Vegan Meal Planning
Eating vegan is beneficial to your health, the environment and the welfare of animals. However, planning meals can be a challenge, especially if you're including non-vegans in your dining plans. Variety, familiarity and advance planning are key to creating an enjoyable dining experience for everyone.
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Baby Steps
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Everyone's heard this before: "Vegans can only eat salad." As a vegan, of course, you know this isn't true. Vegans can enjoy a variety of foods with only slight modifications. Begin by using meat and dairy substitutes, which include veggie burgers, soy milk and vegan sour cream. For example, you could make a vegan lasagna with crumbled soy "beef" and non-dairy cheese. Those are the only modifications you need--the pasta and sauce are probably already vegan. Serve up some soy ice cream for dessert, and you have a delicious meal the whole family will love.
Adding Variety and Nutrition
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Many vegans say they eat a wider variety of foods now than when they were omnivores. It's fun to try new fruits, vegetables and grains, and they can add important nutritional elements to your diet. Try natural vegan protein sources such as tofu, lentils and beans in place of meat, and sprinkle nutritional yeast on dishes where you'd normally use Parmesan cheese. You may want to consider taking a multivitamin formulated specifically for vegans, but there are plenty of ways to get all the nutrients you need via your diet--from trying new, vitamin-rich foods to choosing soy milk fortified with vitamins.
Advance Planning
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While vegans can and do eat at restaurants, the easiest way to control what's in your food is to make it yourself. As a new vegan, you'll probably find yourself making your own lunches (and your kids' lunches if they are going vegan also) and going out to eat less often. This isn't a bad thing--cooking and baking are great skills to have, plus they save you money. If you rely too much on takeout and prepared foods, you might find yourself spending too much money on food (one complaint about veganism is that meat and dairy substitutes can be expensive) and/or getting frustrated by the lack of vegan-friendly prepared foods. Making sure your pantry is stocked with plenty of fruits, grains and veggies is the best way to avoid this frustration. A little dark chocolate is good to have around, too.
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