So many of us grew up in omnivore homes. Milk, cheese, butter, burgers… these were staples in our diets. Because of this, you might think there are no vegan substitutions for the foods you know. Good news – there are many!
When you switch to a plant-based diet, you might want some go-to substitutions to keep top of mind. Sometimes these aren’t fancy (beans have protein too!) but sometimes they are the spiffy new imitation meats like Beyond Burgers.
A Guide for Newbies: Vegan Substitutions Infographic
From frozen to dry, from packaged to fresh, there are many vegan foods to fill your diet.
The next time you don’t know what to eat, pull up this image to get some ideas. Or, for the Vegan Ninjas out there – send this infographic to friends and family who think you only have salad to eat.
More Vegan Substitutions Every Day
The best part about this vegan substitutions guide? It’s always growing! Even Silicon Valley knows that vegan substitutions are the future with companies like: Beyond Meat, Miyoko’s Kitchen and Impossible Foods. These companies are giving us options that come closer and closer to tasting like the foods we grew up with. From plant-based burgers to cultured vegan cheeses – the future is vegan, people!
Of course, we love simple, whole foods also. You do not need to get fancy and packaged with your food. Veggies, whole grains, beans, legumes, etc. – there are so many foods in their original form that you can live off and love.
Get Cooking
Make yourself a great meal this week with all of the plant-based abundance available to you. Better yet, share that meal with loved ones – vegan and non-vegan alike – to show how delicious a vegan diet is.
Or just go get a big bag of french fries (cooked in veggie oil!) because, remember, french fries are made from potatoes. The best plant-based junk food.
WANT HELP GETTING STARTED?
Download a vegan grocery list for beginners.
I personally think these “substitutions” are somehow… wrong?
Why substitute in first place? It’s drastic change when you move to vegan diet and you should be prepared to give up on some foods you like or you are used to? After all, you’re doing it for right reasons and you are ready for “sacrifices”?
Everybody should figure for himself but to me, it look like you have to make big changes and see them as such not masking it behind same names as your yesterdays favorite food.
Btw, I was thinking how it must be much, much harder for vegans in northern hash climate then for people living in the south with abundance of fruit and veggies?
As you say, it’s a drastic change to make the switch – you are avoiding so many foods that are your go-tos. This can leave people really confused about what to eat. While they learn to focus on whole foods, it can be helpful to have some, more or less, one-to-one substitutions at the ready. I see it as a stepping stone. Most long-term vegans don’t turn to these substitutions as the core of their diets regularly, but it can certainly be helpful for newbies!
As for vegans in a harsher climate, I guess it depends on how harsh we’re talking. I live in the Northeast of the US which has harsh winters but it also is a part of the global food distribution network. This means lots of fruit and veggies year-round. Now, the climate impact of that distribution and eating seasonally is another discussion, but they definitely are available year-round.