6 Delicious Vegan Pantry Delights

Delicious Vegan Pantry

Delights

1

Maple Syrup

With some 24 antioxidants, darker maple syrup is more plentiful in these free radical-busters than lighter versions, but either are no-brainers for sugar replacement. Furthermore, its zinc content is thought to help keep the heart healthy, bolster immunity, and protect endothelial cells from cholesterol. There are even believed benefits to the magic of maple syrup on male fertility – pancakes on a Sunday morning, anyone?

2

Avocado Oil

Almost 70% of avocado oil consists of the heart-healthy oleic acid, a monounsaturated Omega-9 fatty acid. Studies have seen an increase in HDL (or “good”) cholesterol when avocado oil is taken, as well as a lowering of blood pressure. Also containing a substantial amount of lutein, an antioxidant especially beneficial for eyesight, avocado oil is certainly one oil to keep alongside olive oil and coconut oil.

3

Coconut Milk

Electrolyte-rich, replete with potassium, iron, and magnesium – as well as MCTs (Medium-Chain Triglycerides) – coconut milk can be used for an almost limitless range of recipes, from summer-apt ice lollies and creamy smoothies, to rich curries and tropical-inspired porridge for those cooler days this season.

4

Cacao Powder

A great source of fibre, cacao is thought to be beneficial to IBS sufferers and those seeking better digestive health in general. The flavonoids are thought to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of Type-II diabetes and inflammation in the body. High in potassium, it is also a worthy inclusion in any heart-healthy diet.

5

Peanut Butter

The deity of vegan ingredients, the king protein go-to of any plant-based kitchen: peanut butter is not the same sugar-laden pasty creature it was only a mere decade or so ago. Containing vitamins A, E, and even C, peanuts are a rich source of unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and are as similarly cardiovascularly beneficial as olive oil. Smooth versus crunchy is a matter of personal choice, but look for unsweetened and organic every time.

6

Chickpeas

If peanut butter is the king of the vegan diet, then chickpeas are its queen, and now most of us know the water chickpeas come in is useful for budding plant-based chefs everywhere, too (if you’re scratching your head, we’re talking about aquafaba). Full of protein and iron and just generally deliciously diverse – if you haven’t got a tin of chickpeas (or five) in your kitchen cupboards, are you even vegan?

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Rewilding Humans:

Dietary Diversity & Rejoining the Planetary Ecosystem

his issue, of course, we’re all about acceptance. Even though our priorities are ensuring that we all live as sustainably as possible and attempt to arrest climate catastrophe while we still can through manageable actions on a scale individual yet multitudinous, we accept – as everyone who is easily able to live plant-based should – that sadly for some the practice of plant-based living just isn’t possible.

To this end, whatever the medical/biological/personal reasons behind the decision to give up trying to pursue dietary veganism for the good of the planet (nobody is expecting sainthood, or wilful striving towards an ahimsa or non-harmful diet to the detriment of a person’s own health; equally, we are not talking about ignoring the suffering of animals needlessly for cosmetics or clothing and the like), we thought we’d provide an overview of some ways in which those who are struggling are instead trying to adopt the most “earthfriendly meats” into their diet, without (as much as possible) adding to the livestock problem and its intertwined surplus of burping, gaseous creatures.

A word of warning if you are intrigued to learn of this alternative way: such flesh food is probably an organ, rather than muscle meat.

Wildervorism

Also termed the “eco-omnivore diet” (and reminiscent of regenerative agriculture’s propositions, as discussed), those who switch to the Wildevore diet do so with the twofold aim of saving both the planet and themselves. The key word here is “nourish”: nourish the land and nourish your body by choosing to buy only from those (local) farms who implement organic regenerative methods and by selecting those cuts or parts not mass produced and chemical-laden and antibioticpumped elsewhere, so that there is a nose-to-tail ethic to your eating habits.

Quite similar to the Paleo and Primal diets, what sets wildervorism apart is its socio-moral consciousness and a praxis which over time will address issues of animal welfare, soil degradation, food security, sustainability, and climate change without turning away from meat consumption. Physically, the Wildevore diet (with its 100% grassfed beef and lamb/mutton, depending on the season) is said to help improve gut health and rebalance the body as a whole, so that cravings for unhealthy foods lessen and you desire and hunger instead for a more natural, satisfying and – erm – wild diet.

Primal Blueprint

Paleo

The title of US triathlete, Mark Sisson’s well-known and immensely popular book, the Primal Blueprint diet is part of the ancestral health movement. Come about through Sisson’s own route to wellness after the end of his competing career, when he was finding that he often became sick despite being at peak fitness levels and that he was Also referred to as the “caveman diet”, the aim is to eat “paleolithically” as far as is possible, as in what is within the bounds of what is available to a modern consumer. Operating under the assumption the combination of changes in society and its farming practices in the last millennium have been too quick for the human genome to adapt, the Paleo diet seeks a return to a “hunter-gatherer” way of thinking, harking back to ancestors who certainly didn’t have a microwave and ready-meal to hand for those evenings when they were absolutely shattered from the day job. Asserting that 10,000 years ago, in a pre-agricultural era, although longevity was truncated by childbirth complications, extreme weather patterns, and hunting accidents – on the plus side, there were fewer incidences of obesity, heart disease, Type-II diabetes, cancer, autoimmune diseases, and – yup – acne. Deducing that the anti-inflammatory benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds could be why, the Paleo diet bans sugar, so too dairy, and also most grains and legumes, as well as anything artificial (what was aspartame to a man in a loin cloth?). As a result, and as a 2019 study’s results substantiated, blood pressure levels, waist measurements, and lipid profiles have been shown to be improved by following the Paleo diet. However, given its inclusion here, it should be evident that Paleo adherents still insist that iron levels should be maintained by allowing for the continuance of the hunting side of that heritage: that is to say, by including red meat. suffering from a veritable list of over-training issues (not just tendinitis and arthritis, but even gastritis and sinusitis) – finally, he felt the only real, tangible thing he could to address those problems was to look to his diet. Cutting out sugar and processed carbohydrates and hydrogenated oils, and severely limiting wholegrains and complex carbohydrates, the Primal Blueprint diet is similar to the Paleo diet in its macronutrient organic animal protein and healthy fat focal foundations, alongside fresh fruit and veg, and whole nuts and seeds. Happily, it allows for the occasional indulgence in some decadent dark chocolate. It also permits raw milk. Nonetheless, if you love wheat and corn, then this might not be the “primally” ancestral menu to try; nor is it keen on the nightshade plant foods (aubergines, peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes). In addition concentrating on movement and time spent out of doors (given that that was a considerable part of the “hunter-gathering” process within our heritage), the Primal Blueprint diet aims to Ancestral Wisdom You’ll begin to see a running burn fat and build muscle so as to extend longevity. theme with these natural, ecoconscious-yet-omnivorous diets, but fundamentally the simple goto reasoning for the Ancestral Wisdom dedicatee is, “we’ve been eating animals for 2.5 million years”… Believing in the incomparable nutrient density of animal products, citing “unsurpassable” absorption rates of vitamin B12, choline, haem iron, DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid), EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid), Omega3s, vitamin K2, selenium, and preformed vitamin A – those on the Ancestral Wisdom diet are they who expound the virtues of the nose-to-tail eating mentality for supreme bioavailability of protein and calcium and the diminishment of waste in the slaughter/taking of life of an animal.

From bone broth and cartilaginous cuts rich in the amino acid, glycine, to the superfood qualities of organ meats such as kidneys, heart, and liver (the ultimate in nutrient-dense animal-sourced foods), the Ancestral Wisdom diet is focussed on natural nourishment. However, it is not solely carnivorous and advocates suggest that between two-thirds and three-quarters of a plate of food should consist of plant foods for gut health. This, despite studies of 229 hunter-gatherer groups finding that the proportion of calories in their diet from consuming solely animals was on average around two-thirds, at times even as great as 99%. Conversely, the greatest proportion of plant foods in such ancestral diets, and only in 14% of the groups studied, was found to be not much greater than 50%.

It seems, then, that today’s green thinking has caused a laudable evolution of ancestral eating into not so much “ecosystem eating”, but “gut microbiome-concerned consumption”. In fact, a 2019 study published in PLoS noted the microbiomic diversity of Paleo diet adherents, strikingly changed to states similar to the gut microbiomes of traditional Hadzabe, Mayoruna, and Inuit populations.

Despite the overt central place of meat in such heritage diets, studies have shown that wheat, rice, and barley consumption dates back thousands of years and might even have been eaten during the Paleolithic era. That said, given the antinutrients within these foods (preventing proper absorption of the nutritional content of other edibles), those earlier peoples – our ancestors – who did eat such grains first either soaked or sprouted them, or even fermented them in order to destroy the antinutrients. And as for refined sugars and flours (aka cellular carbohydrates), and as for seed oils: dubbed the “Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse”, ancestral “dieters” shudder at the very thought of these promoters of “overeating and inflammation”.

Human genetic diversity is astounding. Each of us if made up of literally billions of cells and even more numerous microorganisms, and each of us has different nutritional needs. Indeed, the search for one’s personal “perfect diet” can be a life-long pursuit. By adopting one of these heritage or ancestral ways of eating, though, by switching to a more “Native Lifestyle” way of being, it is clear that it isn’t opting for yet another fad diet just because it’s popular and seems to work for so many others. Rather, it’s finding a personal harmony with the body one has been born with, allowing for acceptance of self and consideration of environmental ethics simultaneously. We can’t all go berry-picking from a bush when we’re hungry, but we can invest in those small businesses who bring the organically grown fruit (and the organic regeneratively reared meat) within proximity of the supper table.

There is, then, simply so much choice out there, so many alternatives to traditional animal products come from climatically damaging livestock agriculture, that to not in some way implement a more (and that’s the key word) plant-based way of life is wilfully, obstinately ignorant, and selfish. Yet, extreme views exist in both camps and to claim that a middle way, a flexitarian path, say, is beneficial too is often condemned. Recently, Plant Based News reported that a wellknown vegan doctor was near-trolled online after saying that ideal health doesn’t have to come from an absolutely 100% plant-based diet”. Dr Danielle Belardo has defended her refusal to ignore scientific data supporting such a statement. A cardiologist who shuns all animal-sourced products in all areas of her life, not just diet, her admission (which has earned her the label of being a “bad vegan”) came about during an interview with the YouTube health influencer, Doctor Mike (aka Dr Varshavski). Dr Belardo conceded that veganism is “more of an ethical decision” than a diet needed to be adopted for health reasons. Indeed, in response to Dr Varshavski’s question whether veganism is “undoubtedly safe and ideal for all”, Dr Belardo called the concept of a “perfect diet” an utter “fallacy”, but that there are “absolutely no health benefits to eating meat”.

Is it a question of language? What is being misunderstood, what signs and symbols should be employed instead to convince people – in addition to the plethora of scientific studies and resultant data – that by reducing exploitation of non-human animals for alimentary and lifestyle purposes, we will just about manage to save our planet and leave a home for our children and our children’s children? Even though we are blessed with the existence of the likes of the Thunbergs of this world, will it always be a singular raised voice amid the crowd that is heard by some, but tuned out by many? As LARB recently wrote, the Swedish vegan has used such powerful rhetoric as “I want you to panic. We are in the middle of a mass extinction”. No longer a child, but a young woman who continues to roar into the winds, even fiction – young adult climate fiction – is appropriating such language, and that can only be a good thing. Education, the enlightenment of still developing minds, the opening of eyes which aren’t used to shutting out the monstrousness of a situation self-created – it is the youth of today, it seems, who will be the main implementers of their own tomorrow. But is it not a lesson we as adults are overdue in learning? We created this dystopic reality, no mere story: it’s time to uncreate it now.

To be clear, the fact that there has been almost a deluge of plant-based alternatives of late is a great thing, indeed. However, is it as good as it seems on the surface when the leaders in such a market become those very multinationals who consumers shifted away from due to mistrust over factors including factory farming practices? Furthermore, can a vegan ethically purchase a plant-based product sold by a company that still profits from the sale of animal flesh? Vegconomist recently explored current opinions on this conundrum in plant-based capitalism, also noting that between 2010 and 2020 nearly $6 billion was raised for funding plant-based alternative products, with over $3 billion of that invested in 2020 alone. A decline in meat production after 2025 has already been predicted in a recent study by Blue Horizon and BCG (Boston Consulting Group). Christina Rodrigo, country manager of ProVeg International in Spain, believes such companies do need to be brought into the plant-based arena in order to facilitate “large-scale transformation” that is “sustainable resilient, and functional”, and Maria Troya, research fellow at the GFI (Good Food Institute) thinks it essential, given the financial standing of such corporations in comparison to the economic barriers faced by start-ups.

But is it not a little bit like a child being awarded a certificate for “effort” rather than “achievement”? What seems to be the deciding factor, as Mariana Issa, food innovation manager at EligeVeg in Mexico, said is that by purchasing such products, by voting with our money, we widen affordability and accessibility to plant-based foods – and that, really, can only be a good thing.