 Vegan cookbooks and diets are becoming increasingly popular; in part as an extension of vegetarianism and in part because of perceived health benefits. The vegan diet (and philosophy) was first articulated in the 1940s when the British Vegan society was established. Vegan Societies now exist in many countries. A vegan diet avoids all animal based or derived products: meat, fish, milk, eggs, cheese and even honey. Meals can be made from plants only. Many traditional and/or peasant dishes such as ratatouille, falafel, or hummus are actually vegan. Contemporary dishes often use soy or nut derived ingredients such as tofu, tempeh, seitan or almond milk to replace dairy products and similar binding ingredients to replace eggs. Vegan diets can be Vitamin B12 deficient and some nutritionalists recommend supplements. Equally there is growing evidence that vegan diets can be beneficial and a number of endurance atheletes follow a vegan diet. |
