Your Vegan Food PyramidThe Vegan Food Pyramid is such a helpful tool. It points you in the right direction and takes the guesswork out of which foods one should eat in order to get the proper nutrition you need.
There's a wealth of information here that will help jump start your vegan diet and cooking adventure. Ready? Let's get started!
The Vegan Food Pyramid may look somewhat familiar. You've likely seen one very similar that's designed for non-vegans. But the cool thing about the Vegan Food Pyramid is that all the animal foods found in the original pyramid have been replaced with plant foods that contain key nutrients that are very similar to those found in animal products -- without a smidge of cholesterol, of course. ;O) As you can see, some of the food groups have a range of servings. If you're of small stature or are trying to lose weight, opt for the smaller end of the servings. If you're of a larger stature, are trying to gain weight, or have a muscular build, opt for the larger end of the servings. Yes, it's THAT easy to eat a balanced vegan diet that provides the nutrition you need!
It CAN BE discouraging looking at charts like this. How could any one person eat THIS MUCH FOOD on a daily basis? But somewhere along the way I came across two very important pieces of the puzzle...
World's Healthiest Foods To use this tool, simply click on the food you'd like to investigate. It will take you to a screen like the one below with information about the greatest nutrients you'll gain from eating this food. I clicked on tofu for an example. As you'll see, tofu is high in protein and calcium, among many other fabulous nutrients.  But if you want to delve even further and view the ENTIRE CONTENTS OF THE NUTRITIONAL DATA FOR THIS FOOD then you're just one click away. Here's how: Scroll to the verrrrry bottom of this first page you've arrived at (in this example, the tofu page). You'll see this..  Now, do you see the little link that says "In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Tofu"? Click on it and... Voila! There is the in-depth information you're looking for...  For example, in reviewing tofu's nutritional profile we discover that tofu is a wonderful source of protein and polyunsaturated fats, and a great source of calcium (but not such a good source of vitamin C). Play around with it -- there's a LOT of information contained within the pages of that site that you should find useful. ;O)
When you take all this into consideration, it's easy to meet the required servings per day. Although it may take a little time to get used to, and you might find yourself measuring out your food for a while, once you begin to experiment with these amounts it will become second nature to you. You'll be well on your way to meeting the recommended nutrition for a vegan. You may now return to your regularly scheduled program. ;O) Now you have a general idea of the various food groups you should be including in your vegan diet. It's time to learn more about these vegan food groups. For your convenience and ease, I've broken them into sections... Vegetable Oils and Fats Group: Please visit a special 3-part article entitled Vegan Fats of Life to learn more about which oils and fats you should be including in your vegan diet. Also, be sure to read about how to choose health oils in my Top 10 Basics of Nutrition for a Vegan. Fortified Dairy Substitutes Group: Coming soon! Beans, Bean Alternates, Nuts & Seeds Group: Take a peek at the Vegan Protein guide to learn which foods with protein will meet your needs, how many servings you need, and finally how to select and prepare these protein-rich foods. Whole Grains, Breads, Rice, Pasta, Cereals Group: Learn about Whole Grains, including how our grains became stripped down to their "whities", how many servings of whole grains you should eat on a daily basis, a list of grains for you to discover, and how to select, clean, soak, cook and flavor your grains to perfection. Vegetables Group: Do you have ANY idea just how good veggies are for you? They're one of the most important foods you can eat. Click here to learn all about Fresh Vegetables, including WHY veggies are healthy, a primer on organics, necessary servings, juicing ideas, some general rules about veggies, and more (!), plus how to select, clean, cook and flavor your vegetables. Fruits Group: The majority of the time you eat fruit, try to eat it all by itself. It's just so much healthier this way due to its very quick digestion. However, sometimes you just want to make a fruit recipe, and this page All About Fruits will help you to do just that. Learn which fruits MUST BE organic and which can be conventional. Also learn how to select and clean your fruit, fruit "Vegan Flavor Matches", and nutritional information too. Enjoy! Be sure to check out my Vegan Nutrition page which is CHOCK FULL of information you need to get started (or continue) on your vegan nutrition path. Whew! Still hanging in there? Now it's time to turn this information into delicious meals you can enjoy! Visit the Vegan Cooking Guide where the real fun of being a Vegan comes into play. You'll learn to rely on your intuition as you learn to cook from scratch -- without recipes! You'll start with a master list of vegan foods. Choose any food to learn proper selection and the suggested cleaning and cooking techniques for each. But you'll really let your creativity loose when you discover the Vegan Flavor Matches that match perfectly with your chosen food! You'll create your very own recipes in no time -- it's quick, it's fun, and it's one of the best way I know of to stick to the Vegan Food Pyramid. Vegan cooking just got a whole lot easier! Whoo-hoo! Take me to the Vegan Cooking Guide!
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