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Vegan Chips: You Have to Pay Attention to This

You don’t always recognize vegan chips at first glance. In addition to potatoes, oil and salt, there are often flavors and additives, which is why not all chips are vegan. We’ll show you what to look out for.

Vegan chips are not a matter of course due to various additives. Animal ingredients are hidden in the salty snacks, especially in the form of flavor enhancers and flavorings.

Therefore, you should always take a look at the list of ingredients when shopping. The following substances are often found in conventional chips:
butterfat
sweet whey powder
milk protein
cream powder
buttermilk powder
cheese powder
animal rennet
shrimp powder
honey
pork powder
animal flavors such as game, poultry or fish

Animal additives are also hidden behind some E numbers, such as in emulsifier E471. The substance is obtained from animal fats.

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Food

Kala Namak: That’s Why It’s Popular in Vegan Cuisine

Kala Namak, also known as black salt, smells like rotten eggs – and is still popular in vegan cuisine. We explain what you need to know about the special salt from India.

In this article you will learn what kala namak is, how you can use it in the kitchen and what you should pay attention to when buying it.

Black Salt: Peculiarities of Kala Namak

Kala Namak originally comes from India and is widely used there and in other South Asian countries. Although it’s called black salt, it’s more of a reddish-dark purple color – mainly because of the iron it contains.

But it’s not just the color that makes Kala Namak so unusual: the salt smells like rotten eggs, which is due to the sulfur compounds it contains. This is why Kala Namak cannot convince every nose, but most palates can if used correctly: A little Kala Namak gives dishes the typical egg taste. Therefore, the salt is particularly popular with vegans and egg allergy sufferers.

Characteristics of Kala Namak:
Colour: dark red, dark violet, black-greyish
Taste: salty, sulphurous, like egg
Odour: sulphurous, like slightly rotten eggs
Origin: India, Pakistan
Trade names: Kala Namak, Black Salt, Black Salt, Rock Salt, Saindhav, (Indian) Sanchal

Kala Namak: Crafting

In the traditional production process of Kala Namak, rock salt from the Himalayan mountains is mixed with charcoal, spices, herbs and the seeds of the harad plant and heated. This process is no longer common for commercial distribution. There are two main ways to make black salt:
Kala Namak with Harad seeds: Rock salt (often from the Himalayas) is boiled with Harad seeds (fruits of the Terminalia chebula plant)
Synthetic black salt: Sodium chloride is mixed with sodium sulfate, sodium hydrogen sulfate and ferrous sulfate and reduced with charcoal
Both versions of Kala Namak are very similar in terms of taste and appearance. The “real” black salt is considered to be of higher quality and is usually a little more expensive.

Kala Namak in the kitchen – recipe ideas and tips

No other vegan food tastes as close to a boiled egg as Kala Namak. That’s why black salt is so popular in vegan diets and it’s hard to imagine life without it.

Kala Namak is therefore suitable for all dishes in which you want to imitate eggs, for example:
vegan scrambled eggs with tofu or chickpea flour – with some turmeric for the yellow color
vegan shakshuka with chickpea flour and oatmeal
Avocado, finely seasoned with black salt – for example on a slice of bread
vegan omelette
vegan egg salad
Poor Knight (French Toast) as a vegan variant
In Indian cuisine, on the other hand, kala namak is used in a completely different way. There it is mainly an ingredient in chutneys, fruit salads, chaats or raitas. But you can also add Kala Namak to fruit juice drinks and long drinks.

In any case, you should only use black salt sparingly – otherwise the peculiar taste will quickly become too much.

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Lifestyle

Weight, Personality, Depression: This is How Vegetarians and Meat Eaters Differ

How do eating habits affect people? Researchers at the Max Planck Institute wanted to find out: In a large-scale study, they compared people who eat meat with those who consume little or none.

Diet with or without meat: these are the differences

The researchers were interested in three characteristics – the subjects’ weight, their mental health and personality traits. The results:

1. Weight

Participants who ate less meat and dairy products had a lower BMI – i.e. they were leaner. According to the study, this is because animal products are often higher in calories and contain more saturated fats. They are also consumed more frequently than processed foods and are therefore even higher in calories.

2. Personality

People who ate fewer animal products tended to be more introverted in the study. It is unclear what the reason for this is, says Veronica Witte, head of the study, on Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR). “It could be because more introverted people tend to have more restrictive eating habits or become more socially isolated because of their eating habits.”

The scientists also investigated whether there was a link between the plant-based diet and neuroticism. People Higher in Neuroticism People are considered to be more anxious, moody, and irritable. Previous studies have suggested a link between a vegetarian diet and neuroticism. However, the current study could not confirm this.

3. Mental Health

The study also analyzed whether vegetarians were more likely to be depressed. Previous studies had pointed this out as well. However, the researchers at the Max Planck Institute were also unable to confirm this connection.

Lessons from the study

The scientists conclude from their study that a vegetarian lifestyle can above all be an effective way to combat obesity. The results also suggest that introverts are more likely to adjust their diet accordingly. Further studies are needed to clarify why this is the case.

Utopia says: The findings of this study again indicate that a vegetarian diet does not have any health disadvantages – on the contrary. And it’s better for animals and the environment anyway.

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Lifestyle

What Would Happen if Nobody ate Meat Anymore

Those who do without meat protect the environment and reduce animal suffering. But what if everyone in the world stopped eating meat? The effects would be remarkable.

Animal suffering in factory farming, the poor ecological balance of meat or exploitation in the slaughterhouses: there are good reasons for not eating meat.

1. There would be more free space

The production of food of animal origin takes up a lot of space. A 2018 study by Oxford University in England came to the conclusion that agricultural land without meat and dairy products could be reduced by up to 75 percent worldwide. That’s an area the size of the US, China, the EU and Australia combined. If mankind would only do without meat, the area would be a little smaller – but still considerable.

Of course, plant-based foods also need space to grow, but significantly less. According to the study, meat and dairy products provide only 18 percent of all calories and 37 percent of proteins – but require the largest area for production.

2. Less rainforest destruction

Less animal husbandry also means that less animal feed has to be grown. Pigs, cows and the like are fed with soy, among other things – around 70 to 75 percent of the global soy harvest is used as animal feed.

The high demand for soy means that in countries like Brazil, rainforests are being cleared to make room for soy plantations. If humanity stopped eating meat, more rainforest would remain.

3. More biodiversity

When the world uses less land for agriculture and more rainforest is preserved, there is more room for wild plants, insects and animals. Livestock farming is one of the main reasons why around a million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction: it takes away their habitat and food resources.

4. Fewer greenhouse gases

Livestock breeding not only takes up a lot of space, but also causes a lot of climate-damaging emissions. An American study from 2016 came to the conclusion that the greenhouse gases caused by animal husbandry could be reduced by 63 percent if people were to eat vegetarian food. According to this, a vegan diet would even result in savings of 70 percent.

5. Less water consumption

If people stopped eating meat, they would also save an enormous amount of water. One kilo of beef, for example, uses around 15,000 liters of water during the production process. A particularly large amount of it is needed to irrigate areas under cultivation for animal feed.

6. Cleaner groundwater

Without animal husbandry, the water quality would also improve. In Germany, the nitrate levels in groundwater are too high, which is why the EU Commission has already sued Germany.

Farmers use liquid manure from factory farming to fertilize their fields. In livestock farming, however, the quantities of manure are so large that the soil is heavily over-fertilized – and the groundwater is polluted with nitrate.

7. Less antibiotic resistance

Especially in factory farming, farms treat their animals with antibiotics to prevent disease from spreading. According to a study from 2019, three times more antibiotics and other drugs are used in animal fattening than in human medicine.

The consequences: Resistant bacteria develop in the animals, which humans eat with the meat. As a result, certain antibiotics also lose their effectiveness in humans. If a person becomes seriously ill and is dependent on an antibiotic, resistance can, in the worst case, be fatal. If humanity stopped eating meat, there would be fewer such antibiotic resistances.

7. Fewer diseases

Overall, people around the world could be healthier if they stopped eating meat. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies red meat as “probably carcinogenic”. Red meat includes pork, beef, lamb, and goat. According to the WHO, processed meat such as sausage and ham is considered “carcinogenic”. So if people stopped eating meat, there would be fewer cancers.

We would also probably eat more vegetables and plant-based foods – and thus take in more healthy nutrients. A 2016 study calculated that a vegan and vegetarian lifestyle could prevent seven to eight million premature deaths worldwide every year.

8. Less animal suffering

When humanity stops eating meat, fewer animals need to be raised in problematic conditions. In addition, fewer animals are slaughtered. Overall, animal suffering is at least reduced. However, it can only be avoided completely if animals are no longer exploited for food production. We should fundamentally make the production of dairy products and eggs more animal-friendly, consume less of them – or do without them altogether.

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Food

Vegan Foods: Popular Foods on an Animal-Free Diet

There is a wide variety of vegan foods – some of which you may not even know. We’ll show you how to recognize vegan foods and which ones are particularly important.

This is how you recognize vegan food

Vegan foods are free from animal ingredients and are usually specially labelled. Fruit and vegetables don’t need to be labeled – they’re vegan by nature.

Important vegan foods

A balanced diet is important for everyone – including vegans. With a diet without animal products, you have to make sure that you consume certain vitamins and minerals that are otherwise found in meat and eggs, for example. Because some substances are found in high concentrations mainly in foods of animal origin. Therefore, you should pay attention to the following nutrients:

Legumes, nuts and seeds are a good source of protein. They also contain many vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin B2, vitamin B3 and calcium.
Vitamin C not only strengthens the immune system, but also promotes iron absorption. So if you eat foods that are particularly rich in iron, such as oatmeal, lentils or Brussels sprouts, you should also take vitamin C at the same time to better process the iron – for example with paprika or a glass of water with lemon juice.
Omega-3 fatty acids are not only found in fish, but are also found in linseed oil, hemp oil, walnut oil and rapeseed oil. Omega-3 fatty acids are particularly important for the brain and eyes. They also reduce the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
Vitamin D is found in many types of fish and in egg yolks. Porcini mushrooms, chanterelles and button mushrooms are a good vegan alternative. However, with sufficient exposure to sunlight, the human body can produce its entire vitamin D requirement itself. Therefore, you should be outdoors every day.
Vitamin B12 is mainly found in meat, fish and dairy products. Vitamin B12 can only be found in animal-free foods in fermented plant-based foods such as sauerkraut and beer and the alga chlorella – but very little. Many vegans therefore resort to vitamin supplements.

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Lifestyle

Living Vegan: The Most Important Answers

Avoiding animal products, acting ethically and living sustainably – that is the idea behind the vegan life. Here you will find undogmatic tips for a vegan lifestyle: We present purely plant-based products, explain what you should pay attention to when eating vegan and provide information about vegan clothing and cosmetics. We also show that vegan living doesn’t have to be complicated.

Vegans generally avoid all products that contain animal ingredients. The idea of ​​this way of life: To act more ethically because no animals have to be killed to make your own life possible. In addition, there is the sustainability aspect: after all, meat from factory farming and dairy products pollute the climate. Last but not least, the vegan life is often associated with the hope of a healthier diet.

Cooking vegan: innovative and different

Those who live vegan – or at least want to live a little more vegan – often expand their diet in many different ways. Cooking and experimenting is part of it for many (new) vegans. For example, you can conjure up delicious dishes with the versatile meat substitute seitan (and even make seitan yourself), make vegan brownies from kidney beans or vegan chocolate spread yourself as an alternative to Nutella.

“Necessity is the mother of invention” is the motto and it is the same with vegan baking and cooking: The vegan egg substitute can consist of fruit puree, special egg substitute powder, flaxseed or silken tofu – or you can simply omit eggs altogether. Honey is replaced with sugar beet and maple syrup or agave syrup: we present the best vegan honey alternatives.

Tip: To ensure that you continue to eat a balanced diet, you can use the vegan food pyramid

Eat vegan: There are many alternatives

Traditional dishes can be reinterpreted as “vegan”: there are many delicious plant-based recipe ideas. In summer, living vegan does not mean doing without, but instead you reach for vegan ice cream, which is now available in supermarkets and ice cream parlors. Grilling is also possible without steak or wieners: we provide delicious recipe ideas for vegan grilling

And what about the typical German breakfast? Don’t worry, it looks good on the bread without salami and cheese: You can make vegan spreads yourself with just two ingredients. Because: Purchased vegetarian and vegan spreads

There is now a large selection of plant-based milk substitutes for coffee. We looked at different types of plant milk: soy milk, almond milk, pea milk, lupine milk, hemp milk, oat milk (which you can also make yourself with our oat milk recipe) and rice milk – find out more and try for yourself which plant milk you like best. Living (and above all eating) vegan means: Trying out many things and being curious.

Living vegan: Eating a healthy and balanced diet

Unlike “omnivores”, vegans get their proteins only from plant sources, i.e. from legumes instead of meat, eggs and milk. Anyone who has decided to live vegan should deal intensively with food and its nutrients in order to stay healthy. With us you will find information about vitamins from plant sources, the much-discussed vitamin B12 and we will answer the question of which foods provide plant-based protein.

Controversially discussed and examined by us: Pregnancy with a vegan diet and you wonder whether you can lose weight vegan.

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Food

Pegan: This is How the Vegan Paleo Diet Works

The pegan diet combines the paleo diet and veganism. We explain to you what constitutes the diet and whether it is healthy.

Veganism and Paleo seem mutually exclusive at first glance:

While you do without all animal products on a vegan diet, meat, fish and eggs play an important role in the Paleo diet.
Whole grains and legumes are important sources of nutrients in a vegan diet. In Paleo, on the other hand, they are taboo.
However, the American doctor Mark Hyman combined the two diets into the pegan diet. This largely corresponds to the Paleo diet, only the proportion of animal products is greatly reduced – fish, meat and eggs are still allowed. The pegan diet is not vegan.

These foods are suitable for a pegan diet:

Fresh vegetables should be the most important part of your meals, combined with plenty of fruit.
Nuts, seeds and avocados as well as olives, olive oil and coconut oil serve as sources of fat.
According to the Paleo philosophy, fish, meat and eggs should come from species-appropriate and natural animal husbandry or wild-caught where possible and play a minor role in your meals.
On the other hand, you should use these foods sparingly in a pegan diet or avoid them altogether:

Grains containing gluten do not belong on your menu. Gluten-free grains and legumes are allowed in small amounts.
You should avoid dairy products and consume them very sparingly.
Refined sugar is taboo. Instead, you can use small amounts of coconut blossom sugar, syrups or concentrated juices to sweeten.
Most oils and fats are considered over-processed and therefore not pegan. Excluded are the fat sources mentioned above.
Processed foods should be avoided as much as possible.
Ultimately, you can decide for yourself how strictly you want to interpret the guidelines. A vegan pegan diet is also possible.

How healthy is the pegan diet?

The pegan diet is very similar to the paleo diet. Experts are discussing how healthy this is.

The DGE gives a positive assessment of the high proportion of vegetables and fruit and the absence of processed products. According to the DGE, studies also show that you can reduce fat mass, improve your insulin metabolism and possibly lower your cholesterol level with a paleo diet.
The DGE is critical of the fact that people who eat paleo eat a lot of animal products. The problem is less with the pegan diet. However, the DGE also criticizes that not eating dairy products, legumes and whole grains can promote nutrient deficiencies – this can also happen with the pegan diet. Finally, the scientific basis of the Paleo diet is also questionable. It is based on the assumption that our bodies are still adapted to the Stone Age diet and cannot handle agricultural products such as milk or grain. However, there is no evidence that our genetic makeup has not changed since the Paleolithic period. In addition, people at that time also had very different diets depending on the region.
If you follow the pegan diet strictly (vegan), you should have your blood values ​​checked regularly to avoid nutrient deficiencies (e.g. certain B vitamins, zinc, iodine, iron or calcium). Get some advice or consult your nutritionist before beginning a strict pegan diet.

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Cooking Tips

Pectin: This is Hidden Behind The Vegan Gelling Agent

Pectin is a vegan gelling agent. But how can it be used and what should you consider? The answers and more information about pectin can be found here.

pectin in plants

Pectin is a gelling agent that is used in many foods. Similar to agar agar

Chemically, pectin is a polysaccharide. Basically there is no such thing as pectin. It is a component of almost all plants and stabilizes the cells of the plants and regulates the water. It comes in different forms.

Fruit in particular has a particularly high proportion of pectin. For example, the pectin content of cherries is 0.4 percent. Apricots contain one and apples even up to 1.5 percent.

Pectin as a gelatine substitute

Pectin is widely used in the food industry. The ability to gel is responsible for the consistency of jams, jellies and preserves. It can be used as a plant-based substitute for gelatin in vegan foods.

If you want to make jam yourself, you can use pectin in the form of preserving sugar. It consists essentially of sugar and pectin. The advantage of jam sugar is that it is very easy to use. According to the manufacturer’s instructions, you add a certain amount of preserving sugar to a certain amount of fruit.

Because you also dose the pectin via the amount of sugar, you have to use the specified dosage of gelling sugar in order to achieve the desired result. So you can’t sweeten freely according to your taste. There is another disadvantage of jam sugar: Depending on the supplier, it may contain other substances such as citric acid or preservatives in addition to sugar and pectin.

Pure pectin – an alternative to jam sugar

If you don’t want any additives or preservatives in your homemade jam, you can also buy pure pectin as a powder. It is then highly concentrated and you should dose it precisely so that your jam gets the desired consistency. You can sweeten the jam to your taste with sugar or even better cane sugar.

You can even make your own pectin yourself. This is not so hard:

Cut apples into small pieces and boil them with water in a 2:1 ratio for about 45 minutes.
Allow the resulting mush to drain in a cloth overnight. But you mustn’t squeeze it out.
Reduce the liquid by half the next day.
Add one part of your homemade pectin to four parts of fruit to make jam.

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