The recent rise of plant-based food choices around the world is an exciting step towards people choosing to eat and embrace a healthier, more sustainable diet and lifestyle. From a solely dietary perspective, a vegan diet avoids meat, dairy, eggs, seafood and any foods that have derivatives of animal products.

Far from being restrictive, a vegan diet offers abundant choice and creativity.

A healthy, well-balanced vegan diet will often include all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouts, nuts and seeds, fresh herbs and spices, seaweeds, sprouted whole grains, legumes and beans, cold-pressed oils like coconut oil or olive oil, nut butters and seed pastes like tahini, nut milks or coconut milks, unprocessed olives and avocado for healthy fats, fermented foods like miso, tempeh, sauerkraut and kimchi, dried fruits, and superfoods.

A vegan diet offers a wide variety of positive benefits. Numerous scientific studies have shown that a plant-based, whole food diet has the ability to lower the risk of various types of illness and disease including cancer, diabetes, cardio-vascular disease, high blood pressure and degenerative brain disease.

A well-planned vegan diet tends to contain less saturated fat and cholesterol and more vitamins C and E, dietary fiber, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, and phytochemicals such as carotenoids and flavonoids. As a result, is a sustainable and healthy diet at any stage of the lifespan.

But is vegan food always healthy?!

Marketers and advertisers have jumped on the bandwagon with the new trend and popularity of vegan cuisine. Yet just because something is labeled as vegan, that doesn’t automatically mean it is good for you. Vegan food may still be laden with white sugar, palm oil, additives, preservatives and poor quality ingredients. A vegan burger from a fast food chain may be a small step in the right direction, yet it is no substitute for real, fresh, wholesome food that nourishes and fuels your body.

The good news is, with a little know-how, it is easy to make healthy vegan meals and desserts that are equally as delicious as they are good for you. Made with healthy fats and nutrient-dense ingredients, you can enjoy flavour and healthy benefits at the same time.

Try this dessert for an idea –

Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse:

• 1 ripe avocado
• ¼ cup raw cacao powder
• ¼ cup of agave syrup
• ¼ cup almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla powder

Blend until smooth and enjoy chilled!