If you're inviting a vegan over for dinner, you'll need to make sure your menu follows two basic rules. Plant-based foods are acceptable, but animal-based foods are prohibited, including common ingredients like cheese, milk, and honey (unlike a vegetarian diet).
About 2% of French people follow a vegan diet. Their reasons for adopting this lifestyle vary. Some do it to improve their health. A plant-based diet could reduce the risk of certain diseases. Others give up meat because they don't want to harm animals or because they want to protect the environment.
If you've ever considered going vegan, you may be wondering if this vegan way of eating is right for you. While going meat-free can have real benefits, it's not without its challenges.
What foods are suitable for a vegan diet?
As part of a vegan diet , you can therefore consume many foods of plant origin, including:
- Fruits and vegetables
- legumes such as chickpeas, beans, and lentils
- nuts and seeds
- Breads, rice and pasta
- dairy substitutes
- Vegetable oils
Also, all OKR products are vegan , lactose-free, gluten-free and GMO-free.
Discover our productsWhat foods should you avoid?
Vegans cannot eat foods of animal origin, including the following:
- beef, pork, lamb and other red meats
- Chicken, duck and other poultry
- fish or shellfish such as crabs, clams, and mussels
- Eggs
- Cheese, butter
- Milk, cream, ice cream and other dairy products
- Mayonnaise
- Honey
What are the benefits of a vegan diet?
Studies show that vegans have better heart health and a lower risk of certain diseases.
Those who give up meat are often less likely to become obese or suffer from heart disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
Vegans are also less likely to suffer from diabetes and certain types of cancer, particularly cancers of the digestive tract, breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers in women, which improves their health.
It's possible that this vegan lifestyle could even help you live longer, especially if you also reduce your daily calorie intake.
Better weight control may be one reason for all these health benefits. Vegans have a lower body mass index (BMI) than people who consume animal products.
Another benefit is a healthy diet. Choosing vegan recipes based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts are staples of the vegan diet. These foods, rich in fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and compounds, help protect against diseases like diabetes and cancer.
What are the risks of a vegan diet?
A vegan diet is generally healthy, but avoiding animal protein can deprive you of certain nutrients, such as protein, calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, vitamin B12, and vitamin D.
You need protein to fuel all the chemical reactions in your body.
Calcium strengthens your bones and teeth. Omega-3 fatty acids keep your cells healthy and protect your heart, protecting you against heart disease and stroke.
Taking these nutrients is especially important for the growing bodies of children and pregnant women.
You can often find substitutes for most of these essential nutrients and replace them with plant-based foods, for example:
- Plant proteins: nuts, soy, beans, quinoa.
- Calcium: Soy milk, fortified orange juice, tofu with calcium, broccoli, kale, almonds.
- Omega-3 fatty acids: flax seeds, vegetable oils, herbal supplements.
- Iron: tofu, soybeans, spinach, peanut butter, fortified cereals.
One nutrient that can't be obtained from plant sources alone is vitamin B12, which your body uses to make red blood cells and DNA. You'll only find B12 in animal products.
If you're following a vegan diet, you may need a supplement to make up for what you're missing from your diet.
However, if you eat processed, high-fat foods and increase your portion sizes, you will gain weight and risk suffering from the same health problems as with a meat-based diet.
How to become vegan?
Interested in the idea of a vegan diet, but unsure where to start? If you follow our tips, you can take the plunge and eliminate all poultry, meat, eggs, and dairy products. Or you can take a more gradual approach and increase the amount of fruits, vegetables, and legumes you eat at each meal.
If eliminating all animal products from your diet seems overwhelming, try a less strict diet. Some diets are plant-based but leave room for other types of foods:
- Pescatarian: No meat or poultry, but you can still eat fish.
- Lacto-ovo-vegetarian: Plant-based diet, plus dairy products and eggs.
- Flexitarian: A plant-based diet that sometimes includes animal products.
In conclusion
Your doctor or a dietitian can help you choose the right foods when you start a vegan diet. It's especially important to seek expert help if you have a long-term condition or are pregnant to ensure your new diet contains the right mix of nutrients.
