Turning to a vegan diet can have endless benefits for us as individuals, as well as our community.
From improving our overall health, to helping reduce our carbon footprint, adopting a vegan lifestyle is something we should all be considering.
What are the Benefits of Eating Vegan Food?
Here are 4 ways that eating vegan food can benefit you.
Reduce Energy Consumption
Having to raise livestock to produce meat products costs energy. From start to finish, there is massive labour and economic cost to produce enough meat to satisfy the global demand. Beginning with raising the animals and ensuring they have enough resources to thrive, to storing and shipping the meat products themselves, there are thousands upon thousands of hours spent ensuring that this process occurs as it needs to. Turning to a vegan diet removes this cost, leaving resources available for other endeavours.
Purify the Air
What many of us don’t realise is that the world’s livestock contributes more air pollution than cars, buses, planes, ships, and other modes of transportation combined across the world. Alternatively, the cultivation of plants to support a vegan diet involves cleaning the air, allowing us to breathe purer oxygen, contributing to our overall health.
Get the Nutrients Your Body Needs
While many people believe that a vegan diet cannot satisfy all our nutritional needs, the reality is that you can get all the nutrients you need from a healthy, balanced vegan diet. Ensuring that it is rich in whole foods and consuming everything in moderation, there is no reason a vegan diet would result in nutritional deficiencies. In fact, studies show that vegans will have diets holding greater antioxidants, magnesium, potassium, fibre, vitamins, and folate.
Beautify Your Skin
It is a well-known fact that what we put in our bodies impacts the way we look on the outside. For example, the consumption of dairy products has been linked with skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, and eczema. By upping our intake of plants, we take in more nourishing antioxidants from fruits and vegetables, which help rejuvenate and revitalize our skin from the inside out. Many people even refer to this as “the vegan glow.”
3 Simple Vegan Recipes
Now that you know the many benefits of eating a vegan diet, let us help you get started with these 3 delicious, simple, and easy to make recipes: 1. Roasted Carrots with Cashew Ajo Blanco Dressing
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 Bunch baby (Dutch) carrots, trimmed
- ½ tsp Ras El Hanout (Moroccan spice blend from Delis)
- ¼ tsp Sumac
- ¼ cup (60ml) Robust extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
- Micro red radish leaves, to serve
- AJO BLANCO
- 75g White bread, crusts removed
- 115g Cashews, roughly chopped
- 1 Garlic clove, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup (60ml) Sherry vinegar
- ½ cup (125ml) Mild extra virgin olive oil
METHOD:
- To begin, for the Ajo Blanco, start by soaking the bread in water for 5 minutes to soften and then drain. Transfer this to a blender with cashews, garlic, vinegar, and mild olive oil.
- With the blender on high, gradually add 1/3 cup (80ml) of cold water. Let this run for 30 seconds until the mixture is of a smooth consistency. Put this to the side in a bowl until ready to serve.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Place the carrots in a bowl along with the spices and robust olive oil. Season to taste and then toss to coat.
- Transfer this to the baking tray and roast for 40 minutes in the oven. They should become golden and tender.
- Spread the Ajo Blanco over a serving plate and top with the carrots. Garnish with the micro radish and drizzle the extra oil to serve.
2. Bruschetta Pasta
INGREDIENTS: - 400g Bavette pasta (or linguine)
- 4 Ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 Red onion, chopped
- 1 Garlic clove, crushed
- 2 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. Red wine vinegar
- ½ cup Roughly torn fresh basil
- 2 Tbsp. Fresh oregano leaves
- Follow packet instructions to cook the pasta using a larger saucepan filled with salted, boiling water.
- While this is cooking, combine all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Allow to stand for 10 minutes to let the flavours infuse.
- Drain the pasta and then add the other ingredients. Toss to combine.
3. Spicy Potato Cakes
INGREDIENTS:
- 500g Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 cup (120g) Frozen peas
- 1/3 cup (80ml) Sunflower oil
- 2 Long green chillies, seeds removed, chopped
- ½ Onion, coarsely grated
- 2cm piece of ginger, grated
- 1 tsp. Ground Tumeric, cumin and coriander
- ½ tsp. Garam masala
- 2 Tbsp. Chickpea (Besan) flour
- 1 Tbsp. Lemon juice
- Mango chutney, to serve
- Gently drop the potatoes into a saucepan containing cold, salted water and turn up the heat to bring to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain well.
- As this cooks, cook the peas in a separate pan of boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain well.
- Mash the potatoes and then stir in the peas.
- Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a frypan over medium heat. Add the chilli, onion, ginger, and spices, ready to cook. Stir for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add this to the potato mixture with flour and lemon juice. Season and stir well to combine.
- Using damp hands, form 18x4cm patties. Transfer these to a plate and chill for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Heat the remaining ¼ cup (60ml) oil in a non-stick frypan over medium to high heat. Cook the patties in 2 batches, each for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until crisp and golden.
- Drain on a paper towel and serve potato cakes immediately with the chutney.
Learn More About the Benefits of a Vegan Lifestyle with INIKA Organic
Discover more ways to embrace the vegan lifestyle with INIKA Organic. Our wide range of organic, ethical products allows you to have confidence in your beauty routines, as well as help in reducing your carbon footprint. To learn more, check out our vegan skincare and makeup collections and much more. As Australia’s only 100% authentic natural beauty brand, we are here to help you make the transition to a clean, natural, and flawless living. Get in touch today to see how we at INIKA Organic can support you or take a look at our Natural Beauty Hub for great tips on how to manage a Vegan beauty lifestyle. Shop online now and enjoy free delivery with orders over $75!