Vegan

Eating and living vegan

Since the invention of bamix® more than 66 years ago, we at bamix® have been interested in sustainable and healthy management, responsible production, sustainable use of resources and adapting to the respective needs of consumers.

Vegan isn’t just a marketing buzzword for us – we actually take into account a growing target group that’s concerned about the environment and also thinks about their own nutrition and the resulting well-being.

Below you’ll find some thoughts on vegan and vegetarian nutrition and some exciting recipes that will turn out wonderfully with the bamix®.

What does
vegan really mean?

Those who choose to eat vegan don't want to find anything animal-based on their plates. Some are people who want to protect the climate, others feel sorry for animals, and for another group it comes down to culinary variety. Health is also a driving force to go for a purely plant-based diet. There are a multitude of reasons to look into vegan or vegetarian nutrition and careful preparation.

Vegetables and fruit, cereals, pulses, nuts and mushrooms. That's a lot and enough for varied and tasty meals. However, for many people "vegan" sounds like giving something up. But this is more due to a perceived lack of something than a real lack. If you’re used to having a piece of meat with side dishes on your plate, with a vegan meal you might, at first, feel that something’s missing.

The important thing here is to break habits, try new things, rearrange your plate and be creative and imaginative.

Vegan
alternatives

The transition to a plant-based diet can be a little challenging for some people, especially in the beginning.
To make the transition to a vegan diet easier, there are now various plant-based alternatives to animal products / for animal products. Managing everything yourself can be quite inconvenient, so people often resort to vegan substitutes for meat, sausage, milk and cheese. Therefore, even the vegan does not have to do without delicious tastes and dishes from the pre-vegan era.

Eggs

Binders: starch, tomato paste, linseed, bananas, soy flour, chick pea flour, chia seeds
Moisture: silk tofu, coconut milk
Adding colour: turmeric
Easing (protein): mineral water baking powder, soy yoghurt

Meat

Smoked tofu
Soy granules
Shredded soy
Jackfruit in BBQ marinade
Soaked banana leaves
Pulses
Dried mushrooms soaked in water

Cheese

Cheese alternative with oils, potato starch, nut purée, etc.
Mozzarella alternative based on wholgrain rice
Cream cheese alternative based on tofu

Milk

Soy, oat, rice, spelt, almond hazelnut, coconut

You can also make your own almond milk - mix almond paste with water, cinnamon and dates.

Cream

Soy cooking cream
Oat cooking cream
Spelt cooking cream
Rice cooking cream
Almond cooking cream
Coconut cooking cream

Yoghurt

Yoghurt alternative from soy, oats, coconut
Yoghurt alternative made from lupines
Pudding powder alternative based on corn starch

Fruit

Eating fruit is the easiest way to sweeten your day. The recommendation is to enjoy about 250 g per day. The vitamin-rich fruits are perfect combined with savoury foods, whether pomegranate seeds with roasted root vegetables, apple slices in a gratin or grilled apricots with a summer salad.

Pulses

Peas, beans, lentils and lupins are the most important vegetable protein sources. Especially when pulses are combined with cereals, the body receives high-quality protein. Soybeans and products made from soya also have valuable protein.

Cereals

Cereals such as wheat, spelt, oats, rye, barley, millet and rice are the common types. Those who need to forgo wheat, due to either an illness or an intolerance, can switch to other types of grain. So-called pseudo-cereals such as quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth are gluten-free and also very rich in protein, especially quinoa. It’s best to combine cereals and cereal-like foods with pulses, potatoes or nuts and seeds, as this increases the biological value of the protein.

Nuts and seeds

For a long time, these kernels, rich in fat and protein, were considered fattening and were criticised accordingly. Today we know that hazelnuts, cashews and walnuts have positive effects on heart health. They contain high-quality fats and provide effective secondary plant compounds. Flaxseeds are also very rich in fibre and have become one of the local superfoods. Nuts and seeds are essential in many recipes, not only for the nutty flavour, but also for providing the delicious bite and crunch that a dish needs to make us happy. Oils made from nuts and seeds provide us with healthy fats and are available in a wide range. Recommendation: aromatic extra virgin olive oil or rapeseed oil for cooking and frying. Oils such as hazelnut, pumpkin seed or sesame are suitable for cold dishes, for salads and dips, or simply poured over hot dishes.

Vegetable

The best thing would be to eat about 450 g of vegetables daily. Ideally, vegans should eat even more vegetables. Vegetables are rich in nutrients and have a positive influence on health. It’s important to eat a lot of green vegetables, and also red and yellow vegetables, not only because they look so good on the plate, but also because they provide us with all the vitamins, minerals and secondary plant compounds.

Eating healthy –
purely plant-based

Of course you can eat a healthy diet completely without animal products. The relevant tips are basically the same as those for all people, regardless of their dietary preferences. The most important thing is to eat as varied a diet as possible, drawing on the whole wealth of plant-based foods, from vegetables and fruit to grains and pulses, nuts and vegetable oils.

This means you don't have to worry much about your supply of all important nutrients. To prevent deficiency problems, it is crucial to pay attention to the following factors in detail:

Protein

Proteins are enormously important building materials for our body – without them, nothing works. Vegetable ingredients also provide the important proteins, especially pulses of all kinds, cereals and nuts. You should include plenty of these in your diet. It's not the quantity that counts, but the quality and composition. Soya and lupin are ideal in this respect, as are hemp seeds. It’s also exciting to combine protein sources: maize with beans or lentils with rice.
Tip: Eat as varied and tasty a diet as possible!

Healthy
fats

When it comes to fatty acids, vegans are ahead of meat eaters in terms of health. This is because plants are the main source of unsaturated fatty acids, which are better for one’s health. It’s important to have a balanced ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Since we usually consume far too much of the latter, you should regularly use linseed oil (do not heat!) or rapeseed oil, both of which have a high content of omega-3 fatty acids.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D isn’t present in sufficient quantities in plant-based foods. Actually, the body can produce vitamin D itself. However, it needs sunlight to do so. Many people have a vitamin D deficiency, regardless of their diet. But the body urgently needs the substance, e.g. to keep the calcium metabolism in balance and to control many other important bodily processes. The solution is to go out and get some sunshine, whenever there’s a sunny day. This will boost the body's own vitamin D production. If that’s not enough, you can also take vitamin D in tablet form.

Vitamin B12

There is, however, one nutrient that is critical in a vegan lifestyle: vitamin B12 is something we humans can only get from animal-based foods. This is a pity, because it’s essential to have the substance for important processes in the body such as cell division, blood formation and the functioning of our nervous system. If you’re just switching to a vegan lifestyle, you won't notice a deficiency immediately, because fully-filled vitamin B12 stores last for about one to two years. But in the medium term, you should definitely take appropriate vitamin supplements.
It’s best to talk to your family doctor about this.

Calcium

We’ve all heard that we need calcium as a building material for teeth and bones – followed by the recommendation to regularly consume dairy products for this reason. What fewer people know is that vegetables of the cabbage family, from kale to broccoli to savoy cabbage, as well as beans, rocket, herbs and nuts, also provide the coveted calcium, and in a form that is easy for the body to absorb. In order to absorb it well, we should be well-supplied with vitamin D – go out and get some sun!

Iron

Among other things, we need iron for the haemoglobin in the blood, which transports oxygen into the cells. Those who live a vegan lifestyle should make sure to always include iron-rich foods in their diet. It’s fortunate that there are plenty of good plant sources of iron! However, iron from plant sources is absorbed by the body somewhat less efficiently than that from meat and fish. Cocoa, seeds such as pumpkin seeds, linseed and sesame, grains such as quinoa, amaranth and millet, as well as lentils and chickpeas. It’s best to combine these with products containing vitamin C, such as peppers, sauerkraut or citrus fruits, because this way the iron is absorbed better.

Eat Vegan
eat Healthy

There are many "quick and easy" dishes showing that vegan cooking can be implemented on a daily basis and with normal shopping habits.

For example, preparing lentils hardly takes any longer than pasta. Beans and chickpeas can be cooked quickly and gently in a pressure cooker. And finally, for the spontaneous and those who are in a hurry, there are all kinds of lentils and beans from jars and cans.

Recipe inspirations