Living Vegan For Dummies - Alexandra Jamieson [10]
The American Heart Association and the Institute of Medicine recommend that adults consume 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories eaten. For vegans, this level is no problem to achieve: 1 cup of peas has almost 9 grams; 1 cup of black beans has 19 grams; 1 banana has 3 grams; 1/2 cup of blackberries has more than 4 grams; and 1 tablespoon of shredded coconut has more than 3 grams. Vegan food is fiber-rific!
Raw foodists and macrobiotics
Just when you thought veganism couldn’t get any more specific, here come the raw foodists and macrobiotics. Two distinct sects of the “vegan religion,” raw foodists and followers of the macrobiotic diet choose to eat plant-based diets that are prepared a certain way and avoid even more ingredients than a straight-up vegan.
A raw foodist eats uncooked or slightly prepared foods that can be warmed in dehydrators to only as much as 118 degrees Fahrenheit. While some raw foodists do eat raw fish such as sushi, or even raw chicken, eggs, or meat, a majority of these folks are vegan.
Macrobiotics eat a diet based on traditional Japanese foods, which can be slightly adjusted to include local ingredients. As with raw foodists, many Macrobiotics include fish in their diets, but a good percentage avoid all animal foods and are vegans. These vegans tend to eat mostly cooked food with a focus on whole grains like brown rice, and tend to avoid tropical and raw fruits.
People tend to choose one of these diets for health, spiritual, or environmental reasons, and many documented cases from both diets have been shown to cure diseases, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, arthritis, digestive problems, and depression. While the two diets seem to be in complete opposition to each other (one is almost 100 percent raw and the other is almost 100 percent cooked) they’re both rich in health-promoting plant foods and can be useful to people experiencing health problems.
The power of proper protein
Vegan protein offers so much more than the building blocks for muscles. Because they have other magical components like fiber, complex carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins, you can actually heal your body with vegan protein sources. In fact, according to the American Dietetic Association, a vegan diet “may be useful in the prevention and treatment of [kidney] disease . . .”
So while you’re getting all the amino acids you need from your well-planned and diverse vegan diet, you can feel confident that you’re also adding the natural healing components of plant foods. Eating truly healing and nutritionally dense foods — now that’s smart!
The healing power of plant foods
Food was the first medicine, and a vegan’s “kitchen pharmacy” can be well planned to help prevent and treat illness. Traditional healers and doctors used willow bark to treat fevers and inflammation for centuries before science discovered that the bark was teeming with salicylic acid, which is the inspiration and foundation of aspirin. This drug has been prescribed to people with cardiovascular problems for decades.
Here are a few foods that have been studied medicinally over the years:
Green leafy vegetables from the cruciferous, or cabbage, family: These vegetables are known to help the body fight cancer growth. Broccoli, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale are all part of this group, so dig in. Not only do these greens offer great cancer-fighting properties, they’re also rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Eating these veggies is a win-win-win!
Ginger and turmeric: These spices have been the most studied botanicals in recent years. They have incredible healing properties and can easily be worked into your daily diet. Ginger is used for nausea, digestion disturbances, gas, and reducing the effects of chemotherapy. Turmeric, a spice common in Indian cooking, is used for improving liver function, arthritis pain, reducing inflammation, and heartburn as well as in cancer treatment and prevention.
Garlic: This powerful food can be used as a natural antibiotic and antifungal agent. As well as