PEEPAL FARM
Going Vegan FAQ
What is veganism? A vegan is someone who abstains from using any animal products. This includes meat, dairy, eggs, leather, wool, honey, and more.
Why should I go vegan? Check out our videos about why we don't consume animal products!
How do I start? You do not need to go vegan overnight! Although that would definitely make a statement, it is too drastic of a change for some people. A good way to start is by slowly eliminating animal products out of your diet.
You can find links to our vegan recipes in the next question.
Can you cook traditional Indian food? What about my family recipes? Absolutely! Check out our recipe page and videos get some inspiration! Learn some of Shivani's smart tricks for substiting common animal products.
Where will I get protein and vitamins? Most people's protein intake is much higher than the daily required amount! Even high-performing athletes and body builders can be vegan. For vitamins and minerals, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes can provide everything our bodies need. However, many vegans opt to take a once per day vegan multivitamin to make sure they don't have any deficiencies.
What about calcium? Don't we need milk? The calcuim in milk is actually LESS readily absorbed by the body than plant sources of calcium! Plants with high levels of calcium include: soy, beans and lentils, almonds, sesame seeds, spinach, mustard greens, broccoli, lady fingers, and oranges!
Isn't soy bad for me? The studies which link soy to estrogen overproduction were paid for by the dairy industry. Their results were based on force-feeding mice a diet of only soy - which of course caused problems for their health - and their data was poorly interpreted. Many reputable scientific bodies have refuted these studies as "bad science".
What are some alternatives to animal products? There are lots of alternatives to non-vegan foods!
You can see some vegan alternatives that we cook on our food and kitchen channel.
Some other alternatives include:
- Sweets - Besan laddoo and jalebi are nearly always vegan (ask if they have ghee) but most sweets can be made vegan at home.
- Meat alternatives - Soya chaap, nutrella keema, and Good Dot vegan meat.
- Milk and Cheese alternatives - Bombay cheese company, tofu (replace paneer), rice milk, peanut milk, soya milk, almond milk, and oat milk.
I still want more information on nutrition... Check out the resources at:
- The Nomadic Vegan (Great for travellers)
- The Vegan RD (Authored by a dietitian)
If everyone goes vegan, won't we be overrun by cows? A cow must become pregnant and give birth to produce milk (like every other mammal). In order to have a continuous supply of milk, farmers breed their cows again and again, producing many babies. If there was no need for dairy (or beef in most of the world) farmers would no longer breed their cattle continuously. Therefore the population would not likely decrease. Since it is unlikely that the world's population will go vegan all at once the breeding and production of cattle can gradually decline until the industry isn't viable anymore.
If you have any further questions please contact us.