Need Vegan help please

Selina_Kyle_60

Hi everyone, I am so in the process of transitioning to a vegan diet. I love the food its is so filling and I feel so much better. Problem is that the food is not as convenient or easily accessible so it would be great to if I could meet anyone who has tips or advice about this lifestyle. So if you are vegan please add me I could really use the help

AmandaDanceMore

I promise I'm not being snarky, but, produce, beans, lentils, rice, etc, aren't easily available? Do you live in a food desert (legitimate question)?

While I'm not fully vegan (vegetarian with a vegan leaning), I have no issues locating food that works in a vegan diet. The biggest hassle is reading labels on prepared foods (such as canned soups, snack foods, etc). BUT, if you live in a legitimate food desert where fresh foods are hard to come by, I could see that being an issue.

Dofflin

For snacks, you can find roasted/salted soy beans, chickpeas, wasabi peas, garlic broad beans, etc. If you eat them instead of nuts, you get more protein, plus they store well and don't get squashed in your bag.
For meals, aim to get enough iron/calcium (spinach, broccoli, beans, lentils, tofu), - coupled with vitamin C (peppers, citrus, etc) B-vitamins (nutritional yeast, fortified soy milk). Instead of cheesy things, you can use reduced-fat hummus. Canned nutmeat is tasty and can be used as a ground beef alternative, especially mixed with lentils (to reduce the fat percentage but keep protein high), and tomatoes. Chinese/wombok/napa cabbage is a great salad base because it stays fresh in the fridge for weeks but is soft enough to be eaten like a lettuce, so basically you can make a huge salad base at the beginning of the week and add your own beans or tofu or hummus dressings with crunchy beans on top. Good sweet treats include peanut butter/banana/honey toast (if you're not cutting out honey - otherwise stevia + cinnamon), soy yoghurt & strawberries (watch the sugar content). You can buy vital wheat gluten in bulk online and make your own "seitan" (if you're not gluten-intolerant) and it will save you a tonne of money on fake meat products since you can basically make your own.
Don't bother shopping at the expensive organic shop except if you want stuff like nutritional yeast (vegan parmesan cheese alternative plus B-vitamins) or coconut flour (dry & crumbly, but low-cal/high protein). Do the bulk of your shopping at the normal supermarket and buy lots of canned beans and frozen spinach and hummus. Fruit & veg goes off halfway through the week, so you'll want your back-ups. Life's too busy to go shopping 3x a week.

amandadavids

If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, that has been the easiest place for me to find vegan. They label most things with a V on the package. They also have a list on their website of all the vegan items they have!

Colt1835

Are you talking about prep times for meals or shopping for vegan foods?

HeliumIsNoble

Do you have a reliable electricity supply and a freezer?


Frozen peas and sweetcorn are great. A small portion of oven fries accompanied by lots of cheap vegetables (like frozen peas), and some baked beans is vegan, within most calorie allowances, and doesn't cost the earth or require niche ingredients.

janejellyroll

I can find vegan food anywhere. Just about every grocery store has vegetables, fruit, beans, and grains.

Foods like potatoes, pasta, oats, rice, canned beans, canned tomatoes, salsa, nut butters, salad mixes, and frozen vegetables can make quick vegan meals that don't require a ton of prep.

nykoeldkahn

Hi there,

I'm not vegan but cook mostly vegetarian and vegan meals (because they tend to be healthier overall and they help me keep a better eye on what I put into my mouth/body). But that being said, I transitioned from being an omnivore to a vegetarian several years ago while living in a small-ish town in the US midwest (where restaurants and even supermarkets aren't necessarily vegan-friendly... I still remember explaining to multiple people that chicken isn't vegetarian just because it's white meat... smh). I was travelling approx. 50% of my days each month for work. Here are my suggestions:

1. Take the time to meal prep and use your freezer.

Certain foods - like lentil soup, for instance, or breakfast burritos, can be make in bulk in advance and freeze well. In my house, we plan to take 1-2 hours every weekend (we try to use Sunday afternoons but it doesn't always happen) and we chop vegetables or make a large batch of black beans or lentils so that all of the ingredients we need are ready for the week and then most of our meals during the week only take ~15-20 minutes to throw together.

If you have the money and don't have one already, I highly recommend getting a pressure cooker, a rice maker, or an instant pot. They make life sooo much easier.

2. If you travel a lot for work and/or are out of the house a lot, plan in advance to bring snacks and drinks with you.

Even something as simple as taking the time to cut up a bunch of fresh fruit and put it in travel containers can make your life sooo much easier if you are on the run and don't have a lot of time. In my experience, trains and airports are some of the hardest places to find consistently good vegetarian or vegan food, so having a granola bar/energy bites/fruit, etc. in your bag can make it a lot easier.

3. If you are in a pinch, a number of larger chains are making a push toward having healthier options.

Just this morning, I was able to grab a cauliflower tabbouleh side salad (which was marked as Vegan) at a Starbucks on my way to the office. Depending on where you live, a lot of convenience stores have a least some reasonable snack options to get you through until you have the chance to get another meal also.

jlynn1991

I am too a vegetarian leaning towards a vegan lifestyle. I'm not having trouble with finding food to eat, rather finding a way to balance out my carbs and get enough protien.