Veganism: a lifestyle that demands “awareness”

Sunday, October 9, 2022

01:35

“Veganism is a lifestyle that respects animals and the environment. Many associate veganism with not eating meat, and in reality, it goes much further. The philosophy of life is reflected in our clothing, our makeup and in the fact of discarding from our lives everything that implies harm to nature”.

Ana de la Quintana is a nutritionist graduated from the National University of Córdoba and has been a vegan for a few years. We turn to her to talk about this topic since she can talk about her from the knowledge she has of her about food, but also and above all, from her personal experience.

“It is important to note that veganism seeks to achieve awareness that we can lead a completely normal life without exploiting other beings.”

Does being vegan lead to a lack of nutrients?

It all depends on how one eats, because even with an omnivorous diet we may be missing out on all the nutrients. Diversity in food is the key.
Of course, if I eat noodles and bread every day, I’m going to say “I’m vegan”, because I don’t eat foods of animal origin, but obviously I’m going to suffer from a lack of nutrients. But if I eat milanesa with puree every day, I will also lack vitamins.

deficit

Currently the land is deeply exploited. Fertilizers and agrochemicals remove minerals from food. Therefore, considering the deficit of nutrients and vitamins should be the rule in all types of food.

Full pre-check

If the decision to incorporate this lifestyle has already been made, it is important to carry out a complete check-up, through a biochemical analysis of vitamins, which is not normally requested in basic controls. In addition, control the “ferritin” which is a protein inside the cells that stores iron, and the “ferremia” which is the concentration of iron in the blood. The important thing about doing it before incorporating this type of diet is that deficiencies are detected that many times have been present since before being vegan and were not known.

his transformation

One day I wondered why I should feed myself based on the suffering of an animal. When I became aware of everything behind the food industry, behind all that they “sell us”, I said to myself: I want to get out of this system. I knew that I could contribute a grain of sand and I did not hesitate. For me it involved an internal process of healing and spirituality. I stopped seeing food as a set of carbohydrates, proteins and fats and began to ask myself if what I ate gave me life.

“I stopped seeing food as a set of carbohydrates, proteins and fats and began to ask myself if what I ate gave me life.”

To conclude, Ana assures that since she is vegan, her body has changed positively, both from the biochemical values ​​to the internal energy that she experiences today.

“If you feed on an animal that the last thing it felt before it died was anger because it was being killed, it is inevitable that when you consume it you will experience negative sensations.

Veganism: a lifestyle that demands “awareness”