Stay Away From Vegan Junk Food - Choose Easy Healthy Vegan Recipes Instead!

Even though the vegan diet has amazing health benefits - you could very well be sabotaging these benefits by choosing the wrong foods. These wrong foods have been termed "vegan junk food," and they are the roadblock to success on the vegan lifestyle. Let's look at three factors: What is classed as vegan junk food? Why should you stay away from this food? And what should you eat instead?

What is classed as "vegan junk food?"

The following list of foods are the main offenders on the vegan junk food list.

· Cookies

· Salty crackers

· Packet chips

· Dairy-free "health" bars

· Pretzels

· Hot chips

· Salty, sweet nut mix

· Vegan spreads and dips

· Soft drinks & juices

Why should you stay away from vegan junk food?

Reason #1: If you are hoping to lose weight on the vegan diet, then eating too many of the above foods is a definite NO-NO. Store-bought packet foods are notoriously high in calories and fat, and are generally not waist-line friendly. Also, these foods are addictive and most people find that once they start eating one or two pieces, they cannot stop. This is because of the high sugar, salt and oil content that many of these foods contain, so STAY CLEAR if you want to lose weight on the vegan diet.

Reason #2: There are often terrible ingredients in store-bought junk food. For example: msg, excessive amounts of salt, sugar and fat, preservatives, flavorings, the list goes on. So eating lots of these foods will likely make your skin bad, your energy low, and you will find that you are addicted to them - whether you like it or not.

Reason #3: Eating these foods really defeat the whole purpose of why many people go on the vegan diet. Many folk become vegan for health benefits such as weight loss, lovely hair, skin and nails, and also in an endeavor to reverse or reduce the effects of serious health problems. Vegan junk food will put an end to all of this if eaten on a regular basis.

What should you eat instead?

Opt for making your own healthy, easy vegan recipes instead. If you are not really into cooking, then look for some fast and easy vegan recipes to make and if possible, freeze a large batch of them. If you are into cooking - even better! You can have a blast making your own gourmet concoctions and hunting for delicious healthy vegan recipes to add to your collection.

It's a very good habit to get into - making your own meals and snacks. And they needn't be difficult. Set aside some time each week to make your own dips, brownies, muffins, health bars or dehydrated cookies, crackers and chips. Nothing could make you feel any better than eating clean, wholesome foods that you have prepared yourself!

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3 Ways to Heat Raw Vegan Food

The concept of a hot raw meal is counter intuitive, how can a meal be hot and yet be considered raw. 

The reason is due to the definition of raw food. Most definitions of raw food state that food is considered raw as long as it is not heated above 115F, the reason for this that enzymes found in food, breakdown at 115F. Here are some methods to enjoy a warm raw meal.

Method #1 Use a Food Dehydrator

A food dehydrator is one of the most common methods to achieve a warm cooked taste in raw food. It works by using low heat to extract water out of food. To ensure that enzymes are not destroyed, be sure to keep the temperature setting on your dehydrator to under 115F. There are many great raw dehydrator recipes out there.

Method #2 Use Hot Water

Cooking with heated water is another method to make warm raw dishes. Just make sure that the water is under 115F. This method is used to make a variety of fantastic warm soups, which are great pick-me-ups during the winter time.

Method #3 Use your finger

The lowest heat setting on your stove is another method that can be used to make a raw meal. If you can stick a finger in the food while cooking it is not too hot to disqualify it from being raw. Some people also use thermometers. This method is an excellent way to prepare chilli.

Here are several great ways to expand you raw preparation repertoire.

 Enjoy.

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