Questions Every Vegan is Asked

Tamari - A high quality soy sauce made without wheat.  Is it too high in sodium?  High salt content is perhaps the most common individual concern about intake of soy sauce.When soy sauce is fermented in the traditional way, many of the proteins found in the soybeans get broken down into smaller molecules called peptides. Some of these peptides act to inhibit the activity of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) that is needed to constrict our blood vessels.  Our blood pressure goes up when our blood vessels constrict. By decreasing ACE activity, peptides in soy sauce may be able to help prevent this process from happening.


What about protein - The National Cattlemen's Association and the United Poultry Farmers have worked tirelessly to convince the American public that we need 60,70 or even 80 grams of protein a day to live.  However the The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends .5g per Kg for the average adult. So an average male weighing 150 lbs ( 68 kg x .5 = 34) only needs 34g of protein a day.  As you can see from these figures, the body actually needs very little protein to function properly.   Protein is found in every food. Fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds and legumes all contain protein. It is impossible to become protein deficient eating a well-balanced vegan diet. 100 calories of spinach contains more protein than 100 calories of steak.  Spinach also delivers a boost of fiber, anti-cancerous properties and iron for only a small amount of calories and no fat. Steak on the other hand, which not only provides less protein and no fiber, also contains fat and harmful cholesterol.

http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/articles/get-enough-protein-veg-diet.php


And then there is the Fat question - Our bodies do need certain fats in our diets. We need the good kind of fat. The main purpose of fat is to provide enrgy for the body. It also absorbs vitamins A, D, E, and K from what you consume.  The fortunate part is that the body actually generates most of the fats that it needs. There are only two polyunsaturated fats that the body cannot produce, but are critical in our diets.

Alpha linoleic acid - This fat is from the omega six family. It is found in fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains. It can also be found in corn, evening primrose, safflower and sunflower oils.

Linoleic acid - This fat is from the omega three family. It is found in green leafy vegetables, soy beans, walnuts and grains. It can also be found in canola or soy oil. The fat-like matter, cholesterol can only be found in animal products.

Vegetarians consume far less cholesterol than meat eaters. Vegans, who avoid all and any animal products are fortunate to avoid cholesterol all together. In general, vegetarians devour the equivalent amount of alpha-linoleic acid, but more linoleic acid than meat eaters. On the whole, the fat ingestion of vegetarians is a great deal healthier than the fat intake of meat eaters.