Answers to commonly asked questions on veganism (Part 3)

Answers to commonly asked questions on veganism (Part 3)

by Dr. Nandita Shah

EGGS

◾ What can be used to substitute eggs in baking?

◾ Aren’t free-range eggs and organic meat more humane?

◾ Are eggs from happy free-range organic chickens bad?

SOCIAL SITUATIONS

◾ How can I handle any social challenges I may face?

◾ Will I still be able to eat out / in social situations?

CHILDREN

◾ Is a vegan diet safe for children? How can I encourage them to adopt a vegan diet?

◾ Don’t children need milk?

What can be used to substitute eggs in baking?

Just because you’re trying a vegan diet doesn’t mean you can’t eat baked goods. Baking without eggs is easier than you think! Eggs added to recipes act as binders, holding the ingredients together, or as leavening agents, adding lift and texture.

Depending on the flavours and textures needed in the recipe, ingredients such as banana, apple sauce, fruit juice, soya milk, tofu, soya or bean flour, cornstarch or ground flaxseeds to name a few, can be used as substitutes. Sometimes the egg can even be omitted from the recipe altogether without affecting the results.

For more detailed information on baking without egg, look at the section on ‘Egg Replacers’ under ‘Vegan Dairy and Meat Alternatives in the ‘Recipes’ section.

Aren’t free-range eggs and organic meat more humane?

Although free-range conditions may be better than those in factory-farms, they are not more humane. Since only hens can lay eggs, male chicks are either killed or raised for food in inhumane conditions.

The hens are then slaughtered when their production drops after only one or two years (though chickens can live up to 12 years). The term ‘free-range’ is ambiguous in many countries.

Very often this may just mean they have access to the outdoors, but there are no criteria regarding the size of the outdoor area, the number of birds per square foot, etc. All too often free-range is more of a marketing gimmick than real freedom for the hens.

Organic meat comes from animals who are raised for human consumption and who have been slaughtered in the same way as factory animals. Just because meat is labeled organic does not make it more humane.

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