A little bit of knowledge for the vegan mind. (Facts for vegans #1)

A lot of the things I have learned being a vegan I have learned on vegan forums. My favorite is cleverly title The Vegan Forum. This information is some of the information I have accumulated since becoming vegan.

EGG SUBSTITUTES
FLAXSEEDS - 2 1/2 tbsp ground flaxseed to 3 tbsp water = 1 EGG
-Blend on high for 2 minutes then let stand in refridgerator for 1 hour to set
-Becomes gooey and gelatinous, much like an egg white
-Contributes vital omega-3 fatty acids

SILKEN TOFU - 1/4 cup blended silken tofu = 1 EGG
-Add other wet ingredients to get it to blend properly
-Use for fluffy things - ie. cake

BANANAS - 1/2 banana blended until smoothed or mashed well = 1 EGG
-Use for breads, muffins, cakes, and pancakes

SOY YOGURT - 1/4 cup soy yogurt = 1 EGG
-Makes things moist and yummy.
-Use for breads, muffins, and cakes

MILK SUBSTITUTES
SOY, RICE, OR ALMOND MILK - Add 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to milk and let it stand for a couple minutes to make a buttermilk replacer

BUTTER SUBSTITUTES
MARGARINE
-Use unsalted margarine

OIL - 1/3 cup oil = 1/2 CUP BUTTER
-Use vegetable oil or canola oil

SOY CHEESE
Almost all soy cheeses contain CASIEN /or RENNET. These are used to make the cheese melt. They are not vegan.

Casien is a protein percipitated from milk, as by rennet, and forming the basis of cheese and certain plastics. Casien is allowed by US law to be called dairy-free because the percentage of dairy actually in it is so low.

Rennet is the lining membrane of the fourth stomach of a calf or of the stomach of other certain young animals. Rennet is a by-product of the meat industry.

VEGAN GOURMET - This cheese alternative is made by Follow Your Heart, a company dedicated to making the vegan life more enjoyable.

SHEESE - This is the best vegan cheese I have ever eaten! It doesn't taste fake at all. I had the aged cheddar kind and it was fantastic. There are so many different kinds of sheese as well as many varieties of creamy sheese (the cream cheese alternative)! I highly recommend this brand. The website is full of awesome recipe ideas as well as a list of all the different kinds of sheese to choose from.

My favorite sheese recipe:
Mmm, best lunch ever would have to be a tofurky hummus sandwich.
Use organic whole rye bread and layer each side with a basic hummus. On the bottom side fold over 3-4 peices of organic torurky deli slices, On top of the meat put a little bit of mustart then top with aged cheddar sheese. On top of that slice some cucumber then some leafy lettuce and you're all set! I ate this every day until I ran out of stock.

NUTRITIONAL YEAST - This is not a soy cheese but is another great alternative to cheese. It melts and tastes like cheese! It's pretty sweet. Plus it's full of that sweet kind of iron that our bodies can actually absorb! Bake with it or just add it to already hot food and watch in wonder at how it melts!

NUTRITION
Being vegan isn't only eating no animal products of any kind. You need to make sure that you are giving your body all of the nutrients that it needs to run like a well oiled machine. If you are vegan or are considering becoming vegan I would suggest doing some, no A LOT of research! It's really interesting when you get reading about some of this stuff. Believe me, I hate reading and I couldn't stop!

There are some basic things I can tell you but as a new vegan I am still learning myself.

PROTEIN - Semi-active women need 46g of protein every day.
Here are some foods that contain high amounts of protein:
-1/2 cup firm tofu = 20g
-1 cup cooked lentils = 18g
-1 cup cooked chickpeas = 14.5g
-1/3 cup soy nuts = 12g
-1 tbsp peanut butter = 8g
-1 cup cooked brown rice = 5g
-1 baked potato = 4.5g
-1 tbsp hempseed = 4g
If you find that you are not getting enough protein in a day then try adding hemp seed to your cereal or oatmeal in the morning. Hempseed has a very creamy taste so you won't really notice it. I find that if I have either hemp /or flax rich oatmeal for breakfast and one major meat substitute for either lunch or dinner then I don't have to care too much about getting enough protein becuase I usually do it without paying too much attention to the protein in anything else that I eat.

IRON - Semi-active women need 13mg of iron every day.
-Nutritional yeast has the good kind of iron that our bodies can absorb.
-Tea cuts down the amount at which your body absorbs iron by 50%. Vitamin C increases the amount at which you body absorbs iron. So drink your orange juice!
-I am very anemic so no matter how much orange juice I drink I am still pretty iron defficient. I take an iron pill call SlowFE. SlowFE is a slow release iron pill that takes 24 hours to completely release in your body. This means you don't have to take it every day. 1 pill every couple of days, depending on how difficient you are. It helps you to sleep a lot better and it makes you happier. Take it with some Vitamin C.
-Some Iron pills can really plug up the works but these ones are great! Your bowells will love you!

It is almost 2 in the morning and I am starting to lose concentration. This has been facts for vegans #1, see you next time!