Written by Jackie Sloves for Anamaya
The Bitter-Sweetness of Veganism
One of the sweetest parts of Anamaya Hotel Resort is our organic, sugar free, dairy free ice cream that is made daily in our kitchen from scratch. Instead of heavy cream, eggs, and sugar, the base of our ice cream is made from avocados and/or coconut milk. The ice cream is so rich and creamy that you would never know the difference. However, your body will thank you – not only is this ice cream delicious but it is also nutritious! It is almost too heavenly to be true…
The ice cream we serve here is just one of the vegan-friendly recipes we offer here at our Hotel and Yoga Retreats. In the vegan recipes we offer, we make sure to meet all of your dietary needs in order to have a balanced diet. One criticisms of vegan diets is the difficulty in getting the recommended amount of protein and other nutrients. Since a vegan diet does not contain any animal products – no meat, eggs, or dairy – protein can be a scarcity. Plant foods are also often deficient in B12, Calcium, and Iron, which can lead to health problems such as anemia and low bone density. However, at Anamaya, we are aware that these are challenges of a vegan diet, and we create meals that are both nutritionally balanced and delicious.
Many vegan diets are supplemented with the essential nutrients, or foods that are often not found in an omnivore’s diet. One example of such a food is nutritional yeast, which has a flavor similar to fresh parmesan cheese. It can be used to make vegan cheese sauce, top a salad, or simply for extra flavor. It may look like yellow flakes that one would feed to fish, but it’s high in vitamin B12, protein, and fiber. Another way in which one can balance their diet and still uphold vegan ideals is to be creative with nuts. Almonds can be used to make almond milk, and macadamia nuts can be used to make cheese, both of which we do here at the Anamaya Resort Hotel.
The reasons why one may decide to become vegan often mirror the decision to become vegetarian. There are ethical concerns centered around animal rights, and environmental impacts centered around sustainability. Whatever the reasons may be, we respect your personal choices at Anamaya Resort Hotel. In Costa Rica, there are many differences between agricultural production here and in the United States. Many of the farms are family owned and have free-range livestock and chickens. In addition, many of the farms are organic and do not use pesticides, chemicals, antibiotics, growth hormones, genetically modified, or bioengineered products. As a country, Costa Rica promotes and is proud of its sustainability, planting two trees to every one that is cut down. At Anamaya Resort Hotel, we are also proud of and promote our sustainability, which is why we are aware of and provide vegan options to our guests. We also serve raw ingredients at every meal, grown locally and organically.
