Questions & Answers

‘VEGANISIM IS A WAY OF LIVING WHICH SEEKS TO EXCLUDE, AS FAR AS IS POSSIBLE AND PRACTICABLE, ALL FORMS OF EXPLOITATION OF, AND CRUELTY TO, ANIMALS FOR FOOD, CLOTHING OR ANY OTHER PURPOSE.’              –  The Vegan Society

A vegan will not eat meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy, or any sort of other animal products or animal derivative (i.e. gelatin) or by-product (i.e. honey). Vegans will not buy or use any products made with animal products or tested on animals. Ethics and politics involving animal rights are a big part of the vegan lifestyle.

As far as we can tell there is no real definition between the two out there. At least there is no real definition on the internet. However from the info we’ve gathered this is how we understand it:

WFPB– We consider a wholefood plant based diet to be one that focuses on fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts and seeds and grains in a form close to their natural state. This includes eating them cooked, baked, steamed, boiled and sauteed!  We also consider things like chickpea flour, oat flour, rice pastas, tofu, tempeh and nut butters to be part of whole-food plant based diet because while they have been processed it is quite minimal. Choosing to eat the whole food form like full nuts, and whole chickpeas and plain old rice and oats should frequent meals more often than the more processed form. A wholefood plant-based diet also focuses on avoiding added sugar, salt and oil. 

Plant-Based – Of course this contains everything in WFPB but also includes things like processed oils, sugar, and salt. Oils are not considered whole-food plant-based but they are considered to be plant-based because they are derived from plants. A lot of crackers, pre-packaged plant based foods, breads and healthier plant-based snacks have these things. Even plant-milk sometimes has oil added to it. So processed and packaged food can technically still be part of a plant-based diet as long as it does not have animal products.

We aim to follow a WFPB when we can but sometimes you wanna go out to eat, are craving treats, or travelling, or in a place with limited choices and you eat something less whole foodie. Also be gentle on yourself. If you’re eating a Standard Canadian Diet (or Standard American Diet) just focus on eating plant-based options and as time goes by and your cooking skills improve and cravings are reduced you’ll naturally find yourself eating more whole foods.  

A pescitarian does not eat meat our poultry but does eat seafood, eggs, dairy, honey and other animal by products.

We don’t use protein powders often because we get enough protein from the food we eat throughout the day. Fruits, veggies, beans, and grains have surprisingly more protein than you would think. We are active individuals but not dedicated to building muscle so we don’t see much need for it. We just see it as an extra thing to buy that we don’t need. Obviously everyone’s needs are different and I would suggest trying them out (if you want to) and seeing how you feel. 

Sometimes though, we use them to make our smoothies taste more like treats and it’s nice to have around the house for when you are running out of smoothie ingredients and you need something to add in to get you through the morning. Or like when you go to make a bowl of oats and you realize you’ve only left ¼ cup in the bag (for some dumb reason you did this, only to dissapoint yourself the next morning) and it’s not going to get you through the morning- so you add in a scoop.

We consume flax seed, hemp-seed and chia seeds to get most of our omegas! When our eating isn’t up to par, or we’re travelling or really busy we look to plant-based omega supplements. 

We take an amazing Omega Blend. It’s the only plant-based omega supplement in the world that has all 5 strands of essential fatty acids- Omega 3,4,5,7,9. Send us an email if you’re interested in learning more about it or want to order some 🙂.

Iron is in tons of fruits and veggies so it’s quite possible to meet your iron needs on a vegan diet. 

Check out this link for a list of iron amounts in fruits and veggies. 

There are some tricks to help your body absorb iron better.

The craziest one is don’t drink anything with tannins when eating foods full of iron because it stops the absorption. Think tea, coffee and red wine- don’t have them with iron rich foods! How ironic is that…..so many meat eaters have red wine with their steak and that stops iron absorption! 

Eating foods rich in vitamin C with your iron rich foods increases iron absorption by 5 times the amount! 

For more tips check here. 

Also, how cool is this iron fish! It’s a fish shaped piece of iron you use in your cooking and it leaches iron into the food. My friend boils it in water and then just drinks that water throughout the day. Plus they use a portion of the profits to bring Lucky Iron Fish to communities in need! 

Make sure you are eating enough food. Don’t survive off just salads- you will be so hungry and you will find yourself crashing and reaching for whatever food (and it will probably be junkfood/non vegan food) you can get your hands on in a desperate attempt to not feel starving!  

Eat lots of fruits, beans, and grains. If you’re eating a salad add in some quinoa, or some beans to bump up the calories so you can stay full! Don’t be afraid to eat more than one piece of fruit! Bananas are a great way to fill up when you feel like you’re starving. Always having cans of beans in your cupboard and some rice or quinoa cooked and ready to go will save you! Vermicelli noodles (rice noodles) are really good to have on hand too because you can prepare them so quickly if you don’t have any cooked grains on hand.  Buy a couple vegan bars and toss one in your bag or in your car incase you find yourself out of the house all day or at someone place for dinner where they have no vegan food. If you like to bake, look up a vegan granola bar recipe and make your own to take with you. At least you’ll have something to tide you over till you can get home, or the grocery store or somewhere where they have vegan food. EAT LOTS.

We found that once we cut the animal products and gluten out of our diet we could eat grains with no problem. Previous to this we could eat only tiny portions or we would get abdominal pain, bloating and gas. Maybe try cutting out animal products and see if your body starts digesting grains better. Start small and work your way up. If it’s not helping, consider trying to keep gluten out of your diet

No, eating plant based can be quite inexpensive. Especially if you decide to go the whole-food plant based route and keep your fat intake low. 

Beans, rice, potatoes, oats- they are all really cheap. Shop around the store and eat whatever fruit and veg is cheapest at the time! If you have a Costco card, frozen fruit and veg are incredibly well priced there! The Super Store is also really cheap for stocking up on frozen fruit and veg (for Canadians). Those prices are always fluctuating and being aware of the price will help you pick what veggies fit your budget best at that time 🙂 . 

We used to be nut-o-holics and coconut-o-holics. Those things are expensive! We eat nuts still but in moderation so it’s way cheaper. Previously we were buying tons to make nut cheese cakes, and for snacks and for spreads. Don’t even get me started on the coconut butter and coconut oil. Those things are pricey and we use to down them! So happy we learned they weren’t helping our health issues!  Sooo anyhow yeah we have nuts and seeds but we sprinkle them on our salads, bowls and smoothies. We don’t down a $15 bag in one sitting. The most expensive things are oils, nuts and seeds and you need zero oil and small amounts of nuts and seeds! 

Ohhh and processed plant-based junk food is so expensive! So cut out that processed stuff and focus on real foods. Keep the ice cream, nut cheeses, and almond butters for special occasions :).