What I Eat in a Day as a Vegan: March 23, 2016

 

I was (again) in a hurry and ended up leaving my home without breakfast. So I bought this, because I know what skipping breakfast does to me. I would crave sugar like crazy. I don't like to buy packaged foods but oh well. This keeps me going until I can have lunch.

Forgot to take picture until I was almost done lol

For lunch, I had made simmered seasoned tofu in the morning to bring as my lunch. I brought rice with it. Looks kinda weird because the container was tossed and turned around in my bag but it tasted good!

For dinner I steamed up some frozen veggies with rice. I added some spices for flavor. It's an easy, convenient, healthy go-to meal. I had some orange before dinner as a snack. but I don't have a photo.

My nutrition intake today.

I feel like it would have been a more nutritious day had I eaten a proper breakfast, but it was still a good day. See what I said about nutrition yesterday? I got 199% vitamin C today as opposed to 78% of yesterday, so it all balances out.

So How Much Nutrition Do I Get on a Vegan Diet?

Whenever I mention that I'm vegan I am met with "but what about (insert nutrient here)?" I do not know why people think that you must eat animal products to get proper nutrition, that is absolutely false. So I decided to put in the amount of food I ate and see what I'm getting. I don't bother with it because I know I eat balanced diet, but I wanted to prove it. I ate fried rice for lunch and pasta for dinner. I skipped breakfast today :( As you can see, I am getting enough iron, protein, calcium, etc. I supplement vitamin D and vitamin B12, and the B12 supplement also has folate.

And for those who think "well, isn't it unnatural that you have to supplement?" or "We need animal products because B12", let me explain. B12 is created by bacteria. Naturally, humans would get enough B12, because naturally, we do not wash our food spotless like we do now. Since modern food industry is so pristine and sterile, there is no B12 left on most of our produce. So the problem isn't vegan diet, it's just contemporary world's obsession with cleanliness. (See an article about B12 by John McDougall, M. D.) And that applies to animals people eat, too. They live in cement factory farms and get injected with antibiotics regularly. Many livestock animals eat B12 fortified feed or get B12 injections. If you eat animal products, you're simply getting B12 supplements second-hand. It's much better to take those supplements directly.

And when it comes to vitamin D, there is no (natural) dietary source that provides enough vitamin D, whether it be animal product or plant food. Dairy milk may have some vitamin D but that's because it's fortified with it. You're supposed to get vitamin D from the sun. However, during colder season it is difficult to get vitamin D from the sun, and unprotected UV exposure (which does create vitamin D) is inadvisable anyways. So supplementation is a good idea.

I don't aim to get 100% of RDA 100% of the time. Sometimes I get more, sometimes I get a little less, but it all balances out. For example, my vitamin C intake was rather low today. But most days I eat more than enough vitamin C from fruits. I just didn't feel like eating much fruits today, and one day of less fruits isn't going to affect me.

The only thing that concerns me is that I consumed a lot of sodium today. I accidentally used too much soy sauce in my rice, and I ate a lot of seaweed. (Although some of the sodium would have washed out when I cooked the seaweed in water and then poured the water out so the number above isn't 100% correct.) I'll be careful tomorrow not to eat much sodium, then. That's just how it is.

I'm not perfect. This is obviously not the representation of the best diet. In fact it's not the best representation of my diet, because I don't eat chocolate or drink soda every day. Today I had a bit of sugar crave from skipping breakfast. (Which is why it's so important to have breakfast!) But still, I got pretty good nutrition. Vegan diet can be very healthy and I do not need animal products to have proper nutrition.

Review: Alter Eco Organic Chocolate (Vegan and Fair Trade)

These amazing chocolates are:

• Organically Grown
• Fairly Traded
• 70% Cocoa
• USDA Organic
• Fair Trade Certified
• Vegan
• Soy Free
• Gluten Free
• Non-GMO
• No Artificial Flavors
• No Emulsifiers
• Certified Organic by QAI

I do strive to eat local produce whole food diet most of the time. I also tend to avoid chocolate because most of them are destructive in many ways. (related article from Vegan Feminist Network) but I decided to treat myself with some organic, vegan, fair trade chocolate.

The packaging is FSC certified responsible paper and the inside of the packaging explains how these products are saving the forests. For someone who is concerned about environmental issues especially when it comes to packaged foods, this is a huge selling point.

The Dark Quinoa one was less crunchy than I imagined, but it was nice. Usually crunchy chocolates make a lot of noise and are very sweet, but this wasn't. It was nice that I can enjoy a slightly crunchy chocolate without all that problem.

The Deep Dark Sea Salt one was the perfect harmony of sweet and salty. The lovely flavor of dark chocolate, the right amount of sweetness, and the slight saltiness was just amazing. The sea salt really adds to the flavor. I liked the sea salt one better.

I love that they are 60% and 70% cacao each and are not overly sweet. People tend to equate chocolate with sweetness. I can appreciate a little bit of sweetness, but when it gets to the point that the sweetness masks the unique flavor of cacao, that's counter-intuitive. If I wanted something that sweet, I have multiple kilograms of sugar and syrup in my cabinet.

$3.38 price tag is slightly hefty for a bar of chocolate, but it's fair trade and organic so I would expect that. In fact, they're not that much more compared to the TESCO chocolates I would buy here, and I would totally spend a little bit more for better working condition and sustainable farming.

TL;DR - 10/10 would recommend.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I bought the products with my own money. iHerb inc provides rewards program for anyone who signs up for their website.

Slunch Factory: Vegan-friendly Restaurant/Cafe in Sangsudong, Seoul

Slunch Factory: Vegan-friendly Restaurant/Cafe in Sangsudong, Seoul

When you are a vegan in South Korea eating out can be very stressful. I have resources and tips for that on my blog but I try to review vegan/vegan friendly restaurants whenever possible to guide other vegans and show these amazing restaurants some support.

Slunch Factory is in Sangsudong area of Seoul. It is kind of hard to find, but I'll post the map below. They have vegan dishes and vegan things are clearly marked vegan on the menu, so there is no hassle of trying to find out what is vegan and what is not. THEY HAVE VEGAN CAKE! I was so excited when I found out their cakes were vegan. I didn't get to try them this time, but I'll definitely come back for them cakes.

Mushroom rice noodles

Mushroom over steamed rice with perilla seed sauce.
Photo by my friend.

The food is good, but if you eat a lot you may find that their portions are a bit small. Their prices are slightly higher (10000 won ish) than average in South Korea, but I think it's good price for the quality you get.

• There are steps and the door is rather narrow so wheelchair access may be difficult.
• The terrace (which is right in front of their entrance) is smoking zone so you may have to walk past smokers to enter.
• They have free wi-fi

Click each image to see the menu. Sorry for potato quality

Vegan Recipe: Mushroom Tteokbokki - Seasoned Rice Cake

Ingredients:

• Rice cakes (360g should serve 2 people)
• Gochujang (pepper paste)
• Soy sauce
• Sugar
• Sesame oil or sesame seed
• Green onion
• Onions
• Minced garlic
• Mushrooms of your choice

*I will not state the specific amount of the rest of the ingredients as they are highly preferential.

1. Soak rice cakes in cold water. The time should depend on what type of rice cake you're using but 20 minutes tops.
2. Mix gochujang, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil/seed, and minced garlic. The ratio depends on preference but I do: 4 parts gochujang, 2-3 parts soy sauce, 1 part sugar, 1-2 part minced garlic, and 1 part sesame oil/seed, 5-6 part water.
3. Chop onions, green onions and mushrooms.
4. Heat oil or water in pan.
5. Sauté the vegetables until onions are translucent.
6. Take out rice cakes from water and cook with the vegetables.
7. Pour seasoning mix and cook until rice cakes are soft
8. Done!

The recipe is rather simple. Usually tteokbokki is made with fish cakes but I used mushroom to substitute for it to make it vegan. The mushroom makes it taste SO delicious, it's probably even better than the fish cakes.



When made with enoki mushrooms :D

Vegan Restaurant/Cafe in Busan, South Korea: Dajeon

I went to Busan for G-STAR but we stayed at a hotel near Seomyeon Station because the ones near BEXCO either didn't have any vacancy or were ridiculously expensive. Eating out as a vegan in South Korea is quite stressful. So I searched for veg restaurant and I was thrilled to find that there was a vegan restaurant!!! They have delicious meals and lots of lovely tea. They even sell soy ice cream during summer.

Deulkae (perilla seed) Kalguksu noodles! :D

Steamed Mandu (dumplings)

Also everything they have are pretty inexpensive. I'll list the meals here in case anyone is interested. (Can't remember all the tea they have ahhh)

• Lotus leaf rice + wheat "bulgogi" + buckwheat tea - 11000 won (can only be ordered for 2 people or more)
• Char-grilled bibimbap - 6000 won
• Wheat "bulgogi" - 7000 won
• Bean "steak" - 7000 won
• Steamed Mandu - 5000 won
• Deulkae (perilla seed) kalguksu - 7000 won
• Spicy bean "chicken"- 7000 won

If you eat the meal there you get 20% discount on non-latte tea. They have wide variety of leaf teas, non-leaf teas, soy latte, fruit juice/smoothie.

This is the location. I wish I had taken the picture of their sign because it's kind of hard to find. It's in the same building as WA BAR, which is easier to spot. It is on the 4th floor and the building isn't wheelchair accessible though :(

Pepero Day the Vegan Way

Now, I know that Pepero is pretty much a Pocky knockoff and Pepero Day is just corporate agenda to push their products. But if there is an excuse to munch on sweets I will take it! The Problem: There are tons of varieties of Pepero (and the like) in the market but none of the ones I have found so far are vegan. (Oh dear delicious sweets why must you contain milk) So I decided to make something close enough to Pepero (I don't know how to bake that crispy thin stick cookie thingy :P) for my boyfie. Making them myself just adds more love, right?

~making breadsticks with this recipe (minus the topping, since I was going to add chocolate)~

~melting them chocolates~

*If you are not sure where to find vegan chocolate in South Korea, Loving Hut Korea has Vivani and Weinlich chocolates on their online store. Vivani chocolates are also available at many department stores' food departments, and Home Plus carries Weinlich. At Home Plus you can find Tesco brand chocolates that are marked "suitable for vegetarians". It says vegetarian not vegan so I checked the ingredients label, they are pland based. (Milk chocolates are labeled as vegetarian but obviously they contain milk so read the label when you buy them)

~coating them breadsticks with chocolate~

~sprinkled some coconut chips and almond slices and let it cool~

~wrapped it with pretty things and added a lovely card~

Heart-printed plastic wrapper from Daiso

I ate one to make sure it tasted good and it was delicious!! :D

Vegan Recipe: Simmered Seasoned Tofu

*Disclaimer: This isn't the healthiest food. As you can tell from the ingredients it's oily and salty. I usually eat pretty healthy but I'm not the type of person that has to eat 100% healthy all the time so...

Ingredients:

• Tofu (duh)
• Green Onion
• Sesame salt (optional)
• Cooking oil
• Soy sauce
• Sesame oil
• Red pepper Powder
• Oligosaccharide syrup (or just sugar)
• Minced Garlic
• Water

Directions

1. Cut tofu and chop green onion. Whatever size you want really.
2. Mix soy sauce, red pepper powder, oligo syrup, sesame oil, minced garlic, and water. ratio - soy sauce 3 : red pepper powder 1: oligo syrup 1 : sesame oil 1 : minced garlic 0.5 : water 5. Using regular spoon that will be enough for 1 block (around 300g)  
3. Medium heat, oil in pan. Cook tofu in pan until both sides are yellowy
4. Pour mixture on them
5. Throw green onion on them and simmer until mixture isn't very watery anymore
6. use some sesame salt to liking

Done! Super simple, right?

Vegan Recipe: Japchae

Japchae is Korean food, kind of similar to Chinese chop suey but a bit different. Also note that this is "simple" version of Japchae, as the original recipe is quite time consuming.

Ingredient:

• Cellophane noodles (aka Chinese vermicelli) (4 cups) * soak this in water for 2 hours before cooking, don't use hot water
• Carrot, cut into thin strips (1 cup)
• Onion, chopped (2 cups)
• mushrooms of your choice, sliced (1-2 cup) * I like to use 1 cup shiitake and 1 cup cloud ear mushrooms but really use whatever mushroom you have
• Bunching onion or scallion (1 cup)
• Sugar (50ml)
• Sesame salt (25ml)
• Sesame seed oil (25ml)
• Minced garlic (25ml)
• Cooking oil (25ml)
• Soy sauce (1 cup)
• pepper
• eggplant (optional)

* Conventionally, beef is used but this is vegan recipe so we will skip that

* The amounts of ingredient is just a suggestion, adjust it to your own liking. To be honest, I just eyeball everything.

Cut all the things!

Medium heat, put oil in pan, then bunching onion (scallion)

Then put carrot, onion, mushrooms, eggplant in the pan.

Use some pepper

When the onion starts to become a little transparent take them out and move everything to another bowl

Put sesame seed oil and bunching onion in the pan

And then minced garlic, soy sauce, sugar

When sugar is melted and the sauce becomes more viscous put in the noodles

Stir for a couple minutes and put in the vegetables we cooked before

Turn off the stove and stir a little bit

Add some sesame seed oil and sesame salt

...Aaaaaand you're done!

You can eat this alone or you can eat this with rice. This is quite oily and probably not the healthiest but it's okay every once in a while :P