Vegan for Life - Jack Norris [75]
BREAKFAST
Sunny Scrambled Tofu
• 1 cup tofu scrambled in 1 teaspoon olive oil with ¼ cup onions, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, and 2 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds
• 1 slice “grainy” bread (made from whole grains that haven’t been ground into flour)
• 1 cup mixed raw fruit
SNACK
Smoothie
• ½ frozen banana
• ½ cup berries
• ½ cup fortified almond milk
LUNCH
• 1½ cups mushroom-barley soup (½ cup cooked barley and ½ cup cooked mushrooms)
• 1 slice whole-grain bread with 2 tablespoons almond butter
• Tossed green salad with vinaigrette dressing containing 1 teaspoon olive oil
SNACK
• ½ cup white bean hummus (made with white beans and sundried tomatoes instead of garbanzos and tahini)
• 2 cups raw vegetable strips
DINNER
• 2 cups raw vegetable soup made with kale, cucumber, tomatoes, ¼ cup avocado, and seasoned with miso and nutritional yeast
• ½ cup cubed baked sweet potato tossed with ½ cup cubed, seasoned tempeh
Low GI, Moderate Fat Menu: 1,800 calories
BREAKFAST
• 1 cup oatmeal made from steel cut oats, topped with ½ cup chopped figs
• ½ cup fortified soymilk
• 1 slice “grainy” bread with 2 tablespoons almond butter
SNACK
• 1 slice pumpernickel bread with tofu spread (¼ cup soft tofu pureed with 2 tablespoons cooked carrots or other vegetable)
LUNCH
Quinoa salad
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• ½ cup small red beans
• 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
• herbs to taste
• lemon dressing made with 1 teaspoon olive oil plus lemon juice to taste
• 1 cup vegetable soup
• Fresh fruit
SNACK
• 2 cups raw vegetables
• ½ cup guacamole (¼ cup avocado and ¼ cup salsa or tomatoes)
DINNER
Bean, pasta, and greens soup
• ½ cup pasta
• ½ cup white beans
• ½ cup cooked kale in vegetable broth
• 1 cup raw shredded cabbage tossed with 2 tablespoons peanut sauce
• 1 glass red wine (or replace with small dessert if you prefer)
Special Medical Conditions
Two medical conditions—type-1 diabetes and kidney disease—are beyond the scope of this book. But we want to address them briefly, if only to assure you that people with these conditions can be vegan.
Type-1 Diabetes
As in type-2 diabetes, people with type-1 diabetes may benefit from eating more whole plant foods, which result in a slower release of carbohydrate into the blood. But while we’ve heard a number of anecdotal reports in support of this theory, there haven’t yet been studies to confirm it. Whether or not a plant-based diet has any specific advantages, though, there is no reason to think that those with type-1 diabetes can’t be vegan.
If you have type-1 diabetes and want to eat a vegan diet, stick to mostly fiber-rich, whole plant foods and avoid refined grains, added sugars, and sugary drinks. As with any dietary change in type-1 diabetes, you’ll want to work closely with your health professional to monitor blood-sugar levels and insulin needs.
Kidney Disease
Plant-based diets have been shown to be beneficial in reducing the markers of kidney disease. This may be due to their lower protein levels, but it could also be from their effect on blood-cholesterol levels and blood pressure and their antioxidant content. People with moderate kidney disease may benefit from a vegan diet—especially one that’s free of high-sodium, high-protein vegetarian meats.
Once someone is on dialysis, following a vegan diet becomes more difficult because of the need to restrict potassium and phosphorus, while at the same time insuring adequate protein intake. Planning such a diet is beyond the scope of this book, but we recommend The Vegetarian Diet for Kidney Disease Treatment by Joan Brookhyser, a registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in renal nutrition.
While vegetarian meats should be restricted for people with chronic kidney disease, they can play a role in the diet of people on dialysis because they provide high-quality protein. See VeganHealth.org/articles/kidney for a list of vegetarian meats and their saturated fat, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium contents.
CHAPTER 14