Becoming Vegan in Luxembourg - Food Shopping

When my Doctor prescribed me a Vegan diet....I honestly thought..."How difficult can that be in multicultural Luxembourg?" Well trust me when I say it's way harder than you might think. Luxembourg isn't exactly the most Vegan friendly country and if your limited in languages then there isn't that much help available:( But never fear, that's why I'm here!

First place to get started is on the website for the Vegan Society in Luxembourg -www.vegansociety.lu the site is only available in German or French, but does provide some info in English on where to buy Vegan food and where to eat out.

My other recommended site would definitely be www.veganlife.lu. This is an online shop that specializes in everything from Vegan food alternatives to clothing and accessories. They also offer secure payment through Paypal for all you internet wary shoppers out there.

Over recent years, more and more Organic and health-food shops have opened in Luxembourg, however not all of them cater for Vegans. A case in point would be when I asked in Naturata for cheese without milk, "Cheese ALWAYS comes with milk," the server replied! Having said that, you can find such wonders as egg free mayonnaise and pasta in Bio shops as well as an assortment of Tofu and Soya milk alternatives.

Some of the main supermarkets also stock a range of Vegan produce. Cactus is especially good for "Wheaty" products and DelHaize has a wide selection of Tofu alternatives. Be aware though that Quorn is Not a Vegan product as it has some dairy in its content.

Little Britain in Capellen has also started stocking some Vegan replacement alternatives and offers a selection of Linda McCartney frozen meals (read the label to ensure that these are dairy free.)

Here is a list of some places I would recommend for the Vegan diet shopper:-

• Veganlife - www.veganlife.lu
• Naturata - Various locations visit www.naturata.lu
• Bio- Lux Sarl in Strassen - www.bio-lux.lu (website doesn't seem to work though.)
• LittleBritain - www.littlebritain.lu
• Naturstiffchen - Rue Glesener, Luxembourg
• Biobutteck - Rue de Kiem Capellen, Luxembourg
• Farmers Market - Place Guillaume every Wednesday and Saturday from 8am-1.30pm

Happy Shopping:)

What exactly is a Vegan Diet?

Veganism is a type of vegetarian diet that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products, honey and all other animal-derived ingredients. Many vegans also do not eat foods that are processed using animal products, such as refined white sugar and some alcohol.

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People choose to be vegan for health, environmental, and/or ethical reasons. "A Vegan diet has been proven to aid weight loss, lower cholesterol, decrease fat intake and significantly reduce blood pressure. Studies have also shown that vegans are a class of people with the least amount of cancer; this is partially due to the fact that vegans try to stay away from food with a lot of pesticides, chemicals, and preservatives , some of which have been proven to cause cancer." - Vegan 2000

So what Exactly do Vegan's eat?
A vegan diet includes all grains, beans, legumes, vegetables and fruits and the nearly infinite number of foods made by combining them. Many vegan versions of familiar foods are available, so you can eat vegan hot dogs, vegan cheese and vegan ice cream. The picture shows the types of foods associated with a Vegan diet and daily intake recommendations.

Welcome to my blog

I decided to write this blog as a source of information, advice, support and perhaps even wisdom for any fellow  Vegan's out there. 

Prior to becoming Vegan, I was a self confessed cheese addict and removing all dairy from my diet was much harder than I initially thought........ but with a little will-power,compassion and understanding I have now been 100% vegan for almost 4 years!!!!

Throughout this blog I hope to give practical advice on removing all animal products from your diet - i.e where to shop, eating out etc as well as information on the benefits of a Vegan diet from an animal advocacy,an Environmental and health point of view:)

I also decided to add some tried and trusted recipes as well as links to useful information.

Whether you have decided upon a major life style change, want to lower your dairy intake or are just plain curious, I hope this blog will provide you with the information you are looking for.....Happy reading:0)

Alix