With health, environmental and humanitarian factors ever present in the media, the number of vegans continues to rise. Vegan Living For Dummies provides a practical look at veganism and appeals not only to readers who've already chosen to live vegan, but also to readers who are still considering adopting a vegan lifestyle.

Introduction 1 About This Book 2 Conventions Used in This Book 2 What You’re Not to Read 3 Foolish Assumptions 3 How This Book is Organized 4 Part I: “Ve-gan” at the Beginning 4 Part II: Building a Healthy Vegan Diet 4 Part III: Sticking to Your Guns: Staying Vegan 4 Part IV: Tasting is Believing: Vegan Recipes 5 Part V: Living Vegan in the Real World 5 Part VI: Veganism for All Walks of Life 5 Part VII: The Part of Tens 5 Icons Used in This Book 6 Where to Go from Here 6 Part I: “Ve-gan” at the Beginning 7 Chapter 1: The Lowdown on Vegan Eating and Living 9 You are What You Eat: The Health and Food Connection 9 Heart-healthy, low-fat, cholesterol-free foods 10 Feeling fine with fiber 11 The power of proper protein12 The healing power of plant foods 12 Living Vegan Beyond Your Diet 13 Fierce, fabulous, fur-free fashion 13 Keepin’ it real at home 14 Staying vegan in a nonvegan world 14 Energetically Speaking: The Spiritual Side of Veganism 14 Tackling Common Questions about Veganism 16 Why on earth would you live like that? 16 What can a vegan eat? 17 Is it a balanced diet? 17 Chapter 2: Understanding the Impact of Vegan Living 19 Straight Talk about the Ecological Impact of Animal Protein 19 Water pollution and water scarcity 20 Toxic odor and air pollution 22 Mountains of manure 22 Having Reverence for All Life 23 Taking action against food injustice and malnutrition around the world 23 Standing up for animals 24 Chapter 3: Transforming to Veganism 27 Going Cold Tofurky 27 The pros of converting quickly 28 The cons of going too fast 28 Taking a Slow, Systematic Approach 29 Advantages of taking your time 29 Problems with pacing yourself 30 The Nuts and Bolts of Changing Over 30 Choosing your timing wisely 31 Educating yourself and enrolling your comrades 31 Making healthier decisions by planning your meals ahead of time 32 Purging nonvegan products from your life 33 Getting to know your new community 33 Focusing on the fun and adventure of being a vegan 34 Part II: Building a Healthy Vegan Diet 35 Chapter 4: Essential Nutrients for Healthy Success 37 “B”-ing Healthy with B12 and B2 37 Finding B12 and B2 in vegan foods 38 Getting enough of the right kind 39 Counting on Calcium for Strong Bones 39 Boning up on calcium requirements 40 Seeking out calcium in vegan foods 41 Avoiding foods that leach calcium 43 Pumping Up Your Iron Intake 44 Understanding how much you need 44 Obtaining your iron in vegan foods 45 Using iron to the best of your body’s ability 45 Staying away from iron blockers 47 Vitamin D: The Sunlight Vitamin 48 Elevating your vitamin D intake naturally 48 Adding food or supplements to get your Vitamin D49 Don’t Forget Zinc! 49 Picking up zinc from vegan foods 50 Making sure your body absorbs it 51 A Little Help from Our Friends: Giving Supplements a Try 51 Chapter 5: Protein Protocols 53 What You Need to Know about Protein 53 How Much Protein Do You Need? 54 Protein needs for all ages and stages 54 Protein problems: Why too much of a good thing is a bad thing 56 Not enough protein? Symptoms to look out for 56 Why Vegan Protein is Better Than Animal Protein 58 Finding Protein in Vegan Foods 59 Protein-rich vegan favorites 59 Including fermented foods for easy protein digestion 60 Soy, oh boy! The controversy and confusion 62 Chapter 6: Transforming Food into Health-Supportive Meals 65 Focusing on Quality over Quantity 66 The proportions of your portions 66 Quality is key 66 Picking and Choosing: Healthy Vegan Food Groups 67 Complex carbohydrates 67 Seasonal veggies 68 Sea vegetables 69 Finding good fruits 71 Proper proteins: Beans and legumes 72 Aw, nuts! (And seeds) 73 Healthy fats 74 Supportive sweets 75 Part III: Sticking to Your Guns: Staying Vegan 77 Chapter 7: Cooking and Shopping Like a Vegan 79 Gearing Up with Basic Cooking Equipment 79 Pots, pans, and bakeware 80 Cooking utensils 81 Knives 82 Special equipment to consider 84 Filling Your Kitchen with Wholesome Whole Foods 85 Great grains 85 Luscious legumes 87 Fruits and veggies 88 Spices, seasonings, and handy condiments 90 Storing Your Goods to Ensure Freshness 91 Shopping Savvy 92 Vegan-friendly places to shop for food 93 Decoding food label lingo 94 Eco-vegan shopping tips 97 Chapter 8: Coexisting with the Meat Eaters in Your Home 99 Kitchen Etiquette for Mixed Households 100 Who’s in a mixed household? 100 Staying sane in a mixed household 101 Keeping Everyone Healthy and Happy 102 Variety for vegans and nonvegans alike 103 Vegan meals everyone can love 104 Supporting the family vegan nutritionally and emotionally 105 Getting Your Kids Involved in Making Healthy Meals (Vegan or Otherwise) 106 Chapter 9: Planning Your Meals to Stay on Track 109 Building a Plan for Vegan-rific Success 109 Gathering easy and appealing recipes for meal planning 110 Shopping smarter with vegan shopping lists 111 Starting Your Meal Planning with the Best Breakfast for You 114 Exploring Some Menu Ideas to Get You Started 115 Easy breakfast options 116 Quick lunch list 116 Seven days of dinner 117 Using menu charts 117 Making Sure You Have Healthy Snacks On Hand 119 Sweet treats 119 Salty and savory snacks 120 Crunchy morsels 121 Chapter 10: Comfort Foods: Veganizing Meat, Dairy, and Other Old Favorites 123 Taking Comfort in Your Vegan Food: Why Veganizing is Helpful and Fun 123 Taking Advantage of Mock Meats 125 Soybeans as protein 126 Wheat meat (a.k.a. seitan) 128 Mushrooms 128 Textured vegetable protein (TVP) 129 Bean and grain mash-ups 130 Egg-cellent Egg-Free Cooking and Baking 130 Tofu as ovo 131 Binding without eggs 132 The New Dairy: Substituting with Vegan Milks, Butters, and Cheeses 133 Got other milks? 133 Baking with “butter” 134 Cheese options: Nutritional yeast, miso, and mochi 135 Chapter 11: Beyond Food: Embracing the Whole Vegan Lifestyle 137 Fashionably Compassionate: Animal-Free Clothing and Footwear 138 Where to buy the latest looks 138 What about wearing those old, nonvegan items? 140 Vegan Beauty Aids and Health Products 141 Waking up to your makeup 141 Checking labels and seals of approval 142 Scrutinizing ingredient lists 144 Being careful with medicines and flu shots 145 Keeping a Truly Vegan Home 146 Spotting and replacing hidden nonvegan home items 146 Cleaning up your cleaning products 149 Keeping pests away in a gentle way 150 Part IV: Tasting is Believing: Vegan Recipes 151 Chapter 12: Breakfasts of Vegan Champions 153 Quick Fixes for Vegan Breakfasts 153 Savory Starters Vegan Style 157 Quick Breads for a Fast Breakfast 162 Chapter 13: Sides and Lighter Meals 167 Concocting Your Own Condiments 168 Filling Up with Some Sensational Sides 171 Whipping Up Soup and Salad Sensations 178 Chapter 14: Main Course Recipes 181 Oh Boy! Burgers and Burritos 182 Comforting Noodles and Pasta 186 World Cuisine: Trying Some Ethnic Staples 190 Beans and Rice are Nice 193 Chapter 15: Just Desserts 197 Whipping Up Some Vegan Cookies, Brownies, and Bars 198 Tasting the Vegan Fruit 201 Everything Old is New Again 204 Part V: Living Vegan in the Real World 209 Chapter 16: Walking the Vegan Walk (without Being Preachy!) 211 Encouraging and Enjoying Variety in Your Diet 212 Displaying Kindness and Understanding with Your Nonvegan Friends and Family 214 Defending yourself without hurting others’ feelings 215 Avoiding the temptation to encourage others to follow your path 215 Determining your way of being compassionate 216 The Whole Enchilada: Yoking Your Mind, Body, and Spirit with the Earth 216 Chapter 17: Vegans on the Move: Travel and Hotel Issues 219 Mapping Your Meals on the Road 220 Flying with Skill: Vegans in the Air and at the Airport 222 Requesting a vegan meal (and making sure you get it) 223 Carrying on your own food 223 Finding vegan food in any airport 224 Traveling Together: Cruises and Group Trips 226 Culture-Clash: Staying Vegan in Other Countries 227 Chapter 18: Dining Out 229 Ask and Ye Shall Receive: Finding Vegan-Friendly Restaurants 229 Doing your research 230 Discovering vegan-friendly ethnic eateries 230 Making the Most of Nonvegan Menus 231 Getting what you need wherever you are 231 Helping vegan kids find yummy choices 232 Cafeteria conundrums: School and work lunches 233 Incredible Ideas for Eating Anywhere 234 Fast-food chains 235 Sandwich shops 235 Pizza parlors and Mexican joints 235 Beware of These Hidden Animal Ingredients 236 Chapter 19: Navigating Tricky Social Situations 237 Hosting Parties, Traditional Meals, and Celebrations 238 Planning your event 238 Figuring out your menu 239 Sample party plans and menus 241 Being a Guest at an Omnivorous Table 243 Graciously accepting dinner party invitations 243 Fancy functions: Weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, and galas 245 Dating a Nonvegan: Does True Love Really Conquer All? 248 Carrying Your Vegan Lifestyle to the Workplace 249 Part VI: Veganism for All Walks of Life 251 Chapter 20: Pea in a Pod: The Healthy Vegan Pregnancy and Postpartum Period 253 Early Education and Proper Planning 254 Educating your loved ones about your dietary choices 254 Eating well before you’re even pregnant 255 Get moving, vegan mama! Exercise and pregnancy 256 Eating for Two 257 Nutritional know-how: Getting enough of what you need 258 Awesome snack list for amazing mamas 263 Discussing the Weighty Issue of Weight Gain 264 Understanding healthy weight gain 264 Fighting media images of “skinny” mamas 264 Easy Meal Prep and Sanity-Saving Ideas 265 Smart Tips for Common Pregnancy Problems 266 Staving off pregnancy woes with fresh foods 266 Taking in plenty of water and electrolytes 267 Dealing with food cravings 267 Managing “morning” sickness 268 Caring for Yourself Postpartum 270 Choosing certain vegan foods for strength 270 Supplying yourself with foods that encourage good milk production 271 Meeting calorie and other nutrient requirements 271 Chapter 21: Bouncing Baby Vegans 273 Nourishing Your Newborn 273 Breastfeeding: So perfectly vegan! 274 Thinking about formula as a last resort 276 Starting Older Babies on Solid Foods 277 Slow and steady wins the race 278 Deciding what and how to feed your growing baby 278 Watch Them as They Grow: Food for Toddlers 279 Choosing nutrient-dense foods over fiber 280 Outsmarting finicky eaters 281 Satisfying your little snacker 281 Chapter 22: Vegan Diets for Kids, Tweens, and Teens 283 Is a Vegan Diet Safe? The Experts Weigh In 284 Understanding normal growth rates 284 Looking at a new kind of growth chart 286 Discovering a Bounty of Choices for Your Little Vegan 286 Offering kid-friendly vegan fare 287 Dealing with kids’ snack attacks 288 Making Sure Your Growing Vegans are Getting the Nutrition They Need 289 Including the four vegan food groups in your kid’s diet 290 Getting kids to think about calci-yum! 291 Iron’s in it: Fitting iron into kids’ menus 292 Emphasizing the power of protein 293 Gaining essential vitamins and minerals from food 293 Encouraging Kids to Eat Healthily 294 Easing kids into enjoying a vegan diet 295 Keeping a well-planned and well-stocked pantry and fridge 296 Promoting equal participation when feeding the family 297 Cooking in the kitchen with the kids 298 Media Watch: Teaching Your Kids to Decode the Messages 298 Deflating kids’ commercial interests (or at least explaining what they see) 299 Eliminating the pressure of the press 300 Coming up with responsible responses to media-induced panic 300 Taking Care of Your Children When They’re Away 301 Planning ahead 301 Touching base with chaperones 301 Chapter 23: The Vegan Athlete 303 Macronutrients for Strength and Stamina 303 Powerful vegan protein for performance 304 Fueling your muscles with fat 305 Taking in carbohydrates for endurance and brain power 306 Pumping Iron and Calcium and Other Minerals 307 Maintaining healthy blood with vegan iron sources 308 Protecting your bones by staying on track with your calcium 309 Remembering your vitamins and minerals 309 Eating for Excellence in Your Sport of Choice 311 Preparing your diet before an athletic event 311 Looking at long-term nutrition goals 312 Chapter 24: Aging Gracefully and Veganly 313 Boomer Bottom Line: Nutritional Needs after 40 314 Sun + greens = healthy bones 314 B healthy — get your B12 315 The right fats are fabulous 316 Keeping your iron in check 317 Metabolic Mayhem for the Mature 317 Healing Disease with a Vegan Diet 318 Improving cardiovascular health as you age 319 Easing digestion and elimination 320 My sign’s not Cancer: Using a vegan diet to reverse cancer 322 Planning for Success with Easy Food Choices 323 Part VII: The Part of Tens 325 Chapter 25: Ten Reasons for Eating a Vegan Diet 327 It’s Heart Healthy and Cancer Protective 327 It Keeps You Slim 328 It Has a Lower Carbon Footprint 328 It’s Kind to All Living Creatures 328 It Provides Excellent Nutrition 329 It Protects Our Natural Resources 329 It Protects the Food Supply for All Humans 329 It Has Fewer Pesticides, Drugs, and Toxins 330 It Can Save You Money! 331 Vegans are Cool! (Famous Vegan List) 331 Chapter 26: Top Ten Questions (and Answers) about Going Vegan 333 Why Would You Do Something Like That? 333 Where Do You Get Your Calcium? 334 Where Do You Get Your Protein? 334 What Can You Eat? 335 Isn’t That a Difficult Lifestyle to Get Used to? 335 Do You Eat Fish or Dairy Products? 336 Where Can You Go Out to Eat? 336 Can You Be Healthy on a Vegan Diet? 336 What Do the Experts Think of Veganism? 337 Where Can I Learn More? 338 Chapter 27: Ten Ways to Make Vegan Living Extraordinary 339 Join a Local Vegan Group 339 Join a Few Online Vegan Groups 340 Throw a Totally Vegan Birthday Party 340 Write About Veganism 341 Hold a Fundraiser for Your Local No-Kill Animal Shelter 341 Meditate and Set Intentions at Mealtime 341 Vote Your Truth: Compassion in Action 342 Become a Pro in the Kitchen 342 Start a Vegan Victory Garden 343 Be More Free-Gan with Used Goods 344 Index 345

The fun and easy way to live a vegan lifestyle The more your know about how your food is produced and processed, and how this affects your health, the more appealing it becomes to follow a happier and healthier pathway through life by eating a vegan diet. Whether you’re trying to figure out if a vegan diet is right for you or are looking for guidance to make the switch, Living Vegan For Dummies has it covered! “Ve-gan” at the beginning — get the lowdown on vegan living and eating and advice on how quickly (or slowly) you can make the transitionPlanting the seeds of change — find out how to build a healthy vegan diet to make sure you get all the protein and other nutrients you needSticking to your guns — get vegan-focused cooking and shopping tips, advice on how to keep the peace with meat eaters in your home, and meal-planning tips to help you stay true to your goalsTasting is believing — get delicious and easy-to-follow vegan recipes for breakfast, sides, lighter meals and main courses, and even dessertsGoing beyond the food — step out of the kitchen and learn how you can embrace the whole vegan lifestyle by shopping for animal-free clothFing and footwear, vegan health and beauty aids, and household productsVegan living out in the real world — discover how you can walk the vegan walk at hotels, restaurants, and just about any social situation Open the book and find: How a plant-based diet is better for youStrategies for selecting the best transition plan for your lifestyleReal facts about protein and other nutrients40 tasty recipes that even nonvegans will enjoyTips on how to stock your pantry with vegan-friendly foodsQuick and healthy vegan snacks Excellent “mock” meatsAdvice on checking food labelsGuidance on educating family, friends, and your community

Introduction 1 Part I: “Ve-gan” at the Beginning 7 Chapter 1: The Lowdown on Vegan Eating and Living 9 Chapter 2: Understanding the Impact of Vegan Living 19 Chapter 3: Transforming to Veganism 27 Part II: Building a Healthy Vegan Diet 35 Chapter 4: Essential Nutrients for Healthy Success 37 Chapter 5: Protein Protocols 53 Chapter 6: Transforming Food into Health-Supportive Meals 65 Part III: Sticking to Your Guns: Staying Vegan 77 Chapter 7: Cooking and Shopping Like a Vegan 79 Chapter 8: Coexisting with the Meat Eaters in Your Home 99 Chapter 9: Planning Your Meals to Stay on Track 109 Chapter 10: Comfort Foods: Veganizing Meat, Dairy, and Other Old Favorites 123 Chapter 11: Beyond Food: Embracing the Whole Vegan Lifestyle 137 Part IV: Tasting is Believing: Vegan Recipes 151 Chapter 12: Breakfasts of Vegan Champions 153 Chapter 13: Sides and Lighter Meals 167 Chapter 14: Main Course Recipes 181 Chapter 15: Just Desserts 197 Part V: Living Vegan in the Real World 209 Chapter 16: Walking the Vegan Walk (without Being Preachy!) 211 Chapter 17: Vegans on the Move: Travel and Hotel Issues 219 Chapter 18: Dining Out 229 Chapter 19: Navigating Tricky Social Situations 237 Part VI: Veganism for All Walks of Life 251 Chapter 20: Pea in a Pod: The Healthy Vegan Pregnancy and Postpartum Period 253 Chapter 21: Bouncing Baby Vegans 273 Chapter 22: Vegan Diets for Kids, Tweens, and Teens 283 Chapter 23: The Vegan Athlete 303 Chapter 24: Aging Gracefully and Veganly 313 Part VII: The Part of Tens 325 Chapter 25: Ten Reasons for Eating a Vegan Diet 327 Chapter 26: Top Ten Questions (and Answers) about Going Vegan 333 Chapter 27: Ten Ways to Make Vegan Living Extraordinary 339 Index 345