Vegan Diet Offers Health & Spiritual Benefits

A vegan diet, one that consumes no animal products offers many health and spiritual benefits. Besides proving a respect for the welfare of animals,this diet is free from new health scares such as mad cow disease or bird flu. And when one can practice this sort of denial of foods that harm the welfare of animals, then a person is not prone to the dangerous and harmful addictions of others. It is very easy to say no to all sorts of evils such as alcohol, drugs, caffeine, smoking, all which can have extremely harmful consequences for the users. Practicing this sort of self-control can even lead to a more prayful life and a closer connection to God.

The vegan diet is not without good tasting products that can easily substitute for animal based products. Vitamin enriched soy milk, soy yogart, soy cheese is all available. Good tasting vegan pizzas can be made with either soy cheesse or a variety of great tasting vegetables.

Excellent asian style dishes are a snap by using AFC baked bean curd, a form of baked tofu product that is great for cooking. It has a taste that is slightly on the order of a smoked turkey, but easily replaces pork or other meat in Asian dishes. It can even be sliced and eaten cold as a form of cold cuts with soy cheese or with humas and pita bread.

Eggplant is another great item. Eggplant can be cooked and used as a subsitute for veal or other meats in Italian style dishes. EggplanT has a strangely smokey flavor that is great when cooked, or made into baba ghanoosh, a form of humas made from eggplant.

The vegan diet is high in antioxidants and heart healthy products with plenty of healthy fruits and vegetables. But you have to be sure to add some sort B12 vitamin source such as enriched soy milk, Emer'gen-C brand vitamin drink additives to your diet. Emer'gen-C vitamin drink packets work out very well when also added to products such as R. W. Knudsen brand Simply Nutritious Morning Blend, which includes high levels of vitamin E, C and A. Since there is no natural B12 in most fruits or vegetables, getting this sure source of vitamin B12 is vital. Some forms of nutritional yeast contains vitamin B12, and nutritional yeast has a cheesy flavor and is great for cooking as well. Cheesy flavored instant potatos are a snap with nutritional yeast and soy milk added. Not only is the flavor great, but this makes a great vitamin enriched meal high in B12 and calcium.

By carefully adding dependable vitamin sources to the vegan diet, vegans can prevent any long term blood vitamin shortages from building up. Some of these blood vitamin low levels can have serious health consequences so this is extremely important. Most vegans should consider a blood test at some point to be sure that their blood calcium, B12, and other vital levels of vitamins are high enough that blood problems are not building. But generally high levels of B12 intake each day of 400% or more, and higher levels of calcium along with vitamin D supplements to be sure that the calcium is being effectively used by the bones and the body.

The vegan diet offers a great number of excellent benefits. And it respects the dignity of animals. Some higher intelligence animals such as dogs, cats, monkeys, pigs, horses understand part of our langauge. And many anumals have an advanced compacity to feel love and to give love. Many dogs and cats have a very advanced emotional love bond with humans or to other dogs and cats that proves a very high humanlike intelligence. Some like Rev. Dr. Robert Schuller even has stated that emotional intelligence is the highest determining factor of intelligence, far more than some multiple choice test of knowledge. With some animals having such a high level of emotional intelligence, it proves that they are like junior humans, and also another form of intelligent life that shares our planet. It is only right, just and moral that this animal life is treated with high respect.

The vegan diet respects life. It can draw a person closer to God and to respecting all of his creation. For health and spiritual benefits, the vegan diet certainly fosters self-control and other valuable traits worthy of developing.