Vegan for Life - Jack Norris [49]
There is truly nothing to be gained by careful attention to this kind of detail in your diet. Avoiding these minute animal ingredients won’t make your diet any healthier. Nor will it lessen animal suffering or help protect the environment, at least not in any meaningful way. The only thing it will do is make your vegan diet more restrictive, time-consuming, and difficult to follow. It’s possible to get so bogged down in these details that you will simply find a vegan diet too laborious to follow.
Or you may be perfectly happy to put time and attention into seeking out and eliminating every last animal ingredient from your diet. While that is certainly your choice, it’s important to think about how this impacts the general view of vegan diets. If others believe that this meticulous attention to detail is what a vegan diet means, they may be less inspired to eat this way themselves. If you want to have a wide impact, then it makes better sense to portray a vegan diet as something delicious, fun—and easy.
SOYFOODS PRIMER
You don’t have to include soyfoods in your vegan diet, but they are so versatile and nutritious that many vegans find them indispensable. This group of foods has a long history of use in Asian countries, and they’ve been the focus of much research over the past couple of decades. We’ll talk about nutrition, health, and safety issues related to soy in Chapter 15. Here is a quick rundown of the most commonly consumed soyfoods.
Soybeans
Soybeans are generally tan in color, but they can also be black or brown. They’re a good source of protein, fiber, calcium, iron, and folate. Cooked soybeans have a flavor often described as “beany.” It’s a flavor that marries well with tomato sauces and spicy foods.
Edamame
These are soybeans that are harvested at about 75 percent maturity, while they are still green and have the nutrition of the whole soybean but with a milder flavor. In Japan, they are boiled in the pod and then served as a popular bar food (with beer). In the United States, you can find edamame already shelled in either the produce or frozen food section. Boil them for 15 minutes and eat as a vegetable or add them to grain salads. They’re a good source of protein, fiber, and calcium.
Soynuts
Made from dry soybeans that have been soaked and then roasted, these are a good snack and a crunchy addition to salads. They are relatively high in fat and calories and are a good source of both protein and calcium.
Soymilk
This is the liquid expressed from soaked, pureed soybeans. It’s a good source of protein and usually fortified with calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12, and sometimes riboflavin. (Soymilk sold in Asian markets is often not fortified, so be certain to check labels.) Plain soymilk can stand in for cow’s milk in just about any circumstance. Vanilla or chocolate soymilk can be used in smoothies or desserts.
Tofu
Made in the same way that cheese is made from cow’s milk, tofu is produced by adding a curdling agent to soymilk. Though it is the source of many jokes in the Western world, tofu has a long and sacred history in the East. It’s believed that the first tofu shops were located within the walls of Buddhist temples and the first tofu makers were monks. There is still a sense of the sacred attached to tofu and tofu-making in many parts of Asia today. It has been used for nearly 2,000 years in China and is a daily staple in most Asian households. Throughout Asia tofu is made fresh daily from soybeans in small shops and sold on the street by vendors.
If calcium sulfate is used in the manufacturing process, tofu is a good source of calcium. The protein content varies depending on processing, but some types, especially those that are more firm, are very high in protein.
Two properties give tofu great culinary versatility. First, its flavor is relatively bland. Second, it is a porous food that takes on the flavor of other foods and ingredients with ease. This explains why tofu is at home