Live life on the veg!
In my last blog post How to be a little Vegan: Part Two I talked about a few steps you could take to becoming more plant-based without sacrificing flavour:
- Start by replacing a few animal products with vegan alternatives (such as plant-based milk and butter)
- Tweak your favourite comfort foods and if in doubt turn to vegan spag bol and chilli to get you through!
- Embrace Indian and Mexican cuisine as they are very easy to ‘veganise’ and are still utterly delicious!
In addition to these tips, now is the time to ‘up’ your intact of vegetables in a really big way. When people think of a vegan diet they are often so fixated on what they can’t eat that they forget about all the things they can eat. I have always loved vegetables but I must admit, before going vegan I had a limited repertoire that didn’t vary much week to week. Vegetables were always the accompaniment to the meal but once you go vegan, they become the star of the show! It opens up a whole new exciting and flavoursome world and allows you to appreciate food more than ever before.
Now, I’m going to grossly simplify the issue by splitting the world into two types of people:
- The veg lovers: These are people who, like myself, have always really enjoyed vegetables so eating more of them isn’t particularly difficult.
- The veg tolerators: These are people like my husband Nick; they are happy to eat certain vegetables because they realise that they should for their health but the idea of sitting down and consuming an entire plate of veg fills them with dread.
If you are in the first category, congratulations! You have a head start on veganism and you’ll probably find that the highlight of your week will be seeing that organic veg box arrive #sadbuttrue. However, if you are in the second category you must give yourself time to adjust to everything so that you don’t have a complete veg meltdown (trust me, I’ve seen it happen!) Start by increasing the vegetables that you know you already enjoy. If this happens to just be broccoli and carrots then that’s fine! Go crazy with the broccoli and carrots! Over time your repertoire will grow and your taste buds will adapt but at first stick to what you already know. Don’t feel pressured to eat things that you’ve never eaten before or think that vegetables that you despise have to suddenly be embraced with open arms.
Over time you will start to feel more adventurous when it comes to exploring new veg and you’ll learn to love them so much more than you ever did before. This is because our taste buds adapt to what they’re given regularly. In the same way that you’ll stop craving cheese (trust me you will!), you will also start craving vegetables. Nick and I consume about three times as many veggies as we used to. And most importantly, I have opened my mind (and mouth) to veg that I never really cared for before like courgettes, cauliflower, cucumber and butternut squash. But whether you’re an omnivore or a vegan, eventually you want to be ‘eating the rainbow’ to ensure that you’re getting all the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs.
But I don’t want salad!
Many people are under the misconception that being vegan means that you have to be super healthy and live off salads. This simply isn’t true! Yes, many vegans are naturally healthier because they increase their vegetable consumption and decrease their saturated fats because they are no longer consuming animal products. However, there are plenty of unhealthy vegan foods out there! If you wanted to, you could live off Oreos (yes, they’re vegan!) white bread slathered with jam, chocolate cake, vegan sausages and Ben & Jerry’s vegan ice cream. You could actually manage to be vegan and be unhealthier than you were before! If you want optimal benefits then avoid processed foods, refined sugar and refined carbohydrates just like you would if you wanted to be a healthy omnivore; the rules remain the same. However, sometimes this can be difficult to do when making a big dietary change so it’s ok to embrace the processed vegan meat alternatives that are out there to make the transition easier.
‘Mock’ Meats
If you really miss the saltiness of your bangers and mash or the juiciness of a real steak don’t be afraid to try some of the plant-based alternatives on offer. I would never recommend eating these products long term as they are highly processed and full of salt, but they can be a really good way to curb the meat cravings when you first jump on that V train. Most of these meat substitutes are made from soy or pea protein and many of them surprisingly taste like the real thing! Here are some of my favourites:
- Linda McCartney: There is a range of soy-based products that I really like. The country meat pies are delicious and she also does some good alternatives for the BBQ such as pulled pork burgers and sausages. Also, I enjoy her hoisin crispy duck as a weekend treat! It used to be my favourite Chinese takeaway dish but now I pan-fry it at home, make an easy hoisin sauce and cut up some cucumber and spring onions and it tastes just as good as the real thing!
- Vivera: This is a brilliant brand and is also soy-based. They do a Shawarma kebab meat that is heavenly. It tastes just like the real deal! Their steaks are also good and are made with beetroot dye so they actually bleed when cooked!
- Meatless Farm: I have tried their pea protein burgers on the BBQ and the texture is very similar to the real thing.
- Vegilantes: They do a great Zinger burger made from soy that tastes very sinful! Personally, I prefer their Thai jackfruit burgers. They are spicy and very flavoursome!
- Naked Glory: These burgers and sausages are also pretty good.
Every supermarket has different brands so there are many more out there that are worth a try! Everyone seems to have a different opinion when it comes to the best meat substitutes so have fun trying a range of brands and see which ones float your boat! In time, as you embrace the vegetables more you can edge off these processed foods and the less you eat them, the less you will crave them.
Pulses and Protein
Vegetables are brilliant for providing us with all the vitamins, carbohydrates and fibre we need but obviously, we have to think a little about protein. Although it’s worth remembering that most of us (even vegans and veggies) get too much protein so don’t get too fixated on this. The added fibre you’re consuming will leave you feeling satiated and the good news is since plants are naturally lower in calories, you can still eat plenty of delicious food and find that you lose weight. 🙌
When it comes to protein sources there are a few foods that I incorporate into my diet at least once a day:
- Tofu– This comes in firm and soft varieties. Firm is great for adding to stir-fries & curries and soft is great for scrambled tofu. Anyone who claims they don’t like tofu hasn’t cooked it right! I dare you to cook this sweet and sour tofu and NOT love it!
- Tempeh– Similar to tofu but less refined, this is also great for stir-fries, curries and you can crumble it up and cook it like beef mince (for bolognese and tacos).
- Chickpeas– Perfect for salads, in curries or used in Mexican cuisine. Packed with protein! You can even mash them up and with the right seasoning, they are a tasty substitute for egg mayonnaise!
- Beans (all kinds!)- I have loved discovering so many varieties of beans over the last few months. Perfect in Mexican cuisine, bean burgers on the BBQ, cooked up for breakie or in soups and stews. I sometimes blend them into my soup to thicken it and add a protein hit!
- Lentils- I love making lentil and veggie soup as it’s thick, filling and delicious! Equally, lentils are great in salads or to make delicious dahl.
At first, these ingredients scared me because I wasn’t used to cooking them and my taste buds weren’t used to eating them! It was like a whole new world had opened up and I was embarking on a crash course in pulses and plant protein. Once I started though, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was for me to incorporate these foods into my diet!
Slow and Steady…
The most important thing is to add these foods into your life slowly and to keep track of what makes you feel good and if any are causing excess gas and bloating. It can take months for some people to fully adapt to the extra fibre they are consuming but trust me, it’s worth it! For myself and Nick, we went vegan overnight and even though gas and bathroom visits increased I never felt bloated or uncomfortable. However, everyone responds differently so it’s important to monitor the foods that are easier to digest and the foods that cause discomfort and to cater your diet accordingly. For me, I make sure that I eat a range of vegetables and plant protein to keep my digestion balanced as too much of one thing can make me a little too gassy!
So hopefully you now feel a little more confident about where to start with your vegan journey. I think half the battle is that people think that it’s a lot more difficult and intimidating than it really is. This is probably because the Western diet has taught us to eat animal products with every meal. By resetting your habits and planning your plant-based meals well, you will love your food, consume many more vitamins, nutrients and fibre and feel satiated. See it as an adventure that you’re embarking on! Does it take a mind shift? Yes. Does this take a little extra effort? Yes. But so does cooking a wholesome meal rather than going to the kebab shop. It’s all about choices. The good thing about vegan eating is that once you’ve made that choice it not only makes you feel better physically but morally too. You can literally put your money where your mouth is and that is the best feeling of all. 😀🌱
Ready to start cooking? Check out some of my recipes or learn how to re-stock your kitchen by visiting my Pantry Staples page. Want some more recipe inspiration? Check out my Resources page.
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Great article Ashleigh! Looking forward to hearing about mushrooms and also fruit in a future article.
Rest assured, there will be an entire post dedicated to mushrooms! 😀 Glad you enjoyed the post!