Top Vegan Myths Busted

Veganism is trending in India and a lot of us are curious about how to interpret it and incorporate all-things-vegan in our life. Celebrities like Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma, Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, have popularized the vegan lifestyle making it the talk of the country. But before we delve any deeper in myths surrounding veganism let’s talk about what being vegan means, and why it is being adopted by millions of people globally.

The simplest definition of being vegan is to abstain from any products derived from animals. The reasons may differ from person to person, but the mainstay of veganism is to not harm any animals and perpetrate the cruelty of using animals for food.

The catch, however, comes when more and more people begin adopting the vegan lifestyle without understanding the reality behind it. There are a number of misconceptions related to this lifestyle abound on grapevine. To help nouveau vegans, we have compiled a list of the top vegan myths floating around on the internet. Read on!

 

Myth 1: Finding Vegan products and restaurants in India is tough

In India, many feel that finding vegan products and food items is challenging due to the limited supply of such products. Many assume that vegan products are manufactured differently, or that they are imported, something that is just not true.

On the contrary, many brands, restaurants and cloud kitchens have started their range of vegan products, dishes and ingredients. Because India is a predominantly vegetarian country, 80% of our ingredients that aren’t packaged, can be considered vegan. All you need to do is check the ingredients in the back cover to verify the existence of milk products/solids and you are good to go.

Lentils, cereals, veggies, nuts, all these ingredients are vegan. A lot of local companies have started manufacturing local soy products, nut milk, vegan cheeses and other vegan substitutes. Coconut milk has always been a part of our culture and works well as a milk substitute too. Companies like Vegan Dukan and Good Mylk, and restaurants like Rose Cafe, Delhi and Kitchen Garden by Suzette have great vegan offerings. These are just a few names out there making a splash in the Indian vegan market.

 

 

 

Myth 2: Vegan food is only vegetables/raw diet 

This is patently untrue. There are a number of vegan ingredients that can be consumed along with veggies like lentils, cereals, vegan cheese, butter, spreads, nuts, seeds, plant-based meats, fruits and many more.

Being vegan does not mean that you have to be relegated to a diet of salads all the time. There are a number of vegan recipes that can be cooked in the kitchen, and quite a few of them are essentially the same as your conventional recipes. Contrary to popular perception, being vegan is not just eating raw foods, it is as much about finding the right means of cooking the food you love.

 

 

Myth 3: Vegan food is boring/flavourless

First of all, healthy food isn’t dull, and not all vegan food items have to be bland. You can add a number of spices, herbs and aromatics that are bound to make your meals tasty. We have umpteen varieties of vegan burgers, pizzas, chips, soups and other snack, main course, and dessert items out there.

Delhi’s famous Soya Chaap Tikkas are a small example of how absolutely flavourful, tender and filling vegan dishes can be. From vegetable sushis to tikkas, vegan food is all about finding new ways to create healthy, and absolutely delicious food. Try this vegan black bean soup on for size!  

 

 

Myth 4: Vegan food is not filling

There are many layers to vegan food and peeling them back one by one will give you a better idea to the theme behind this movement. Many people feel like vegan food is all about lightly sautéed veggies but there is so much more to it than meets the eye. Vegan food comes in all shapes and sizes and can be both filling as well as meet your snacking requirements as well.

Vegan food is rich in fiber derived from legumes, cereals, whole grains, nuts and nut milk. They fill you up pretty quickly and satiate your hunger for hours. We are so used to how meat and milk makes us feel that we seldom think of what our body needs instead, we prefer the feeling of overeating.

 

 

Myth 5: Being vegan is only food-related

Choosing a vegan lifestyle isn’t just about food. It is a way of living that involves not using any kinds of animal-derived products. Be it clothes, accessories, cosmetics, furniture or any other product that has had a negative impact on the lives of animals, are products and items that do not find space in a vegan lifestyle. While the change may seem very drastic for some, many would find that they have been doing well even without these animal-derived products all along. At the end of the day, a vegan-lifestyle is all about living a cruelty-free lifestyle.  

In fact there a number of brands out there that have made forays into the business of vegan clothing, vegan footwear or even accessories. Makeup brands have also come up with cruelty free cosmetics to ensure that they are not missing out on the massive market of vegan friendly products.

 

 

Myth 6: A vegan lifestyle is expensive

The confusion that often happens here is between organic and vegan products. There are a number of products out there today that are vegan and are hardly as expensive as meat products. If you are looking for cost-effective vegan produce, make sure you are buying seasonal produce a lot more.

There are a number of ingredients in our regular diets that are more expensive than others, but just because you are going vegan doesn’t mean your food bills need to rise. There are a number of options out there that you can get within your budget. Of course, something like a soy milk or almond milk may be costlier than regular milk, but as a whole, vegan food items do not necessarily have to be too expensive.

You will get all kinds of items at different price points and you can choose the ingredients as per your budget. If you buy veggies, legumes and spices from your local market, you can easily make dishes that come under your budget. Making patties, tikkas, oriental starters and more is not only easy but are also easy on your pocket and fun to boot.

 

 

Myth 7: Vegan food doesn’t have certain nutrients like protein, B-12, Calcium, Omega-3

Let’s go through this list of nutrients and see which vegan products they can be found in, shall we?

Organic produce like kale, bok choy, broccoli, collard greens, soya beans, nuts, figs, oranges sesame seeds etc. is packed with calcium. Spinach, sweet potato, tofu, Shiitake Mushrooms, seaweed and nutritional yeast are rich in B-12. Seitan, tofu, edamame, tempeh, lentils, chickpeas, all kinds of beans, spirulina, hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, quinoa and amaranth – are all a good source of protein. Flax seeds, walnuts, seaweed, algae, canola oil, hemp seeds, and edamame are rich in Omega-3.

Athletes and body builders around the world have also gone vegan. If Virat Kohli can find all the nutrition he needs from a vegan diet, don’t you think you will as well if you look hard enough?

 

 

Myth 8: Honey is Vegan

Now now, we know how much you like adding honey to your food thinking it is vegan but the fact is, it is not. It is essentially bee vomit that is sweet thanks to their diet. Extracting honey may or may not harm the bees and destroy their home. So, no, honey is not vegan.

 

 

Myth 9: Veganism and Vegetarianism are the same

Just because two philosophies have similarities, does not necessarily mean they follow the same path. Both philosophies believe in not consuming meat, but what sets them apart is the consumption of dairy products, and in some cases, eggs. Vegetarianism condones the use of milk (and sometimes eggs), but veganism does not.

Veganism also has a lot of impact on your lifestyle choices which would largely involve avoiding animal-derived products like leather, honey, milk products etc. Vegetarianism is all about avoiding meat in all forms.

Being Vegan is a lifestyle choice you make for the betterment of other living creatures as well as yourself. It is a way of leading a life where you are considerate towards all livings beings and don’t want to hurt any life form at the cost of your pleasure. We hope that our myth busters help you understand the vegan philosophy in a better way so that you can make a sound and well-researched decision for yourself.