iron supplement. Your pregnancy supplement will probably have some iron, but you should also eat several servings of iron-rich foods each day. Good sources of iron include:
Cerlak with iron-enriched breakfast cereals
Foods made from whole or enriched grains such as bread and pasta
Tofu, Tempeh and other foods with soybean origin
Eat leafy vegetables like spinach and greens
Avoid drinking tea or coffee with your meals as well, as these beverages contain tannins and polyphenols that make it harder for the body to absorb iron from vegetables. Instead, eat something high in vitamin C, as vitamin C helps your body absorb iron. For example, eat homemade orange juice, homemade tomato sauce or various homemade sauces to help your body absorb iron.
You can also puree broccoli, cauliflower, avocado, carrots, spinach, celery, and then mix any two or three of these vegetables that you think taste best together, then add olive oil and spices. Optionally, prepare homemade sauces of your own invention.
zinc or zinc
Zinc in plant foods is not absorbed very well by the body, so you need to have a plan to get zinc in your diet. Good sources of zinc include whole grains, such as whole grain bread, legumes, such as beans and lentils, soy products, vegetables, milk and yogurt.
Try to eat a few servings of zinc-rich foods every day. Many foods that provide iron, such as fortified breakfast cereals, beans, soy-based foods, and whole grains, also contain zinc. Other good sources of zinc for vegetarians include nuts, seeds, and cheese.
Calcium
Eat several servings of calcium-rich foods every day. Good sources of calcium include:
Milk, cheese and yogurt
Almond milk or soy milk, fruit juice and calcium-enriched breakfast cereals
Almonds or sesame seeds
White beans, molasses or blackstrap molasses, chickpeas, calcium-fortified tofu (look for a calcium salt such as calcium chloride or calcium sulfate in the ingredients list to find out if tofu is calcium-fortified.)
30+ Yummy Recipes for Vegan BBQ & Grilling
Vegetables are often overshadowed during barbecue season due to the dubious appeal of charred meat. Vegetarians and vegans may feel left out at summer picnics. But you can make a wonderful vegetable dish over an open fire. Consider win-win options.
Asparagus cooked with blue cheese sauce
Blue cheese hot sauce is easy to make and a great dipping sauce for fried foods. Grilled asparagus is great. For a vegetarian, dipping hot asparagus in cheese or even plain soy sauce is the ultimate delight. For 2-4 people you should consume:
Creamy blue cheese 50 grams
75 grams of full fat yogurt
Asparagus 250 grams
25 grams of your favorite hot sauce, such as Tabasco
Mix cheese and yogurt together until smooth. Wash the asparagus, cut off the inedible ends, dry on a kitchen towel. Brush the sprouts with oil and grill over charcoal for 30 seconds to a minute, depending on size. No need to keep asparagus longer. Arrange on a tray and serve with sauce pots or simply pour the sauce over the top.
Hazelnut butter is worth keeping in the fridge - it's a great alternative to butter for vegetarians when baking cakes and cookies. It can also be spread on toast. Roasted cauliflower has a nutty flavor on its own, so try it on its own sometimes. For 2-4 people you need:
500 grams of peeled hazelnuts
½ year old
1 head of cauliflower
olive oil
Lemon or lime to get juice
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put nuts and salt with olive oil in a blender and grind. Depending on the power of your blender, this may take up to 30 minutes. Make sure the device does not overheat. The resulting mixture should be homogeneous, it should be cooled and then stored in the refrigerator.
Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, separate into inflorescences, large ones can be divided into 2 or 4 parts. Dip the florets in nut oil and grill when the coals start to cool. This process requires slow caramelization, not charcoal. When our kebab darkens to a golden color, the dish is removed from the heat and sprinkled with lemon or lime juice and coarse sea salt. Add more nut butter (don't forget to shake before using) and sprinkle with black pepper.
Grilled avocado
The thought of avocados is exciting. But not everyone knows how its natural sweetness is created by the aroma of smoke. Cook on hot coals. All you need is:
Avocado
olive oil
Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, but leave the skin on. Rub the cut part with olive oil and put it on the hot coals for more than a minute. Transfer to a plate or tray and cut lengthwise. To make the dish more cooked, you can rub a mixture of salt, lemon juice and toasted walnuts on the cooked avocado.
While the lamb is alive and well grazing, we are enjoying summer, outdoor activities and delicious barbecues just like everyone else!
Can going vegan decrease testosterone levels in males
Certain foods, including soy, dairy, and certain fats, may decrease testosterone levels in the body.
However, one can increase testosterone levels naturally by exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight.
The food a person eats can affect many aspects of their health, not just their waistline. Food fuels cells and may affect some other parts of the body, including hormones, such as testosterone.
Eating too much of certain foods may throw the body's hormones out of balance or make it more difficult for the body to use hormones properly.
Foods that may lower testosterone
Testosterone is one of the main sex hormones in the body. Although men produce more testosterone, it is also an important hormone for women. Testosterone increases muscle mass, bone mass, body hair and affects reproduction.
Normally, the body does an effective job of regulating hormones and keeping testosterone levels where they should be.
However, certain foods may interfere with this process by unbalancing hormone levels. People who are concerned about their testosterone levels may want to avoid the following foods.
1. Soy products
Soy foods, such as tofu, edamame, and soy protein, contain phytoestrogens. These compounds are physically similar to estrogen in the body and have a similar function.
A study in the German Journal of Medical Science points out that although scientists have done a lot of research on soy, they still don't fully understand it.
The article notes that many studies have found no association between consumption of soy products and changes in serum testosterone or estrogen levels. However, another study found that breast tenderness and estrogen concentrations returned to normal after a man stopped consuming soy.
The researchers suggested that the phytoestrogens in soy may affect the body without changing hormone levels, which can cause symptoms of high estrogen.
Researchers need to conduct more high-quality research in men and women to identify the exact effects of soy on the body.
2. dairy products
Many people looking to increase their testosterone levels may avoid dairy products. This may be because some cow's milk contains synthetic or natural hormones that may affect a person's testosterone levels.
Also, animal feed may contain soy, which can increase estrogen levels in cow's milk.
3. alcohol
Anyone concerned about their testosterone levels may want to stop or limit their alcohol intake. This may be especially true for men.
While some studies show evidence that small amounts of alcohol increase testosterone levels in men, this is usually not the case. As a study published in the Current Review of Drug Abuse notes, heavy drinking, or regular drinking over long periods of time, lowers testosterone in men.
4. mint
Studies show that peppermint may lower testosterone levels.
Spearmint and spearmint may be a soothing tea, but the menthol in peppermint may lower testosterone levels.
According to a study article in the Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin, scientists treated female mice with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) with peppermint essential oil to test its effects on the disorder. The researchers noted that peppermint essential oil reduced testosterone levels in these mice.
A review posted to BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine also noted that there is some high-quality evidence that peppermint reduces testosterone levels in women with PCOS. However, there is not enough high-quality evidence about the effectiveness of this herb in general.
Most research on this topic focuses on animal models or women. Future studies should examine the effects of peppermint in both sexes to get a better overall picture.
5. Bread, sweets and desserts
A study in the journal Nutrients linked a diet high in bread, pastries and other desserts to lower testosterone levels in Taiwanese men. Additional factors included high dairy consumption, eating out regularly, and not eating enough dark green vegetables.
According to the paper, these men also had decreased muscle mass and increased body fat.
6. licorice root
A study in Integrative Medicine Research notes that licorice root can lower testosterone in healthy women during menstrual cycles. Animal studies also show that licorice supplementation can lower testosterone levels.
Ideally, any future studies would examine licorice's effects on both sexes to better understand how this herb works in general.
7. Special fats
The type of fat a person eats may also affect their testosterone levels and performance. A study in the Asian Journal of Andrology looked at the dietary patterns of healthy young men in terms of hormone levels and testicular function.
Their research showed that eating trans fats may reduce testosterone levels in the body. They also found that too much omega-6 fatty acids reduced testicular size and function.
However, eating plenty of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may increase testicular size and improve performance. The researchers called for more studies to confirm their findings, but people concerned about their testosterone levels may want to avoid trans fats and limit omega-6 fats.
Why does vegan food make some people have diarrhea right after
Diarrhea is one of the most annoying digestive problems that can be alarming in some cases. Usually, adults are involved in such a problem on average once a year. But if you have a food allergy or have a certain disease, you may experience it more than once a year. Sometimes diarrhea can be treated with diet. Depending on the cause of diarrhea, eating certain foods may help or aggravate it.
When the stool is watery and the frequency of bowel movements is more than normal, you have diarrhea. This common digestive problem is divided into two categories: acute and chronic:
Acute diarrhea lasts only a few days and is often caused by food poisoning. However, other factors such as flu, parasites and even some drugs such as antibiotics may also play a role in its occurrence. If you travel to a place where the food or water is contaminated, you may get "traveler's diarrhea" or "traveler's diarrhea."
Chronic diarrhea lasts at least four weeks. This condition can be a sign of more serious problems such as inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis), celiac disease, or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). If you have chronic diarrhea, consult your doctor for treatment.
In addition to watery stools, you may also have stomach pain or nausea. Also, depending on the cause of diarrhea, there is a possibility of fever or chills.
Most people lose their desire to eat when they experience diarrhea. In acute diarrhea, the most important thing to do is to identify the cause of the problem and fix it. Usually, in these conditions, foods cannot help with home remedies for diarrhea.
In the past, many experts encouraged patients to follow the BRAT (banana, rice, applesauce and toast) diet. Research shows that while this diet won't harm your health, it won't help much with diarrhea either. In other words, there isn't much evidence that the BRAT diet works.
If you have chronic diarrhea, your diet, including all the foods you eat and the foods you avoid, can all be effective in helping to relieve the condition. Diet has the greatest effect in the treatment of chronic diarrhea.
Eliminate foods that you may be sensitive to, such as milk or nuts, for a while and then gradually add them back into your diet. Your doctor may ask you to write down the foods you eat so that it is easier to identify things that cause digestive problems.
You can use probiotic foods or supplements to treat diarrhea. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that naturally live in the gut and play a role in maintaining the health of the digestive system.
Sometimes, probiotics are used to treat irritable bowel syndrome and other chronic gastrointestinal conditions. You can find these beneficial bacteria in dairy foods like yogurt, non-dairy foods like kimchi and tempeh, or in dietary supplements. However, consult your doctor before using them as part of a diarrhea diet.
1. Starch and low-fiber cereals
Although fiber is a vital nutrient that increases stool volume and regulates bowel movements, a low-fiber diet is recommended when you have diarrhea. Because such a diet makes digestion easier and reduces the frequency of bowel movements. Rice, noodles, wheat or oats are grains that you can use in case of diarrhea.
2. Boiled vegetables
Raw vegetables are harder to digest and can cause gas production in the digestive system and bloating. Therefore, when you have diarrhea, it is better to use boiled vegetables such as green beans, potatoes and carrots, which are easier to digest.
3. Soup and crackers
The presence of soup in the diet of diarrhea helps to provide fluids and nutrients needed by the body. Crackers are also useful for those suffering from diarrhea due to the presence of sodium (salt). Because diarrhea causes the body to lose a lot of fluids and electrolytes (such as sodium and potassium).
4. Lean turkey and chicken
Consuming high-fat foods makes diarrhea worse. Therefore, use lean meats such as turkey and skinless chicken that you have not added spices to. Spices stimulate the digestive system. You can use dried or fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano or coriander to flavor the meat.
5. egg
Boiled eggs are harmless to treat diarrhea. Use a method of cooking eggs that does not require the addition of butter, cheese, or a lot of seasonings. You can add salt to the egg to taste it.
Harmful diet to treat diarrhea
Eating the following foods will make your digestive problems worse and may delay recovery time:
1. Fatty foods
Foods that are high in fat aggravate diarrhea and may lead to greasy stools and malaise. Because sometimes diarrhea temporarily reduces the body's ability to absorb fats. Fats usually take a long time to digest and therefore slow down the movement of food in the digestive system. But if your body is not able to digest and absorb fats, food may pass through the digestive system very quickly.
Until the diarrhea is treated and your bowel function is back to normal, you should avoid high-fat foods, such as fried foods, fatty meats, nuts, and sauces.
Which is healthier Plant-based Chicken Nuggets or Real Chicken Nuggets
In this article, besides all the information about subjects that are related to veganism, our main goal is to compare vegan chicken nuggets with real chicken nuggets in all categories too find out which one is healthier and tastier.
As we all know, the main theme of veganism is to put a stop to killing of innocent animals.
The term “veganism” wasn’t around until the 1940s but the concept of people avoiding the consumption and use of animal products can be traced back to 2000 years ago.
The vegan diet became increasingly mainstream in the 2010s that it gained so much popularity that The-Economist declared 2019 “the year of the vegan”.
Since then, most restaurants began marking vegan items on their menus and supermarkets improved their selection of vegan-processed food.
The numbers may not be completely accurate, but as of now about 88 million people in the world are vegan which equals 1.1% of the world.
Although, there are certain numbers about vegans of each country, we basically can’t come up with a result to detect the country with the most vegans, due to the difference of veganism and vegetarianism. Also, due to the fact that each country has different population. So that, the community of vegans of that country goes up with the population growth rate. However, based on the current numbers that we have, we can ensure that India is the number one country in that list for having the most vegans in a country, thanks to its population.
Percentage wise, besides India, the countries with higher rate of vegans in the country are Israel and UK which apparently for Israel is 5% of the population and for UK it is near 3% of the country, as of 2021.
Now let’s talk about the dark secrets and harsh realities of the ruthless chicken industry.
Most people don’t know anything about the cycle of chicken industry and have no idea that how badly it damages the environment and imbalances the nature.
Now we are going to reveal some of the undercover facts that people haven’t heard of.
For providing chicken meat, the first thing that the ruthless poultry companies do is that they throw whole lot of chickens in super small sheds.
The main problem isn’t the fact that they are locked up in overly crowded tiny sheds that leads to pain and suffering.
It’s all about hygiene!
They are all trapped in a dirty and unhygienic place which now isn’t just summed up as their health problem, it is problematic for our health too!
Mainly because of the environmental effect of dirty sheds like bacteria and other infections that can enter their bodies and that’s not the only threat of unhygienic sheds, dirty sheds are usually full of worms and ticks because they aren’t cleaned on a regular basis.
Worms and ticks are the most common causes of parasitic diseases.
If we eat the meat of a chicken that been hatched in an unhygienic place, bacteria and the diseases mentioned above, automatically enter our bodies and these cons that were mentioned, aren’t the only problems that insanitary poultry companies have.
There are certain unfair things that even the so-called hygienic chicken farms have too!
Furthermore, hygiene shouldn’t be our only concern.
There are certain policies that a lot of farms don’t follow like the fact that sheds mustn’t be crowded with lots of chickens because that can lead to cannibalism.
Cannibalism happens when chickens are stressed because they aren’t managed well and That’s not the only way, poor nutrition can also cause cannibalism.
Cannibalism is completely linked to malnutrition and it occurs when there are deficiencies in sodium, phosphorus and even protein.
The reason that protein plays an important role even for chickens, is that it increases egg production and impacts their health in a good way but you have to know that too much protein is dangerous for them too!
Mainly because it can lead to serious health problems like kidney failure.
Besides nutrition and hygiene factors, the ruthless part about poultry companies is that, some of them pluck all the chickens even before the time that they are slaughtered and that makes them suffer in an awkward way, which is known as feather removal.
Plus, there are other merciless acts that companies do in purpose of avoiding cannibalism, such as debeaking (also known as beak trimming) and using heat lamps.
Growth hormone is something that most of chicken farms use, owing to the fact that chickens that are injected with it are going to grow sooner and get bigger and heavier, moreover to produce more eggs.
Another thing that has to be mentioned is that, Hormones completely mess up their bodies and using hormones would cause leg problems and even early death.
We flash back to the part that we said, “when we eat chicken, everything that the chicken has eaten, automatically enters our body” and that is true for hormones too.
Hormones and steroids are terrible for our bodies since the toxicity they cause in our bodies.
The common hormones and other types of drugs that most chicken farms use are: peptide hormones, growth hormones, steroids, thyroid hormones, etc.
And that is not the worst part!
All the merciless acts that we have mentioned are for companies, which only provide chicken meat.
There are even more cruel things left behind!
Like the fact that all of the male chickens are useless for egg companies, so they end up in a metal grinding machine which slaughters them.
This act is labeled as chick culling or unwanted chick killing.
Worldwide, around 7 billion male chicks are culled each year and that’s so brutal to be fair.
So now, we are going to talk about the ingredients of vegan chicken nuggets and differences between them and real chicken nuggets and bringing nutrition facts to the table by comparing their macronutrients and then talk about the best vegan brands that provide vegan chicken nuggets and tell you which one is the best one.
A opinion that has to be said is that these 2 plant-based chicken nugget brand might not be suitable for everyone due to the sodium factor.
Although the 2 nuggets that we talked about don’t have much sodium but the range of the sodium that they contain per serving is between 350 to 500 milligrams.
So, in the end we are going to show you an easy plant-based chicken nugget recipe that you can make on your own at home which has less sodium and it’s gluten-free.
The base of this home-made vegan chicken nugget is tofu.
It takes about 30 minutes of prep time and 15 minutes to cook which in total will be around 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 pound block of tofu
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
- ½ cup filtered water
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ¾ cup nut milk
- 1 to 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup gluten free flour
Crumb Mixture
Crumb Mixture
- 1 cup gluten free breadcrumbs
- 3 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 3 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup of oil