By Blanca Lemus, Long Beach Union
To be or not to be a vegan—that is the question! Throughout my college years I witnessed a couple of friends and peers turn to the “light side” and convert to a non-dairy and non-meat lover’s diet, which I dearly admired from afar, until recently. Unlike some of my friends who have converted to veganism because they love the world, animals, or simply wanted to lose weight, I ultimately decided to try being a vegan because I am a broke-ass college student.
Vegan nachos. (File Photo: Tara Walton/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Oh, yes, that delicious four-ounce steak that cost a minimum of five dollars for one serving became entirely out of my price range, as I was working an 11 dollar-an-hour part time job, paying for my bills and rent. Although I truly did not last long without meat or dairy in my diet, today I still have a little intake of both simply because I prefer eating cleaner and lighter. All that stuff injected in meat and dairy, like water and hormones, is just not for me anymore. So, listen up, because the following are the glorious products I discovered during my short-term vegan experience.
While trying out the vegan lifestyle, all-things coconut (including coconut oil and milk, and dried coconuts) quickly became my favorite completely vegan products. The taste of coconut is seriously delicious! If you thought soy milk and almond milk were bomb, think again—not only does coconut milk have less calories, but it’s even sweeter than the other milks. You can add coconut oil to most of your food, even to your smoothies, and they are good for you.
Dried coconut, and even other dried fruits like mango, dates, plums, blueberries, and dehydrated apples were an essential part of my snacking as a vegan. They took the place of candies like Snickers, which have non-vegan-friendly ingredients like milk chocolate. However, chocolate is not “the devil” when you’re a vegan, because all you need to do is review the label and preferably only buy dark chocolates.
Read the full article by Blanca Lemus from Long Beach Union.
