Can Vegans eat rice? (ideas for vegan food)
In this article, we discuss whether vegans can eat rice, the benefits, and the downsides of a vegan diet. We also give you a few vegan ideas for a vegan breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert.
Can Vegans eat rice?
Yes, vegans can eat rice as it is a plant-based seed variety. It is often an essential and nutritional fulfilling grain in a typical vegan diet. The variants that are excluded include the fried rice varieties with eggs, meat, bacon, or fish.
A vegan person follows a 100% vegetable diet, that is, a diet that excludes all types of meat, fish, and shellfish, dairy products, eggs, and honey.
Wild, basmati, white and brown rice – all are great for preparing food or serving as a base in a stew or stir-fry. It is essential that vegans eat carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, quinoa, oats, corn, corn flakes … etc) since they will give you energy for the whole day.
Veganism is an increasingly widespread way of life. It seeks not to harm animals, excluding as far as possible all forms of exploitation of animals used for food, clothing, and any other purpose. More and more people are realizing the suffering behind animal products and choosing not to contribute to it.
It is proven and known in the informed medical world that a well-planned vegan diet can provide us with all the necessary nutrients.
Foods of animal origin are also known to play an important role in many of the chronic diseases responsible for most deaths in this century. Cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, obesity, cancer, and many other diseases are closely linked to excessive consumption of food obtained by exploiting animals. Many studies show that a plant-based diet has a preventive role and can have a curative role in these diseases.
Many of us are surprised to hear this and tend to believe that our body needs animal products. We believe this because this is how our parents and guardians were taught, but such information is outdated and false.
Many studies on vegan nutrition have been conducted in recent decades, and a consensus has been reached internationally. The official position of the American Nutrition and Dietetics Association, the Association of Dietitians of Canada, the Association of Dietitians of Australia, and the Association of Dietitians of Great Britain is that a well-planned plant-based diet can provide all the necessary nutrients and protect us from certain diseases.
The disadvantages of a vegan diet
Poorly planned vegan diets can provide insufficient amounts of essential fatty acids, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, iodine, or zinc. Therefore, it is important to build your diet based on foods rich in nutrients or you can use, including supplements such as vitamin B12.
As the amount of time you give up animal foods increases, you may notice a change in bowel function that is either improving or you will experience an increase in bloating and flatulence symptoms. This is caused by the high fiber content of a vegan diet and the simultaneous increase in carbohydrates that ferment in the gut and can cause irritable bowel syndrome.
Other FAQs about Vegans which you may be interested in.
What can and should vegans eat?
Trying to switch to a “vegan” diet [strictly vegetarian] does not mean choosing a salad of vegetables or fruit! To eat healthier, all you have to do is replace the tomato sauce with meat with the one with vegetables, from Mexican dishes – for example – to choose those with beans instead of those with beef, to enjoy soy milk or rice milk instead of cow’s milk and try all the wonderful products available that do not contain animal ingredients, that are organic and healthy.
Strictly delicious vegetarian menus can be prepared with dishes that can be found in any supermarket. And those of us who do not have the time or inclination to cook have at their disposal an increasing number of vegetarian dishes of convenience.
In fact, as they become more aware of what they eat and start trying new foods and recipes, many people discover that they have a more diverse diet after becoming vegetarians!
Ideas for simple foods:
Breakfast
- Cereals or muesli with soy milk/rice
- Oats or other hot grains
- Pretzels and toast with jam
- Pancakes
- Soy yogurt
- Fruit smoothie
Lunch/Dinner
- Peanut butter and jam
- Soy/cereal burger
- Vegetarian cream
- Sandwich with vegetarian ham
- Sandwich with tofu (soy/vegetable cheese) or tempeh (a product of fermented soybeans)
- Bean soup or chili (over pasta or rice)
- Baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, or french fries
- Tofu, tempeh, or seitan fried with vegetables
- Pasta and tomato sauce
- Burrito with beans
- Baked seitan dish
- Lasagna with tofu
Snacks/Dessert
- Popcorn
- Peanuts, almonds, nuts
- Chips with salsa
- Bananas, apples, oranges
- Raisins, figs, dried apricots
- Sunflower and pumpkin seeds
- Cereal bar
- Pies and cakes
If you want to follow this lifestyle we can recommend a site where you can find everything you want: simpleveganblog.com
Final thoughts
In this article, we discussed whether vegans can eat rice, the benefits, and the downsides of a vegan diet. We also gave you a few vegan ideas for a vegan breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert.
A vegan person follows a 100% vegetable diet, that is, a diet that excludes all types of meat, fish, and shellfish, dairy products, eggs, and honey. Thus, vegans can eat rice, quinoa, bulgur, or any other type of cereal.
A vegan diet can have extraordinary health benefits, but as with any diet, it is important to consider certain key nutrients to avoid vitamin deficiencies and side effects.
If you have any questions or comments on the content, please let us know!
References
Davey GK, Spencer EA, Appleby PN, Allen NE, Knox KH, Key TJ. EPIC-Oxford: lifestyle characteristics and nutrient intakes in a cohort of 33 883 meat-eaters and 31 546 non-meat-eaters in the UK. Public Health Nutr. 2003;6(3):259-269. doi:10.1079/PHN2002430
Dewell A, Weidner G, Sumner MD, Chi CS, Ornish D. A very-low-fat vegan diet increases intake of protective dietary factors and decreases intake of pathogenic dietary factors. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008;108(2):347-356. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2007.10.044
Le LT, Sabaté J. Beyond meatless, the health effects of vegan diets: findings from the Adventist cohorts. Nutrients. 2014;6(6):2131-2147. Published 2014 May 27. doi:10.3390/nu6062131
