De Vegarevolutie by Lisa Steltenpool

A few months back I’ve gone vegan, I no longer eat any animals products on purpose (sometimes by accident, but I’m learning). I don’t really make it known in real-life, but somehow people always find out. And when people do, they have a ton of questions. I get that, veganism can be uncommon ground for someone. But I like it when people ask questions because I like to talk about veganism. Most questions people ask me can be answered by reading this book: De Vegarevolutie by Lisa Steltenpool (in Dutch).

De Vegarevolutie

This book is it. Everything you need to know if you’re vegan or want to go vegan. Everything is in here. The book starts with all the reasons to go vegan, from health to animal rights. The why of veganism. This is for me personally the most important part of the book but it is also the question I get asked the most from non-vegans. There are so many reasons to go vegan, as you might read in this book. And so, I find it hard to explain. I used to always say: for the environment and for the animals. But that is way too vague. It does not make people think. I am picking one of these subjects from this book and will elaborate on that when people ask me. Just to be more specific and to make people think.

There is a big difference between saying: I’m vegan for the animals or saying: I’m vegan because I don’t want animals to die for my food. This book helps you makes you remember why you’re doing it and gives you the tools to inspire others.

The vegan diet

The second part is about the vegan diet itself. What is a vegan diet? For me it’s logical but there are a lot of people who think I eat salad all day. But, surprise, that isn’t the case. The book shows that vegans can eat a varied and delicious diet. Steltenpool also states what you need as human being, your nutritional needs. She has made it very clear in a beautiful piramide, which you can see below in the picture. What should we eat and how much of everything? Unfortunately the picture is in Dutch but I hope you can understand it by the pictures.

But there is more! Besides the why and the how of veganism, there is even more. Recipes for inspiration (but use the internet too, the place is full of amazing recipes!), everything you need to know about E-numbers (are they vegan or not and how can you tell), vegan make-up (what to look for) and more! As I said, this book has everything you need to know about veganism. It’s a must read and I would recommend it to anyone. Vegans or non-vegans.

Is it Hard?

And then there is the second question I get asked most: ‘Do you find it difficult?’. My always is always no. I mean, it’s 2018. You can replace anything you want with a vegan alternative these days (which isn’t always necessary nutrition-wise, but still delicious!). So when I crave steak tartare I buy vegan steak tartare. Simple as that. You don’t have to miss out on anything.

How I Feel

Since a vegan diet isn’t common yet, people think that you miss certain vitamins when you eat vegan. There is one vitamin you have to supplement, vitamin B12 (because that’s supplemented to animals and vegans don’t eat animals). Besides that, you’re good to go. I feel better since I went vegan. I feel lighter and mentally better. You’d be surprised how good it feels that you’re not contributing to environmental damage, animal suffering and the hart disease pandemic. As I said, I feel lighter, energetic and good. I think a vegan diet can be very varied. More than a non-vegan one. Since I’ve gone vegan my diet is more varied.