Vegan dietitian Jessica Kotlowitz is the guest this week on the P-Word with host Rushka-Lee Pedro and she shares tips on how families can follow a vegan lifestyle.
Kotlowitz is the owner of The Green Dietician based in Sea Point Cape Town where she helps and advises people who are plant-based to meet their nutritional needs.
“Veganism is actually a social justice movement. Vegans seek to not to harm whenever possible and that means not eating animals, not eating animal by-products but also not using animals in your cosmetics or animal testing in your clothing. So whenever possible we try not to hurt animals and try to let them just live their lives and be free,” she said.
Following a plant-based diet is one of the healthiest dietary patterns in the world and research supports this, said Kotlowitz, because it is a nutritious diet that is high in fibre and is low in saturated fat which is great for preventing certain chronic diseases of lifestyle.
“Anecdotally, people who go vegan say that they feel healthier and their energy is better,” she said.
In a family situation, Kotlowitz said parents should make the decisions about what food to provide for their family.
“Those decisions can be based on ethics, they can be based on religion, based on financial circumstances. As parents we do know best about what food is best for kids and what we can provide in our circumstances,” she said.
There are certain misconceptions when it comes to being a vegan, said Kotlowitz, and some may think that protein is synonymous with meat.
“There is still protein in foods like carbohydrates or fats and it’s found pretty much in all food groups like vegetables, beans or legumes, soy products and to some extent nuts and seeds,” she said.