How to start a plant-based diet. What are the benefits of plant-based eating. Which foods to include in a plant-based meal plan. How to create balanced plant-based meals. What are some easy plant-based recipes for beginners. How to transition to a plant-based lifestyle. What are common challenges when starting a plant-based diet.

Understanding Plant-Based Diets: Definition and Benefits

A plant-based diet primarily focuses on consuming foods derived from plants, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains. While some interpret it as a strictly vegan diet, others view it as a flexible eating pattern that allows for occasional consumption of animal products. The key is to emphasize plant foods and minimize or eliminate animal-derived ingredients.

Benefits of adopting a plant-based diet include:

• Improved heart health
• Lower risk of certain cancers
• Better weight management
• Enhanced digestive health
• Reduced environmental impact
• Increased intake of essential nutrients

Is a plant-based diet suitable for everyone?

While plant-based diets can be beneficial for many, it’s essential to consider individual needs and health conditions. Consulting a healthcare professional or registered dietitian is advisable, especially for those with specific dietary requirements or health concerns.

Getting Started: Essentials for Your Plant-Based Pantry

Stocking your kitchen with plant-based staples is crucial for success. Here’s a list of essential items to keep on hand:

1. Whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, oats)
2. Legumes (lentils, chickpeas, black beans)
3. Nuts and seeds (almonds, chia seeds, flaxseeds)
4. Plant-based milk alternatives (almond, soy, oat)
5. Fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables
6. Herbs and spices for flavor
7. Nutritional yeast (for B12 and cheesy flavor)
8. Plant-based protein sources (tofu, tempeh, seitan)

How can I ensure I’m getting all necessary nutrients on a plant-based diet?

To maintain optimal nutrition, focus on eating a variety of plant foods and consider supplementing with vitamin B12, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids. Regular blood tests can help identify any potential nutrient deficiencies.

Meal Planning Strategies for Plant-Based Success

Effective meal planning is key to maintaining a balanced plant-based diet. Consider these strategies:

• Batch cook grains and legumes for easy meal prep
• Prepare veggie-packed meals in advance
• Utilize leftovers creatively
• Keep quick, plant-based snacks on hand
• Experiment with new recipes weekly

How can I make plant-based meal planning more efficient?

Try dedicating a few hours each week to meal prep. Chop vegetables, cook grains, and prepare plant-based proteins in advance. This approach saves time and ensures you have healthy options readily available throughout the week.

Breakfast Ideas: Energizing Plant-Based Morning Meals

Start your day right with these nutrient-dense breakfast options:

1. Overnight oats with chia seeds and fresh berries
2. Tofu scramble with sautéed vegetables
3. Whole grain toast with avocado and sprouts
4. Smoothie bowl topped with granola and sliced fruit
5. Chickpea flour pancakes with maple syrup

Can plant-based breakfasts provide adequate protein?

Absolutely! Incorporate protein-rich ingredients like tofu, plant-based yogurt, nuts, and seeds into your breakfast. Pair these with whole grains and fruits for a balanced, energizing meal.

Lunch Options: Quick and Satisfying Plant-Based Midday Meals

These lunch ideas are perfect for busy days:

• Buddha bowl with roasted vegetables and tahini dressing
• Lentil and vegetable soup with whole grain crackers
• Chickpea salad sandwich on sprouted bread
• Veggie-packed wrap with hummus
• Quinoa and black bean burrito bowl

How can I ensure my plant-based lunches keep me full until dinner?

Include a balance of complex carbohydrates, plant-based proteins, and healthy fats in your lunch. This combination helps maintain satiety and provides sustained energy throughout the afternoon.

Dinner Recipes: Hearty and Flavorful Plant-Based Evening Meals

End your day with these satisfying dinner options:

1. Lentil and mushroom shepherd’s pie
2. Stir-fried tofu and vegetables with brown rice
3. Eggplant and chickpea curry
4. Zucchini noodles with avocado pesto
5. Grilled portobello mushroom steaks with roasted vegetables

How can I make plant-based dinners more appealing to non-vegetarians?

Focus on familiar flavors and textures. Use plant-based alternatives to mimic traditional meat dishes, and emphasize the variety of colors, textures, and tastes in your meals. Gradually introduce new plant-based ingredients to help others adjust to the change.

Snack Ideas: Nutritious Plant-Based Bites Between Meals

Keep hunger at bay with these wholesome snack options:

• Apple slices with almond butter
• Homemade trail mix with nuts and dried fruits
• Roasted chickpeas with spices
• Vegetable sticks with hummus
• Energy balls made with dates and nuts

Are plant-based snacks sufficient for active individuals?

Plant-based snacks can certainly meet the needs of active individuals. Focus on snacks that combine carbohydrates for energy and protein for muscle recovery. Adjust portion sizes based on your activity level and caloric needs.

Navigating Social Situations: Maintaining a Plant-Based Diet While Dining Out

Eating out doesn’t have to derail your plant-based journey. Consider these tips:

1. Research restaurant menus in advance
2. Look for vegetable-centric dishes or sides
3. Ask about plant-based modifications to existing menu items
4. Be clear about your dietary preferences when ordering
5. Consider bringing your own plant-based options to social gatherings

How can I politely decline non-plant-based food offerings in social settings?

Express gratitude for the offer and explain your dietary choices briefly. Offer to bring a plant-based dish to share, or suggest restaurants that cater to various dietary preferences when planning group outings.

Transitioning to a plant-based diet is a journey that requires patience, planning, and creativity. By incorporating a variety of nutrient-dense plant foods, experimenting with new recipes, and maintaining flexibility, you can successfully adopt and sustain a plant-based lifestyle. Remember that everyone’s journey is unique, and it’s okay to make gradual changes as you explore the world of plant-based eating.

As you progress through this 28-day plant-based meal plan, pay attention to how your body feels and make adjustments as needed. Keep in mind that a plant-based diet can be adapted to suit various tastes, cultural preferences, and nutritional needs. Don’t be afraid to modify recipes or try new ingredients to keep your meals exciting and satisfying.

One of the key advantages of a plant-based diet is its potential to improve overall health while reducing environmental impact. By choosing plant-based options, you’re not only nourishing your body but also contributing to a more sustainable food system. As you become more comfortable with plant-based cooking, you may find yourself naturally gravitating towards whole, unprocessed foods and developing a greater appreciation for the diverse flavors and textures that plants have to offer.

Remember that adopting a plant-based diet doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. It’s about making conscious choices to include more plant foods in your daily routine. If you find yourself consuming animal products occasionally, don’t be discouraged. Every plant-based meal is a step in the right direction, and consistency over time is more important than strict adherence to rules.

As you embark on this plant-based journey, consider keeping a food diary to track your meals, energy levels, and any changes in your overall well-being. This can be a valuable tool for identifying which foods work best for you and areas where you might need to make adjustments. It can also serve as a source of motivation as you reflect on your progress over time.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to others who follow plant-based diets for support and inspiration. Join online communities, attend local vegetarian or vegan events, or consider working with a plant-based nutritionist to fine-tune your approach. Remember that knowledge is power, so continue educating yourself about plant-based nutrition and cooking techniques to expand your culinary horizons.

Lastly, enjoy the process of discovering new foods and flavors. A plant-based diet opens up a world of culinary possibilities, from exotic fruits and vegetables to ancient grains and innovative meat alternatives. Embrace this opportunity to expand your palate and develop a deeper connection with the food you eat.

With dedication, creativity, and an open mind, you’ll find that a plant-based diet can be not just a way of eating, but a fulfilling lifestyle that nourishes both body and soul. As you progress through this 28-day meal plan, remember that every plant-based choice you make is a positive step towards better health and a more sustainable future.

28 Day Plant Based Diet Meal Plan – A Couple Cooks

Looking to eat a plant based diet but not sure where to start? Here’s a 28 day plant based diet meal plan with a meal planning calendar.

Are you looking to start eating a plant based diet, but don’t know where to start? Ten years ago, Alex and I were there too! Since then, we’ve written the cookbook Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious and Food & Wine. We’ve cooked everywhere from our home kitchen to the TODAY Show with the message that eating mostly plants can be “pretty simple”.

Eating a mostly plant based diet is all about finding a sustainable practice. The goal of this plant based diet meal plan is to help you find a handful of favorite easy plant based recipes that you can make again and again! If you’d like, subscribe to our newsletter for new weekly recipes.

Want all our meal plans? Go to Meal Planning Ideas.

What is a plant based diet?

The term plant based diet or whole food plant based (WFPB) diet have been gaining in popularity. But what do they actually mean? Does it mean you never eat any animal products, like a vegan diet, or consume animal products in moderation? There’s a lot of contention about these terms.

Many sources agree a plant based diet is eating mostly plant based food with little to no animal products. But some sources would argue it is a diet of only plants, equating it with a vegan diet. Read more here: Plant Based Diet for Beginners

This plant based diet meal plan includes only vegan recipes, but you can determine the level of animal products that’s right for you. We encourage you to decide what plant based means for you! Alex and I eat a mostly plant based diet, which we define as eating mostly vegetarian and vegan recipes, and seafood on occasion. If you’d like to include vegetarian or seafood recipes in your meal plan, check out the options in our 28 Day Vegetarian Meal Plan and 28 Day Healthy Meal Plan.

Is this plant based diet meal plan right for you?

This plant based diet meal plan is right for you if you’re looking to eat more plants! The recipes in this meal plan are easy vegan recipes. As noted above, feel free to work in vegetarian or seafood recipes as well based on how you’d like to define plant based. For a vegetarian meal plan, head to 28 Day Vegetarian Meal Plan. If you also eat fish, go to our Healthy Meal Plan, Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan or Pescatarian Meal Plan.

If you have a very specific diet or health condition, consult a medical professional to understand whether these recipes are right for you.

The problem with meal planning calendars

For Alex and me, one problem with meal planning calendars and weekly meal plans is that they offer no flexibility. Most meal plans we’ve found call for cooking something new every day of the week. They’re overwhelming with the amount of food prep that they call for! They also don’t account for your schedule: what if Monday nights I have a weekly meeting where I eat dinner? Or this Friday night I’m going out with friends?

Here’s what makes our plant based diet meal plan different:

• Spotlight dinner ideas. For us, dinner is our main meal where we cook and get the majority of our nutrients for the day. Our approach is to go big on dinner, and then do super simple things for breakfast and lunch. That’s what works for us! At the bottom of the meal plan you’ll find lists of healthy breakfast ideas, snack ideas, and lunch ideas. You can use these, or find others that fit your tastes.
• Pick 3. Each week, we offer 3 healthy dinner ideas. You can make them on any day that week! This encourages you to customize the ideas based on your schedule and particular tastes. It also encourages eating up leftovers.
• Repeats. Since we only offer 3 dinner ideas, this also encourages you to make dinner ideas you liked from previous weeks.

What if this meal plan doesn’t work for me?

It’s possible this meal plan might not work for you–and that’s ok! This meal plan might provide too much flexibility for you and not motivate you to make the recipes. Or, you might not like the style of these recipes. We know this meal plan is not for everyone, but this is an outline of how Alex and I cook on a weekly basis.

Related: Looking for workout plans too? Try our 28 Day Home Workout Plan.

Download: Plant based diet meal plan spreadsheet

To make our Plant Based Diet Meal Plan tangible, we’ve created a downloadable meal planning calendar for you! It’s our Plant Based Diet Meal Plan spreadsheet, where you can copy in your meal planning ideas for each week. Simply download the spreadsheet and then copy in the links to the recipes for each week below. Here’s the download!

Plant Based Diet Meal Plan

Before you start: here’s how to use our Plant Based Diet Meal Plan!

• Pick at least 3 dinner ideas. Confession: Alex and I don’t cook every night! We make enough for leftovers and eat them throughout the week too, sometimes repurposing them in new ways. For this meal plan, pick 3 days that you want to cook dinners. Fill in the other days with eating leftovers, doing “clean out the fridge” meals without recipes, and allow for meals out. If you end up needing more healthy dinner ideas for that week, skip ahead to the next week and try one. (Or, pick one of our other Dinner Recipes!)
• Fill in breakfast, lunch, and snacks ideas. We focus on dinner as the main daily meal, so we keep breakfast, lunches, and snacks SUPER simple. If possible, we love things that don’t use recipes (like English muffins with peanut butter, yogurt with fruit). That way, we save our cooking energy for dinner.
• Copy the links into your Plant Based Diet Meal Plan spreadsheet. Using a spreadsheet makes things much more tangible than just using a list! Once you’ve taken stock of what your week holds and what nights you’ll have time to cook, fill in your dinner ideas accordingly. We suggest filling out the meal plan on the weekend (Sundays seem to be good for many people).
• Read the meal prep planning notes. Below each week of healthy dinner ideas, we’ve included some meal prep planning notes to help with ways to make ahead or prep in advance.

Related: What is a Vegan vs. Vegetarian Diet?

Plant Based Diet Dinner Ideas Week 1

*Pick at least 3 dinners to cook at home and copy them into your Healthy Meal Plan spreadsheet on the days for Week 1! On days you’re not cooking, use up leftovers or do “clean out the fridge” meals, and allow for meals out.

1. Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich (15 minutes)
2. Best Teriyaki Vegetable Stir Fry (30 minutes)
3. Chickpea Couscous Bowls with Tahini Sauce (30 minutes)
4. Chipotle Black Bean Tortilla Soup (35 minutes)
5. Leftovers from above*

*Meal Prep Plan Notes

• For the Mediterranean veggie sandwich, you can use either the Herbed White Bean Dip or purchased hummus. For fully plant based, use Kalamata olives instead of feta cheese. You also may want to serve with a green salad, like this Best Kale Salad or Strawberry Salad.
• For the Teriyaki Stir Fry, it’s fairly simple to make the day of. You can chop the vegetables, tempeh, and ginger in advance and refrigerate: this would make for very quick prep. You could also make the rice in advance; see the reheating rice instructions in Week 2. The teriyaki sauce takes only 5 minutes to make, so it’s easiest made day of; if you make in advance and refrigerate, let it come to room temperature before serving (you may even need to add a small splash of water since it thickens as it sits. ).
• For the Chickpeas Couscous Bowls, you can make the Lemon Tahini Sauce in advance and refrigerate until serving. Make sure to bring it to room temperature before serving. You could also make the couscous in advance, but since it takes only 5 minutes, it’s not a large time saver.
• The Tortilla Soup takes about 20 minutes of hands on time. If desired, you can make the tortilla strips in advance or use crushed tortilla chips (just find chips that are minimally processed, with a few ingredients like corn, oil and salt). You can make the entire soup in advance and refrigerate: the flavor gets better over time!

Plant Based Diet Dinner Ideas Week 2

*Pick at least 3 dinners to cook at home and copy them into your Healthy Meal Plan spreadsheet on the days for Week 2! On days you’re not cooking, use up leftovers or do “clean out the fridge” meals, and allow for meals out.

1. Weeknight Chickpea Curry (20 minutes)
2. Mexican Sweet Potatoes (30 minutes)
3. Cauliflower Tacos with Yum Yum Sauce (40 minutes)
4. Make again! 1 or 2 favorite dinner ideas from Week 1
5. Leftovers from above*

Meal Plan Prep Notes

• For the Curry, you can make the chickpeas in advance, though they only take 20 minutes! If serving with rice, you can make the basmati rice in advance and reheat. Tip: To reheat the rice: place the rice in a saucepan with a splash of water and use a fork to break up any clumps. Heat over low heat until warmed through and moist.
• The Mexican Sweet Potatoes, make the Creamy Cilantro Sauce in advance and refrigerate until serving: make sure to bring it to room temperature before serving. You could even use this sauce for the Cauliflower Tacos too! If desired you could roast the sweet potatoes in advance and refrigerate; then reheat in a 400F oven until warm before serving.
• For the Crispy Cauliflower Tacos, these require a bit more time but it’s well worth it! They are one of our fan favorite recipes and perfect for showing how delicious plant based eating can be! You can make the Yum Yum sauce in advance (with vegan mayo for fully plant based), or use leftover Creamy Cilantro Sauce from the Mexican sweet potatoes above. Because the cauliflower takes the most time (about 40 minutes), you can also prepare that in advance and reheat the day of; reheating instructions are in the recipe. We’ve had it both ways and it’s delicious!

Cauliflower Tacos with Yum Yum Sauce

Plant Based Diet Dinner Ideas Week 3

*Pick at least 3 dinners to cook at home and copy them into your Healthy Meal Plan spreadsheet on the days for Week 3! On days you’re not cooking, use up leftovers or do “clean out the fridge” meals, and allow for meals out.

1. Greek Nachos with Cilantro Drizzle (25 minutes)
2. Quick Cuban Black Beans (35 minutes)
3. Tomato Coconut Cauliflower Curry (35 minutes, plus rice)
4. Make again! 1 or 2 favorite dinner ideas from Week 1 or 2
5. Leftovers from above*

Meal Plan Prep Notes

• For the Nachos, make the pita chips and Creamy Cilantro Sauce (or use leftovers from Week 2 above!). You can also use storebought pita chips as a time saver.
• For the Cuban black beans, you could make the beans in advance and refrigerate until serving: the flavor will just get better over time! Use the vegan option of olive oil: or if you’re doing some vegetarian, use the butter (you don’t regret it).
• For the Curry, you could chop the vegetables in advance and refrigerate until serving: in that case make the curry within about a day or two. Follow the rice and quinoa prep instructions from Week 3.

Jackfruit BBQ Sandwich

Plant Based Diet Dinner Ideas Week 4

*Pick at least 3 dinners to cook at home and copy them into your Healthy Meal Plan spreadsheet on the days for Week 4! On days you’re not cooking, use up leftovers or do “clean out the fridge” meals, and allow for meals out.

1. BBQ Bean Tacos with Pineapple Salsa (25 minutes)
2. Tuscan Soup with White Beans (30 minutes)
3. Jackfruit BBQ Sandwich (40 minutes)
4. Make again! 1 or 2 favorite dinner ideas from Week 1, 2 or 3
5. Leftovers from above*

Meal Plan Prep Notes

• The Tacos are one of our simplest recipes: you simmer the beans in the time it takes to make the pineapple salsa. If desired, you can make the salsa in advance and slice up the garnishes. For a filling side, serve with rice (or to look fancy, turmeric rice).
• For the Soup, you can cut fennel and chard in advance and refrigerate until making the soup. In this case, we’d make the soup within a day or two of cutting the vegetables. While the soup simmers, you can whisk up the dressing for the salad. We like using boxed salad greens for easy prep.
• For the Jackfruit BBQ, this one is a little outside the box but SO delicious! You’ll be surprised at how much jackfruit tastes like pulled pork. You could make the jackfruit filling in advance and refrigerate until serving; then reheat in a skillet. Also you could chop the veggies for the vinegar coleslaw in advance: then add the dressing right before serving. Our best creamy coleslaw would also be fantastic using vegan mayo.

Healthy Granola Recipe

Healthy Breakfast Ideas Weeks 1-4

Alex and I do really, really simple breakfasts that don’t require a recipe so we don’t have to think too hard in the morning. This frees us up to spend most of our creative energy on dinner. Pick any of these to eat throughout the week and copy them into your Healthy Meal Plan spreadsheet. We’ve offered quite a bit of options to account for your breakfast tastes and style. Do repeats as much as you’d like!

Healthy Snack Ideas Weeks 1-4

Pick any of these to eat throughout the week and copy them into your Healthy Meal Plan spreadsheet.

Easy Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Healthy Lunch Ideas Weeks 1-4

Lunches can be hard, especially if you’re eating at your desk! Again, Alex and my philosophy for lunches are to keep them super, super simple, without a recipe if possible. Pick any of these to eat throughout the week and copy them into your Healthy Meal Plan spreadsheet.

Did you like this plant based diet meal plan?

We’d love to hear your feedback on this plant based diet meal plan: let us know in the comments below. And let us know if you have any questions!

If you enjoyed the recipes in this plan, you might enjoy our healthy cookbook Pretty Simple Cooking!

Free and Easy WFPB Vegan 7-Day Meal Plan For Beginners (+ BONUS RECIPE – MamaSezz

Quick Take

A whole food plant-based diet can be overwhelming when you’re starting out. But being a plant-based beginner doesn’t have to be so difficult! Luckily, MamaSezz is here to guide you. One of the best ways to stick with your new healthy lifestyle? Getting a WFPB meal plan in place! Keep reading to get our top planning tricks, meal prep tips, PLUS a free and delicious meal plan for whole food plant-based beginners. These vegan recipes will be sure to knock your socks off! 

Note: If you’re just plant-curious and 80% plant-based, we’ve got you covered too!

On This Page

Overwhelmed by Meal Prep?

3 Steps to Meal Planning Success

Your Free One Week WFPB/Vegan Meal Plan

How to Skip Meal Planning (and Still Eat a Healthy Plant-Based Diet)

Key Takeaways

Before we begin: Get WFPB delivered, fresh and ready-made!

Want to feel and look your best with a whole food plant-based diet but need help getting started? Get ready-made and delicious WFPB meals delivered fresh with the MamaSezz Detox and Reboot Bundle.

Overwhelmed by Meal Prep?

Looking to try a whole-food plant-based (WFPB) or vegan diet but overwhelmed by the thought of vegan meal prep? We get it. Finding and preparing plant-based and vegan recipes can be daunting if you are inexperienced and have a busy life.  

At MamaSezz, we know that when you eat a whole food plant-based diet, your body gets all the nutrition it needs (with no B.S — “bad stuff”). And it’s better for the planet than the Standard American Diet.

But figuring out how to meal plan and making vegan recipes from scratch can be a pain in the you-know-what.

We’re to help! This easy vegan meal plan will save you time and hassle. No need to spend hours searching for easy vegan recipes or pouring over nutrition labels. And the best part? All of these vegan recipes are also WFPB (whole food plant based) so they are loaded with whole grains, fruits, veggies and nuts, while also being refined sugar-free and oil-free.  

Let’s dive right in and you can see for yourself just how easy plant-based meal prep can be.

3 Steps to Meal Planning Success

1. Wash, Cut and Batch Cook Vegetables in Advance

As with any meal prep, WFPB and vegan meal prep  always go faster quickly if you wash and batch cook and chop veggies in advance, especially since you will be eating a lot of nutritious vegetables. So go and stock up on all your favorite veggies and instead of putting them away when you get home, get started peeling, chopping, dicing, and steaming. Then store them in your fridge (properly) ready to add to anything. Your future self will thank you!

2. Make a Grocery List (and Stick to It)

One of the biggest stressors when making the switch to plant-based eating? The grocery store! It can feel like a brand new and confusing world of ingredients you’ve never even heard of (Medjool dates, Nutritional Yeast???). The good news is making a list can go a long way to alleviate uncertainty, not to mention it saves loads of time.

Start with a simple WFPB meal plan and shopping list. Install a whiteboard in your kitchen with reusable markers and make a note when you need to refresh pantry items. Take a picture of your list before you set our to the grocery store. Or, take the modern approach and start a note pad in your phone (you can even share these “notes” with other household members, so that all members can add items, and delete items as they shop in real-time). A list will also make you less likely to impulse buy and save you money and waste. The more familiar you get with plant-based meal planning the easier shopping will get. We promise! Keep this WFPB shopping list as a resource when you’re feeling overwhelmed.

3. Fill your Kitchen with Nutrient-dense Food

We all like a good snack (even those of us trying to lose weight). And snacking doesn’t have to get in the way of your healthy living goals. The easier it is to make good choices, the more likely you’ll actually make them. Stock your kitchen with whole foods, like natural fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains — and take away the B.S. (bad stuff) like processed foods, meat, and dairy products.

Need snack ideas? We’ve got ‘em in spades. Some of our favorite quick and easy WFPB snacks: peanut butter (or other kinds of nut butter), dates, dried or fresh fruit, nuts, and edamame. You can also check out these 15 plant-based snacks from Chef Caroline.

Hot WFPB tip: If you’re trying to get the family to eat more plant-based snacks, set out bowls of chopped veggies with dip, bowls of washed chopped fruit, and bowls of dried fruit. You may notice that they slowly start to *disappear*… magic!  

Your Free One Week WFPB/Vegan Meal Plan

The final piece to your meal planning success? An actual free WFPB meal plan with vegan recipes might help! These healthy recipes are great for plant-based beginners and feel free to change them to your liking, More of a savory breakfast person? Swap out the sweeter recipes for something salty. Not feeling one particular ingredient? Get creative and experiment to fit your taste. The more you play around, the more comfortable you’ll get switching things up. And we’ve got a boat load of BONUS plant-based recipes from Chef Caroline to explore when you’re ready.

*NOTE: If you’re 80% plant-based, or plant-curious, that’s okay too! Sub out of few of your typical meals with a few veggie centric ones, or top with a little meat or cheese as a garnish to start. 

7 Days of Plant-Based Breakfast

The typical American breakfast is loaded with animal products, and that’s not great for your health. These plant-based breakfast recipes mimic traditional breakfast foods in flavor, but are high in nutrients and fall in line with a healthy vegan diet.

Pro tip: you don’t have to confine yourself to “breakfast foods” just because it’s the morning. We’d eat MamaSezz Scalloped Potatoes for breakfast any day of the week!

1. Creamy Vegan Green Smoothie

Smoothies are one of the easiest healthy breakfasts out there. To save time, compile ingredients the night before so in the morning all you have to do is blend. Try this Mamasezz original recipe, and again, feel free to switch things up should the mood strike! Add favorite ingredients like extra natural peanut butter or oats. Pour it into a mason jar or your travel mug and drink it on the go.

2. Bean, Potato, & Veggie Vegan Breakfast Hash

We love make-ahead dishes and this delicious hash is something you can whip up in advance and eat for days. Adjust the spices to your palette.

3. Sweet Potato Toast

Another great plant-powered breakfast! Sweet potato toast is a quick way to get important nutrients, like fiber, potassium, and vitamins A and C. Top with your favorite nut butter and fruit for a sweet morning treat.

4. Breakfast Tacos

Savory breakfast people, rejoice! These tacos are the perfect breakfast to take on-the-go. Double the recipe and enjoy multiple times throughout the week.

5. Turmeric Steel Cut Oats

A classic oatmeal with a nutritious (anti-inflammatory!) twist. Just a few extra ingredients turn regular oatmeal into something spectacular. (And to stay WFPB, omit the oil!). 

6. Plant-Based Pancakes

And easy vegan recipe that’s kid-friendly, to boot? Heck yes, parents! Nothing says weekend like pancakes and these are refined sugar-free.

7. Chipotle Black Bean Avocado Toast

Avocado toast is all the rage these days, and for good reason — it’s loaded with nutritious ingredients and is super satisfying. This Mamasezz recipe is mouth-wateringly delicious and will keep you sated through lunch time.

7 Days of Plant-Based Lunch

Eating lunch out is hard on your health and budget. These make-ahead recipes will keep you and your plant-based lifestyle on track, whether you’re at work or traveling.

1. Sweet Beet Salad

Say hello to this easy-to-make salad that’s great year-round. Pro tip: prep the veggies in advance for a quick lunch.

2. Quinoa Kale Bowl

Bowls are a great lunch for beginners because they are easily customizable. Better yet, they can be served warm or cold, so don’t feel like you need to hunt down a microwave.

3. Curried Chickpea Salad

Reminiscent of chicken salad – but without the BS (Bad Stuff). This healthy plant-based version will give you tons of flavor, without the animal products.

4. Black Beans and Greens Over Rice

This quick lunch is easy to make in advance. Top with some fresh avocado, and you are good to go, my friend.

5. Portobello Plant-Based “BLT” Sandwich

An All-American sandwich turned WFPB, this “BLT” has all the best elements of the original, without any of the junk.

6. Vegan Chopped Salad

Full of crunch and ready to munch, this salad has the potential to become a weekly staple for lunchtime. Loaded with fiber and nutritious veggies, salads are a must for any vegan meal plan.

7. Low Fat Creamy Mashed Chickpea and Veggie Sandwich

Make this chickpea filling ahead of time for a quick, healthy sandwich even your kiddos will enjoy.

7 Days of Plant-Based Dinner

A whole-food plant-based dinner doesn’t have to be complicated. These dishes are light on preparation and heavy on nutrients to help carry you through the night and into tomorrow.

1. Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Omit the oil and you’ve got one protein-packed WFPB and zesty dinner recipe. Keeps great as leftovers!

2. Antioxidant Packed Vegetable and Wild Rice Soup

This soup can be made in the Instant Pot or on the stove — a true classic, but with extra nutrients.

3. Plant-Based Buffalo Quinoa

You won’t miss the chicken in this spicy buffalo dish. Pack up any leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.

4. Plant-Based Vegetable Fried Rice

Who needs takeout when you can make your own nutritious fried rice at home? Using vegetable broth instead of oil, this oil-free fried rice recipe is the Chinese-food lover’s WFPB dream come true.  

5. Roasted Cauliflower Burrito Bowls

Make this recipe with brown rice or cauliflower, and you have an easy dinner that’s as fun as it is nutritious. (Omit oil.) 

6. Creamy Plant-Based Avocado Pasta

Comfort food doesn’t have to be nutrient deficient. This pasta dish will energize your body while it warms your soul.

7. Mexican Vegan Stuffed Peppers

Everyone loves a good slow cooker recipe, and this flavorful dish won’t disappoint. Load the ingredients into your cooker in the morning and comfort food will be waiting when you get home.

Want to Skip the Meal Planning Altogether?

You can always order No B.S. Ready-to-Eat meals from MamaSezz. Whether you want MamaSezz every day, or to keep it on hand for the night’s when cooking just isn’t in the cards, we’ve got your back.

MamaSezz meal programs like the 2 Week Detox and Reboot, the Get Me Started Program, the Peak Performance Bundle or the Guaranteed Weight Loss Program, all come with 7-day meal plans, grocery shopping lists (for supplemental fresh fruits and veggies to accompany your meals) and top WFPB tips and tricks.

Start with the 2-Week Detox and Reboot Program today. 

Here is a sample of Day 1 of the MamaSezz Detox and Reboot meal plan: 

Key Takeaways

A healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be hard! Checking off these items will keep you organized, full, and happy!

• Get an easy WFPB/vegan meal plan in place.
• Batch cook to make meal prep a breeze.
• Always bring a shopping list to the grocery store (and stick to it).
• Fill your pantry will healthy snacks (and purge the junk!).
• Make going plant-based super easy with ready-made vegan meals delivered from MamaSezz – perfect when you don’t have time or energy to prep!

Updated 5/10/21

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By Caroline DiNicola Fawley

Caroline is a plant-based chef, recipe designer, and whole food plant-based nutrition educator, with a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies.

7-Day Plant-Based Meal Plan: Easy Ideas for Beginners

• A plant-based diet means eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds. 
• You should minimize your intake of animal foods like meat, eggs, and dairy, but you don’t need to exclude these foods entirely. 
• Research has found that a plant-based diet is very beneficial, as it can improve heart health, reduce your risk of cancer and diabetes, and even help the environment.  
• Visit Insider’s Health Reference library for more advice.

Plant-based diets are becoming more popular as Americans seek to improve their health and eat more natural foods. In fact, a 2017 Nielsen survey found that 39% of Americans were actively trying to eat more plant-based foods. 

If you’re interested in trying out this healthy diet, here’s a meal plan to get you started as well as more information on the benefits you can achieve from sticking to a plant-based diet. 

What to eat on a plant-based diet 

A plant-based diet encourages eating whole, plant-based foods, and minimizing animal products and processed foods. This differs from a vegan or vegetarian diet. 

“A plant-based diet is defined by what it includes: a lot of plant foods,” says Carole Bartolotto, a registered dietitian based in Los Angeles. “Vegan or vegetarian diets are defined by what they exclude.” 

For example, a

vegan diet
excludes all animal products and a vegetarian diet excludes animal meat. Plant-based diets don’t include these restrictions, but they recommend you eat minimal amounts of them and eat foods mostly of plant-based origin instead. 

Foods to eat often on a plant-based diet:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Beans
• Legumes
• Grains
• Nuts

Foods to eat in smaller portions, or less frequently: 

• Meat
• Dairy products
• Eggs
• Processed foods (this pertains to most healthy meal plans) 

7-day plant-based diet meal plan

Here’s what a full week of healthy eating on a plant-based diet could look like, according to Bartolotto. 

Day 1

Oatmeal with fruit and nuts is a great way to start your week.

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Breakfast: Plain oatmeal with walnuts and fruit with unsweetened almond milk

Lunch: Lentil tacos with a salad

Dinner: Italian-style zucchini and chickpea saute

Day 2

Try a veggie chili with a meat substitute.

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Breakfast: Quinoa with raisins and cinnamon and soy milk

Lunch: Stir-fry with veggies and tofu

Dinner: Vegetarian chili and spinach-orzo salad

Day 3

Tofu scramble is a delicious alternative to eggs.

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Breakfast: Tofu scramble with veggies

Lunch: Pasta with marinara sauce and a salad or vegetable

Dinner: Vegetarian pizza and tomato soup

Day 4

Lentil soup is a hearty plant-based source of protein.

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Breakfast: Pancakes or waffles with fruit puree

Lunch: Lentil soup and a side salad

Dinner: Grilled vegetable kabobs with grilled tofu, and a quinoa and spinach salad

Day 5

A black bean and sweet potato quesadilla can be a tasty mid-week treat.

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Breakfast: Handful of nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts) and fruit

Lunch: Grilled tofu with quinoa and a salad 

Dinner: Black bean and sweet potato quesadilla

Day 6

Make a smoothie with fruits like bananas.

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Breakfast: Smoothie with banana, pea protein, soy milk, and cacao powder

Lunch: Tomato basil soup and greek salad with chickpeas and feta

Dinner: Rice bowl with kidney beans, spinach, and mixed veggies

Day 7

Black bean burgers are a worthy substitute for beef patties.

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Breakfast: Overnight oats and fresh fruit

Lunch: Black bean burger and kale salad 

Dinner: White bean chili and corn muffins

A note about animal foods 

A plant-based diet can exclude all or most animal foods, but it can also mean eating proportionately more foods from plant sources. While this meal plan doesn’t include animal foods, that doesn’t mean you have to get rid of them entirely. 

Should you want to include animal foods, consider using them as a complement to your meal rather than the centerpiece. A few meals over the course of the week that include a small amount of animal foods may be a good place to start.

For example, you can have scrambled eggs with a veggie hash and avocado once a week, or sprinkle some cheese on your black bean quesadilla.  

Plant-based diet benefits 

Following a plant-based diet can result in numerous benefits for your health and the environment. Here’s how. 

Improved heart health: A large 2019 study found that eating a plant-based diet may reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 16% and cardiovascular disease mortality by 31%. The characteristics of a plant-based diet — high intake of fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, pulses, and whole grains with low intake of refined grains, added sugars, and animal foods — contribute to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease by helping to lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol.

Reduced risk of cancer: Eating lots of plant-based foods has been linked to lower cancer rates. There are a number of potential explanations, including the phytochemicals that come from increased plant consumption and a higher fiber intake, which has specifically been tied to lower breast cancer and colorectal cancer risk.  

Lower risk of diabetes: Plant-based diets are associated with a substantially lowered risk of type 2 diabetes. For example, a large 2016 study in PLOS Medicine found that following a plant-based diet was associated with about a 20% reduction in the risk of developing type 2

diabetes
. Several mechanisms contribute to this: a healthful plant-based diet could help lower blood sugar levels, improve insulin sensitivity, and decrease chronic inflammation. 

It’s better for the environment: A plant-based diet offers environmental benefits due to its lower carbon footprint, Bartolotto says. If you would like to help fight climate change, eating more plant-based foods is imperative. About 25% to 30% of greenhouse gas emissions come from our food systems, with livestock adding more than the entire transportation sector. Eating more plants and less meat — specifically beef and lamb — and consuming less dairy decreases this demand and helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Are there any downsides to a plant-based diet?  

“There is this perception that you can’t get adequate protein from plant-based foods,” Bartolotto says. “However, nothing could be further from the truth. Eating beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds each day will ensure you get enough protein and other nutrients.”

In addition, tofu, lentils, and spinach are good sources of iron. Ensuring you get enough iron and protein on a plant-based diet is particularly important because, typically, most people get the majority of these nutrients from meat.

As Bartolotto explains, there really aren’t a lot of downsides to eating a plant-based diet, as long as you eat a varied diet with a combination of beans, lentils, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. This balance will ensure you get everything that you need nutritionally. 

Another way to avoid potential health risks is to consider taking a B12 supplement if you’re avoiding all animal products. You can also take a calcium supplement, as the amount of calcium in plant food varies, Bartolotto says.  

Insider’s takeaway 

Overall, a plant-based diet is a healthy option due to its focus on whole, natural foods over processed foods. For those who may find it difficult to stick to, there are a couple of specific tips to help. 

Find recipes you enjoy that are easy to make, or that you can make a pot of and eat several times during the week, Bartolotto says. You can also get a box of fresh veggies and fruits delivered to your home every week, so you don’t have to keep going to the grocery store. 

Vegan Meal Planner: Plant Based Meal Planning

What is a Vegan or Plant Based Diet?

A vegan diet focuses on eliminating all animal products, including meat, eggs, and dairy, and eating only plant-based foods. People choose to go vegan for health or environmental reasons, or a combination of both.

There are also different variations of a vegan diet, including a whole foods vegan diet, a raw vegan diet, raw till 4 (consuming raw foods until 4 pm), and the 80/10/10 diet where your diet is heavily centered around the consumption of raw fruits and greens. No matter what type of vegan diet you choose to enjoy, PlateJoy can help customize a plan to your exact needs. While plant-based meal planning can be time-consuming, PlateJoy can take the stress out of figuring out what you are going to eat on a vegan diet by providing you with customized plant-based meal plans.

You can customize your own vegan meal planner here.

Benefits of a Plant Based Meal Plan

There are many benefits of eating a plant-based, vegan diet. Some of the most well-known benefits include the following.

Supports a Healthy Weight: One of the health benefits of plant-based eating is the fact that a vegan meal plan may help you consume nutrient-dense foods to help support a healthy weight. A study found that vegans tend to be thinner than non-vegans, have lower cholesterol, and lower blood pressure. A whole foods, plant-based approach to eating is a great way to help support a healthy weight, long-term.

Fight Inflammation & Disease: Another benefit is that plant-based foods contain anti-inflammatory properties. With decreased inflammation comes a reduced risk of chronic disease. A study published in Current Developments in Nutrition found that plant-based protein helps decrease chronic inflammation. So, by including plant-based proteins like beans, lentils, chickpeas, and quinoa in your diet can be a great way to help support overall health.

Environmental Impact: In addition to all of the health benefits a vegan diet brings to the table, many people go vegan to have a positive environmental impact. Eating a plant-based diet, or even just choosing more plant-based foods vs. animal products can help reduce our carbon footprint by reducing air pollution related to factory farm meat production.

Foods to Eat and Avoid on a Plant Based Diet

Here is a list of foods you will find in a vegan meal planner.

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Legumes: beans, lentils
• Nuts: almonds, cashews, peanuts, nut butters
• Seeds: hemp, flax, chia, pumpkin seeds
• Soy protein: tempeh, tofu
• Plant-based superfoods: nutritional yeast, spirulina, seaweed

Here are a list of foods you will want to avoid on a vegan diet.

• Meat
• Eggs
• Fish
• Dairy: yogurt, cheese, butter

What to be Aware of When Following this Diet

As with any diet, there are a few things to be aware of when first starting a vegan diet. You want to make sure you are getting enough protein from plant-based sources. To make sure you are getting enough, be sure to focus on getting enough beans, lentils, nuts, seeds in your vegan diet. Other plant-based protein options include tempeh and tofu.

You will also want to make sure you are getting a good balance of vitamins and minerals in your diet. Many vegans fall short of vitamin B12, as this is a B vitamin that’s not as readily available in plant-based foods. The good news is that you can get B12 from sprinkling some nutritional yeast over your meals (this will add a delicious cheesy flavor, too!). You can also supplement with B12 to make sure that you are getting enough.

Some vegans will also have their B12 levels checked when they get their routine blood draw each year, and to make sure they aren’t at risk of becoming deficient. The good news is that with proper supplementation, this doesn’t have to be a long-term roadblock on a vegan diet.

Vegan Meal Planner and Service

If you are new to vegan eating and confused about how to get started, there are resources to make vegan meal planning easier than ever before.
Meal planning apps like PlateJoy create customized recipes according to your tastes and preferences.

We use 50 data points to create a meal plan that is perfectly tailored to your tastes, dietary preferences, and health goals.
Your unique vegan meal plan will be simple, nourishing, and delicious to help make meal prep easy and stress-free. Plus, each vegan meal plan will be streamlined, listing out exactly what you need for each recipe, with a weekly grocery list included to save you hours on meal prep each week. Your grocery list will also remember which items you have in your pantry, to help avoid food waste.

Want to start using your own custom vegan meal planner and see just how easy and delicious plant-based eating can be? Discover your options here.

3-Day Whole Food Plant-Based Meal Plan

Plant-based diet beginner? Use this 3-day whole food plant-based diet meal plan to get started!

Bright and beautiful soups like this vegan mulligatawny make a great addition to a plant-based diet.

I know when you’re just starting out on a plant-based diet it can feel overwhelming. Where do you even begin?

This plant-based meal plan should point you in the right direction and give you idea of how to put together a few days of eating. When done right, a plant-based diet can be sustainable, delicious, healthy and much easier than you think.

Let’s get started!

Why Are you Doing This?

What’s your reason for wanting to eat a plant-based diet? It for your health? For animal welfare? To lose weight?

It can help to nail down your why then keep that reason front of mind. Write it down and refer back to it often.

Start Slow and Keep Going

If you want to reduce the amount of meat you eat, eating plant-based a couple times a week is a great place to start.

This 3-day meal plan could be broken up and used Monday, Wednesday, Friday or 3 days in a row, or mixed and matched in any way that works for you.

If you’re coming from a Standard American Diet or any heavily animal-based way of eating, switching to a plant-based diet overnight may not be realistic. It’s not necessary either. There is nothing wrong with taking things step by step!

If you start eating plant-based a couple days a week, or even just a few meals a week, that’s great! Build on that with the goal of moving towards a completely plant-based diet.

These vegan lentil meatballs with bolognese are one way to enjoy all your favourite foods while eating plant-based.

What is a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet?

As we go through this vegan meal plan, keep in mind that the focus here is a whole food plant-based diet. That means we’re not eating processed foods or refined grains and sugars and instead focusing on whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains.

That’s just what a whole food plant-based diet is all about, mainly eating whole, real foods and avoiding highly refined processed foods.

Here are the food groups that make up this meal plan:

• whole grains
• vegetables
• fruits
• nuts
• seeds
• legumes (including soy)
• fermented foods

There is no dairy, no eggs and no meat and this particular meal plan is based on all whole foods. Processed meat and dairy alternatives have a time and a place and can certainly be helpful when you’re transitioning but just like all processed foods, they should be eaten in moderation, if you’re including them at all.

That being said, there are some amazing dairy-alternatives available today such as coconut yogurt and cashew cheese that can certainly be included in a whole food diet. Reading ingredient lists can help you determine if a packaged food is or isn’t a good choice.

Ingredients to Avoid

• hydrogenated oils
• high-fructose corn syrup
• MSG (monosodium glutamate)
• sucralose and aspartame
• artificial flavours
• artificial colours (may just be listed as “blue”, for example)
• preservatives such as BHA (Butylated hydroxyanisole), BHT (butylated hydrozyttoluen), TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone)

The easiest way to avoid these ingredients is to breeze past the processed food aisle and straight to the whole foods.

There are also many ways to make healthy alternatives to your favourite processed foods, so if you feel like you’re not ready to give certain things up, try investigating a homemade healthier version and giving that a try instead.

You can also review my vegan grocery list for more tips on shopping as a plant-based eater.

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What about sugar, oil and salt?

Some plant-based doctors recommend a completely SOS-free, or sugar, oil and salt-free, whole food plant-based diet. You can decide if that’s something you want to do.

I include oil, sugar and salt in my diet. I don’t use a lot of oil but I sometimes use olive oil for cooking and I occasionally use coconut oil in dessert recipes.

I definitely try to minimize added sugar in my diet but I still enjoy lots of treats and desserts. Same with salt, I add it to my food but since I don’t eat much processed foods, it’s easy to keep my sodium in check. If you eat mostly whole foods this all happens naturally so it’s not something I think too much about.

Is this a vegan or plant-based meal plan?

This particular plan is both vegan and whole food plant-based. What’s the difference? Well, someone who is vegan may not necessarily eat a whole food plant-based diet but they could be and someone who eats whole food plant-based may not be vegan.

You could be vegan and subsist on Oreos, vegan meat alternatives and chips but you’re not going to feel very good or get enough micronutrients in your diet. If you are vegan, leaning towards a whole food diet is definitely a great way to go for your health.

What does Vegan Mean?

Veganism is the practice of minimizing harm to all animals by abstaining from animal products such as meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey, gelatin, lanolin, wool, fur, silk, suede, and leather.

It is more than a diet, it is a way of living that seeks to exclude all forms of exploitation and cruelty to animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.

What Does Plant-based mean?

A plant-based diet, on the other hand, is just about the food. You can pretty much guess what it’s all about from the name. If you eat a plant-based diet you may not necessarily be vegan and you might have other reasons for eating that way than just compassion.

Plant-based may not mean you never eat meat. A plant-based diet is simply a plant-rich diet, or a consistently eating mostly of plant-based foods.

You have to choose what it looks like for you.

Can you be vegan and whole food plant-based?

Of course! The terms are used fairly interchangeably these days though and that’s ok. I eat plant-based because I whole-heartedly believe in the health benefits but I also do my best to reduce harm in all areas of my life.

I eat plant-based for both health and compassion, as well as my desire to reduce my environmental impact.

Colourful bowls like this tofu edamame buddha bowl are an easy way to include more veggies and plant-based proteins in your diet.

Plant-Based Diet Meal Plan

I’m including everything I ate and drank, including supplements, tea, coffee and snacks during 3 days of real life. The only thing I didn’t include is water, which I aim for about 3 L a day.

Rather than an exact plan, this is more of a guideline to act as an inspiration to create your own plant-based diet plan.

Calories and Macronutrients

The meal plan below consists of approximately 2300 calories per day with a ratio of 50% carbs, 20% protein and 30% fat. If you need more food than this, increase the serving sizes or add an additional snack, if you need less food, reduce the serving sizes and/or omit the snacks.

This might be on the higher side for most people however I’m highly active and training in the gym 6 days a week so this works for me. If you’re interested in vegan flexible dieting you can find all my posts on the topic here.

Mix and Match

You can mix and match the snacks listed below with other ideas from my list of Easy Vegan Snack Ideas. For more breakfast ideas, check out my list of Healthy Vegan Breakfast Recipes.

For lunch inspiration, check out No Recipe Required: Easy Vegan Meal Ideas. At the end of the meal plan, I’ve included more ideas for plant-based meals and snacks.

Plant-Based Meal Plan Day 1

Upon Rising (Pre-Workout)

Breakfast

Veggie Hash: 100 grams each of cooked sweet potato, kale, cooked lentils, mushrooms and bell peppers. Cooked over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Topped with Chipotle Sauce and kelp granules.

Tip: adding seaweed such as kelp to your diet is a great way to get enough iodine.

Blueberry and Mango Smoothie: 140 grams of frozen blueberries, 70 grams of frozen mango, a handful of spinach, 4-5 slices of cucumber, 1 serving vegan protein powder (can be replaced with 1/2 a frozen banana), 1 tbsp ground flax and 1 cup of almond milk, or more if needed to get it to blend.

You can substitute any frozen fruit, any plant-based milk or water and any plant-based protein you like. I like my adaptogens and superfoods, so I also added spriulina, ashwaganda and holy basil. Read more about that here.

Tip: check out my vegan protein smoothies e-book for 66 amazing smoothie recipes.

Snack

1 Apple and Mixed Raw Nuts

Lunch

Vegetable Chickpea Chowder: I’d made this for dinner the night before so I had the leftovers for lunch today. This is an awesome recipe that’s very flavourful and easy to make. Get the recipe here.

Small Salad: I also had a small salad with greens, grated carrot, a few black beans, a few pumpkin seeds, sliced cucumber and a drizzle of tahini and lemon.

Tip: pumpkin seeds are a great source of antioxidants, iron, zinc and magnesium.

Whole Wheat English Muffin: I had half with smashed avocado, sea salt and broccoli sprouts and half with almond butter. You could do the same on toast or crackers.

Dinner

Farro Salad: I followed the recipe for my Mediterranean Farro Salad which has farro, kale, olives, parsley, roasted red peppers, tomato, chickpeas, onions and tahini sauce. I also added tofu feta.

Evening Supplements

Drinks Throughout the Day

More Reading: How to improve your sleep for better health.

This stunning Mediterranean farro salad features roasted red peppers, chickpeas, olives and delicious lemon tahini sauce.

Plant-Based Meal Plan Day 2

Upon Rising (Pre-Workout)

• 1 L of warm water with apple cider vinegar
• Matcha tea
• Omega-3, Vitamin B12, Vegan Vitamin D3

Breakfast

Stovetop Oatmeal: I cooked 1/2 cup of rolled oats in water with 1 tbsp of chia seeds, 1 tbsp ground flax, 3/4 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup grated zucchini and half a scoop of plant-based vanilla protein powder. Cook it over the stovetop until the oats are soft and it has thickened, then add your toppings. I topped it with peanut butter.

For more oatmeal recipes try my sauteed apple oatmeal, carrot zucchini pumpkin oatmeal, blueberry oatmeal, chocolate oatmeal or simple banana oatmeal.

Snack

Strawberry Smoothie: Blend 1 cup of frozen strawberries with a handful of spinach, a few pieces of steamed then frozen cauliflower, a chunk of fresh ginger, 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder and almond milk or water. I also added maca and chlorella. You can read more about these in my post on the best superfoods to add to smoothies.

Lunch

Leftover Farro Salad: The beauty of making healthy dinners at home is you always have lunch ready for the next day.

Snack

Nutty “Cereal”: To make this, add up to 1/2 a cup of various nuts, seeds, coconut and dried fruit to a small dish and top with a splash of almond milk. You can add a bit of fresh fruit too if you like. If you don’t want to add the milk, just enjoy it as trail mix.

Dinner

Quick and Easy Zoodles: Spiralize zucchini then add it to a pan and saute it for a few minutes in some water or stock. Pour your choice of pasta sauce over it, heat it through then add it to a bowl and top with vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast.

Other Supplements

Other Drinks

Oatmeal makes a delicious, nourishing breakfast. Try adding blueberries and your favourite nut butter like in these peanut butter berry oats.

Plant-Based Meal Plan Day 3

Upon Rising (Pre-Workout)

• 1 L warm water with apple cider vinegar
• Yerba Mate tea
• Omega-3, Vitamin B12, Vegan Vitamin B12
• Spelt toast with 1/2 banana and almond butter

Breakfast

Chickpea Flour Pancakes: I followed my recipe for chickpea flour pancakes and topped them with thawed frozen raspberries, peanut butter, date caramel sauce and a sprinkling of hemp seeds.

Lunch

Easy Macro Bowl: Because I did food prep ahead of time, it was easy to make a quick macro bowl for lunch. I used a base of quinoa and topped it with massaged kale, roasted sweet potato, roasted brussel sprouts, sauerkraut, baked tofu, kidney beans, tahini, hot sauce, salt, pepper, lemon. Mix and match your choice of grain, legume and veggies to create your own macro bowl.

For more easy bowls try my Vegan BBQ Tofu Bowls, Roasted Potato Avocado Buddha Bowls, Vegan Sweet Potato Tofu Bowls or Brown Rice Burrito Bowl.

Snack

Blueberry Pineapple Smoothie Bowl: I blended 1 cup of frozen blueberries, 1 cup of frozen pineapple chunks, 1/2 a steamed and frozen sliced zucchini, 1/2 a frozen banana and 1 rib of celery with 1 scoop of plant-based protein powder and then topped it with almond butter, walnuts and hemp seeds.

Dinner

Coconut Red Lentil Dahl: I make this dish often and it’s one of the most popular recipes on the blog. I added some kale, diced carrots and diced zucchini and served it with a scoop of brown rice and lots of cilantro. Get the recipe here.

Other Supplements

Other Drinks

• Liquorice Spice Tea
• Green Tea
• Americano misto with almond milk

This coconut red lentil dahl is a plant-based favourite. Nutritious and easy to make with amazing flavour, it’s a great staple dish to include in your diet.

Plant-Based Can Be Simple

I hope that this meal plan points you in the right direction when it comes to creating a full day of plant-based meals. To be honest, it doesn’t even have to be that complicated. A plant-based diet can be as simple or as elaborate as you decide to make it.

Sometimes it might be amazing plant-based diet recipes and sometimes its throwing leftover veggies and lentils in a bowl. There’s no right or wrong answer. As long as you’re eating a wide range of whole plant foods, you’re all set.

I’ve listed more meal ideas below. You can also check out my One-Week Vegan Meal Plan for further inspiration.

Plant-Based Breakfast Ideas

For breakfast, think oats, smoothies, granola, tofu scrambles and toast. You can also check out my list of healthy breakfast smoothies and easy, healthy vegan breakfast recipes.

Dairy-Free Yogurt Parfaits. Layer non-dairy yogurt such as Silk, So Delicious or Yoso in a bowl with berries, banana, nuts and seeds.

Sweet potato or squash breakfast bowls. Add some mashed sweet potato or squash to a bowl and top with things like nuts, seeds, coconut, yogurt, peanut butter and granola.Try my Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowls or Stuffed Acorn Squash Breakfast Bowls.

Toast, Bagels and English Muffins. Top you choice of bread with nut butter or tahini and layer with things like sliced apple or banana, seeds. If you’re not doing nut butter, go for avocado. You can keep it simple with plain avocado or combine it with hummus and something like broccoli sprouts. Chickpea scrambles are great on toast too. You can also try my Hummus Avocado Toast or Smashed White Bean Avocado Toast.

Easy Breakfast Wraps. Roll a tortilla up with a quick chickpea or tofu scramble, roasted sweet potato, spinach and avocado. To make it more substantial, add a Field Roast sausage. Try my Vegan Sweet Potato Breakfast Burritos, Healthy Vegan Breakfast Burritos, Vegan Black Bean Burritos with Red Rice or Vegan Breakfast Burrito Bowl with Chipotle Sauce.

Chia Pudding & Overnight Oats. Chia pudding and overnight oats, or a combo of the two are great for food prep. They take just minute to make the night before and then they’re ready to go in the morning. Try one of these chia seed pudding recipes, peanut Butter chia pudding, brownie batter oats, zucchini chocolate chip or carrot cake overnight oats.

Granola and Fruit. Store-bought granola makes an easy option but granola is also a breeze ot make at home. Try my peanut butter granola or Cinnamon Raisin Healthy Homemade Granola with almond milk and banana.

Oatmeal. You can’t go wrong with oatmeal or porridge of any kind. I love using quinoa for porridge and brown rice is really good too. I usually combine my oats with chia seed or flax and some protein to create a more balanced meal. For toppings, use nuts, seeds, fruit, nut butters, coconut, dried fruit and cacao.

Try my peaches and cream oatmeal, peanut butter blueberry oatmeal, Golden Coconut Apple Oatmeal or Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal. You can also do breakfast quinoa or breakfast farro.

Try a stuffed sweet potato for a healthy and delicious plant-based breakfast!

Plant-Based Lunch Ideas

For lunch, think leftovers, sandwiches and wraps, soups and salad bowls.

Sandwiches and Wraps. Who doesn’t love a good sandwich? Try vegan cheese, avocado, lettuce, tomato and cucumber or vegan “tuna” salad. Slabs of marinated baked tofu or crispy tempeh slices work well in sandwiches too, try them with lettuce, tomato and coconut bacon. If you don’t want to do a bread, you can use romaine lettuce or collard greens to make veggie wraps. Vegan maya, avocado and hummus work great as spreads in sandwiches.

Quick Salads. You can buy packaged salad greens if that makes things easier. Add a few big handfuls to a bowl and top with a scoop of quinoa, chickpeas, grated carrot, sunflower seeds and tahini. Check out more plant-based salads here.

Soups. Soups are perfect for easy lunches if you make them ahead of time. I have so many good ones on the blog. Try my Mulligatawny Soup, Curried Lentil Soup, Vegan Zuppa Toscana or view all of my vegan soup recipes here.

This creamy vegan cauliflower wild rice soup makes a nourishing meal any time of day.

Plant-Based Dinner Ideas

Dinners are where things get really yummy! Curries, pasta, pizza, burgers, tacos, noodles, rice…there are so many options.

Check out my list of easy and healthy vegan dinner recipes or try one of the ideas below.

• Tacos. Try easy tacos with lentil meat, lettuce, avocado and carrot. Lentil tostadas are good too!
• Pizza. Grab a store-bought pizza crust and layer it up with tomato sauce, veggies and grated vegan cheese.
• Curries. Try my cauliflower chickpea curry, quick chickpea curry, panang curry, easy green curry or Thai red curry.
• Burgers. Try my much-loved chickpea veggie burger or quinoa beet burgers.
• Stir-Fry. You can’t go wrong with a big veggie stir-fry! I like to add tofu and serve them over rice or quinoa. Good veggies for stir-fries include bok choy, celery, broccoli, carrot and snap peas.
• Pasta. Pasta is the easiest dinner, all you need is pasta and sauce. In fact one of my fave quick dinners is just pasta, store-bought sauce, red pepper flakes and nutritional yeast. For something a little different, try this pumpkin penne. You can also try these lentil meatballs with vegan bolognese sauce.
• Salads. If you’ve been by the blog before, you’ve probably noticed I love interesting and delicious salads. There’s no need for salads to be boring! You can browse all of my vegan salad recipes here.

Salads don’t have to be boring! This beautiful Thai-inspired tofu and rice salad delivers on flavour, texture and nutrition.

Creating Plant-Based Meals

When you’re creating plant-based meals, think about combining the three macronutrients, fat, carbs and protein. This helps create more balanced meals that will prevent a spike in blood sugar and help keep you fuller for longer.

Fats

Fat comes from nuts, seeds, soy, coconut, avocado and cacao.

Carbohydrates

Carbs come from beans, starchy vegetables (sweet potato, potato etc.), whole grains such as rice, quinoa and whole grain products like pasta and bread.

Also consider fiber. Fiber is very important for digestion and gut health, blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol and more. A good place to start is 25 grams a day but that’s the minimum so try to work your way up from there. High-fibre foods include fruits and vegetables, legumes and whole grains and whole grain products.

Protein

Protein comes from hemp seeds, beans and lentils, nuts, soy products such as tofu, tempeh and edamame, whole grains and if needed, plant-based protein powder. Read my post on the best vegan protein sources.

Easy Plant-Based Desserts

Some of my favourite vegan treats are these 3-ingredient oatmeal cookies, flourless peanut butter cookies, tahini date cookies and peanut butter blondies but dessert doesn’t always have to be a recipe.

Some of my favourite simple vegan desserts are:

• Chocolate Avocado Pudding. Blend together avocado, maple syrup or dates and cocoa powder.
• Quick Baked Apple and Cinnamon. Chop up an apple and place in an oven safe dish and bake with cinnamon until soft. You can enjoy as is or top it with things like coconut butter, cacao nibs or almond butter. This is delicious with pears too, try them in this recipe for cinnamon baked pears.
• Raw Vegan Chocolates. Use the recipe for the chocolate portion of my vegan peanut butter cups and freeze in silicone muffin cups or just spread on parchment paper to make a quick chocolate bar.
• Protein Cookie Dough. Blend chickpeas with vanilla protein powder, a little maple syrup, peanut butter and pinch of sea salt. You can use powdered peanut butter to and add a bit of water to thin it out.
• 2-Minute Cookie Dough. Use the recipe for the cookie dough topping portion of my tiramisu smoothie and just eat it as is or crumble it over some blended frozen banana or non-dairy yogurt.
• Stuffed Dates. My all-time favourite. Take a big, soft date, stuff it with peanut butter, almond butter, tahini or coconut butter and enjoy. You can also sneak a nut in there or better yet, coat them in vegan chocolate.
• Banana ice cream. All you need it bananas! From there add whatever else you like such as cocoa powder, strawberries or peanut butter. How to make banana ice cream.

Those are just a few ideas. I could go on forever so I’m going to leave it at that today. You can browse all of my vegan dessert recipes here.

These simple, 3-ingredient tahini date cookies make a great option for a healthy dessert.

Helpful Resources

Before you begin your meal plan I wanted to stare a few resources you might find helpful. I would highly recommend browsing through these posts so you feel more confident getting into the meal plan below.

In particular, read my vegan nutrition guide, resources for plant-based nutrition, tips for plant-based beginners and how to transition to a plant-based diet.

Plant-Based Eating Articles

Plant-Based Nutrition Books

Educating yourself on plant-based nutrition makes it that much easier to stick to it. In addition to the books below, I would recommend checking out my favourite podcasts and this list of plant-based resources.

What’s Next?

Now that you’ve got an idea of what a day of plant-based eating looks like, come on over and join my FREE closed Facebook group for more inspiration. Click here to join.

50 Best Plant-Based Recipes | Vegan Recipes | Recipes, Dinners and Easy Meal Ideas

15-Minute Tofu and Vegetable Stir-Fry

Tofu sometimes gets a reputation for being bland, but that’s not the case in this quick stir-fry. We toss meaty baked tofu in a spicy Asian-inspired marinade with tons of bold flavor. Packaged stir-fry mix and pre-sliced shiitake mushrooms can easily be found in the produce section of most grocery stores, and make it possible for this healthy meal to come together in 15 minutes or less.

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15-Minute Tofu and Vegetable Stir-Fry

BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwiches

This recipe will have everyone fooled! Simmered in barbecue sauce, jackfruit looks just like pulled pork. Stuff it in a potato roll and top it with a bright, easy slaw and you won’t even miss the meat.

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BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwiches

Almond Cherry Pepita Bars

This completely plant based fruit-and-nut snack has a light and chewy texture that comes from brown rice cereal and syrup. Dried cherries give it a burst of sweet-tart flavor that is balanced by flaky sea salt, almonds and pepitas. Wrap them individually for a satisfying snack that can be made ahead and taken on the go.

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Almond Cherry Pepita Bars

Vegan Mac ‘n’ Cheese

This low-fat, dairy-free version of an American classic certainly has the right look, with its creamy orange sauce, thanks to vegan Cheddar and turmeric — but it’s packed with a secret ingredient: pureed cauliflower.

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Vegan Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Vegan Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup

This hearty vegan soup conjures up the flavors of Spain in a bowl. The smoked paprika (aka pimenton) gives it a deep savory taste that anyone (even your favorite omnivore) will enjoy. We like water as the base of this soup because it lets the flavors of the vegetables shine through. While it’s optional, the drizzle of sherry vinegar at the end adds a brightness that takes this dish to the next level.

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Vegan Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup

Vegan Chickpea Crab Cakes

All the flavors are here — Old Bay, lemon and that distinct brininess — but there’s no crab in sight with these cakes. Instead, chickpeas stand in for shellfish, and they are just as satisfying.

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Vegan Chickpea Crab Cakes

Instant Pot Hummus

You will never again use canned chickpeas to make hummus after you try this easy no-soak, from-scratch version in the Instant Pot multi-cooker. The dried beans get super tender in just under an hour and whip up into the creamiest hummus ever.

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Instant Pot Hummus

Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup

We achieved ultimate creaminess without the cream by adding a Yukon gold potato to this low-fat, heart-healthy soup. The nutritional yeast, with its satisfying nuttiness, does a great job standing in for cheese; look for it in health and specialty foods stores.

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Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup

Baked Falafel with Cucumbers and Tahini

These chickpea-based fritters come together without too much fuss and are on the table in under an hour — making this meatless meal easy to serve up any night of the week.

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Baked Falafel with Cucumbers and Tahini

Vegan Wild-Rice-Stuffed Butternut Squash

This impressive autumn-inspired dish can be served as a main course for vegan and vegetarian eaters or can be enjoyed by everyone at the table as a side dish. The small amount of curry powder gives the squash a nice warmth and depth.

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Vegan Wild-Rice-Stuffed Butternut Squash

Vegan Lentil Burgers

These burgers are packed with flavor, fiber and protein while still being low in fat. We love them grilled, but you can also pan-fry them: Heat 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and fry patties until well browned, about 2 minutes per side.

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Vegan Lentil Burgers

The Best Gazpacho

Ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumber and red bell peppers come together to make a delightfully refreshing version of classic gazpacho. We added a touch of sherry vinegar for acidity, which plays nicely with sweet, ripe tomatoes. Hearty white bread adds body and creates the perfect creamy texture. Top with diced cucumber and a drizzle of olive oil for a light soup you’ll want to make all year long.

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The Best Gazpacho

Healthy Seed and Oat Crackers

These crackers are super crispy, loaded with nutrients and they couldn’t be easier. Just give them a quick soak in hot water — this helps them create a gel, for binding — and pop them in the oven. They’re a great gluten-free and vegan alternative to traditional crackers as the perfect accompaniment to cheese, dips or hummus and, when broken into small pieces, for lending salads added crunch. They’re so good you may never buy crackers again!

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Healthy Seed and Oat Crackers

Simple Broccoli Stir-fry

Stir-frying has stood the test of time. It’s a wonderful way to cook small pieces of vegetables quickly, without a lot of fat. Prepping your ingredients ahead of time and having them near your stovetop is the key to success. This recipe can be made in a large nonstick skillet, but consider purchasing a wok: Carbon steel and cast-iron take on high heat well, and the concave shape makes stir-frying foods easy and fast.

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Simple Broccoli Stir-fry

Vegan Cheddar Wheel

This vegan Cheddar looks and tastes the part! Made with cashews and sweet potatoes, it has a firm texture, sharp flavor and natural coloring. It looks beautiful on a cheese board, but you can slice it up for sandwiches, too.

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Vegan Cheddar Wheel

Moroccan Harissa Roast Cauliflower

Bright and flavorful, this Moroccan-inspired roasted cauliflower with homemade harissa makes the perfect meatless option for your next meal or get-together.

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Moroccan Harissa Roast Cauliflower

Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

This plant-based riff on a classic chicken salad sandwich is both satisfying and loaded with flavor, thanks to the tangy lemon juice, stone-ground mustard and fresh herbs. We added a sprinkle of roasted pepitas and a handful of hearty baby kale for texture and crunch. Serve on toasted whole wheat bread or with vegetables and crackers for a wholesome meal.

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Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

The Best Lentil Soup

Brown lentils are the star of this dish. To boost flavor, we used a classic mirepoix (onion, celery and carrot) as well as thyme, bay and oregano for an herby finish. We found the fresh lemon juice and parsley at the end brightened up the soup and added a nice pop of color.

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The Best Lentil Soup

Vegan Blueberry Muffins

These muffins are just as satisfying as regular muffins, with the same sweet, tender crumb. Plus, they’re packed with good-for-you berries. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries; the fresh may make the muffins slightly moister.

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Vegan Blueberry Muffins

Vegan Scalloped Potatoes

No need for dairy in this classic comfort food! We used nutritional yeast — which is grown on molasses and then dried out — to add a nutty cheesiness (plus an extra helping of vitamin B12) to these bubbly spuds. Silken tofu and tender new potatoes add creaminess.

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Vegan Scalloped Potatoes

Vegan Lentil Chili

This vegan chili is every bit as comforting as the meat-filled counterpart, thanks to hearty lentils, beans and vegetables.

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Vegan Lentil Chili

The Best Crispy Tofu

The key to getting tofu nice and crispy is to first remove excess moisture. We wrap the block of tofu in a clean kitchen towel and place a heavy pan on top of it to press out as much water as possible. When searing the tofu, resist the urge to move it around. Instead, allow it to form a crust before flipping, and then again let it cook undisturbed on the other side until browned.

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The Best Crispy Tofu

Green Smoothie Bowl

While you may enjoy smoothies for their refreshing, delicious flavors, some days you just might crave more texture and crunch. Transform your favorite smoothie by using less base liquid or adding a thickener like avocado, chia seeds or even dried dates.

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Green Smoothie Bowl

Vegan “Pulled Pork” Sliders

Meat eaters don’t get to have all the fun. The pulled pork in these vegan sliders is made from mushrooms that have been slowly roasted in a marinade of molasses and spices. Slap them on a slider roll, top with some creamy vegan coleslaw and enjoy.

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Vegan “Pulled Pork” Sliders

Vegan Curried Vegetable Chowder

This creamy vegan soup is hearty enough for a whole meal, thanks to chickpeas and a host of vegetables. To make it even more filling, you can add a scoop of cooked rice or noodles just before serving. When selecting a vegetable broth for this recipe, try to find one that is lighter in color and flavor so it doesn’t overpower the other components.

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Vegan Curried Vegetable Chowder

Healthy Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower can shine in many forms. This recipe shows how simple it is to turn the florets into a healthy, low-carb meal or side dish–our version has only about 1/4 of the carbohydrates in rice. With the olive oil and browned onions, the cauliflower has enough flavor to satisfy by itself, and it can also be a base for stir fries, beans and rice or anything else you would eat with rice.

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Healthy Cauliflower Rice

Spicy Vegan Sloppy Joes

Mushrooms make these kicked-up sloppy Joes ultra-meaty. But there’s no meat here, making this vegan sandwich one of the lightest sloppy Joes you’ll probably every make.

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Spicy Vegan Sloppy Joes

Vegan Tofu and Spinach Scramble

This low-calorie breakfast scramble is high in fiber and protein. The lemon juice adds a little brightness. Serve with whole-wheat toast to round out the meal.

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Vegan Tofu and Spinach Scramble

Vegan Banana Bread

This banana bread is eggless and dairy-free, but you’ll hardly notice the difference. The crumb is moist and tender, and the flavor gets better each day (if it lasts!).

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Vegan Banana Bread

Vegan Queso

Nuts play an important role in a plant-based diet, providing extra protein and healthy fats. And, what better way to eat them than in a creamy and flavorful, dairy-free dip? We’ve taken raw cashews and transformed them into a vegan queso that is sure to satisfy any craving.

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Vegan Queso

Vegan Dal

Richly flavored with curry paste and garam masala, this filling dal comes together fast. Plus, lentils are a great way to boost your daily intake of fiber.

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Vegan Dal

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pecans

The best way to eat more good-for-you green vegetables? Toss thinly sliced Brussels sprouts with a lemony dressing and toasted pecans for a quick and simple salad that’s sure to satisfy.

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Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pecans

Mushroom Bacon

Caramelized, crispy mushrooms take on the meaty flavor of bacon in this recipe. Put a few slices on toasted bread with sliced tomato and crisp lettuce for a vegetarian BLT. Or serve alongside a bowl of oatmeal for a great breakfast to jumpstart your day.

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Mushroom Bacon

The Best Ratatouille

This southern French staple is the perfect way to get lots of veggies into one meal. As the stew slowly simmers, the flavors mingle in the most perfect of ways, giving you a dish that is stunning on its own or equally fabulous served alongside a loaf of crusty bread.

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The Best Ratatouille

Marinated White Beans

To add flavor to otherwise basic canned white beans, we start by slowly softening garlic in olive oil. Then we add more aromatics like rosemary and lemon zest to further infuse the oil. Tossed in this fragrant bath with fresh parsley and tomatoes, the beans can be served on (or with) just about anything, including toasted baguette slices or crackers for a snack, and salad greens plus crunchy vegetables for a fast lunch. As a bonus, the beans will keep in the refrigerator for up to four days.

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Marinated White Beans

Falafel

Though falafel takes a little planning ahead to soak the chickpeas, it still couldn’t be simpler. The fritters come out of the fryer super crisp and perfectly seasoned. Stuffed in a warm pita with lots of veggies, a drizzle of tahini and a dash of hot sauce, they make for a wonderful weeknight dinner.

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Falafel

Kale Pesto and White Bean Dip

This rich vegan dip is packed with healthful ingredients. It even includes nutritional yeast, a great alternative to cheese if you’re looking to eliminate dairy in a recipe.

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Kale Pesto and White Bean Dip

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Raisin Relish

The relish is a bold, savory-sweet combo that works well with mild cauliflower, transforming the veggie into a sophisticated, meatless main dish.

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Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Raisin Relish

Lentil-Mushroom Meatballs

These uber savory meatballs are packed with tons of ingredients with glutamate, the compound responsible for umami. Lentils, onions, garlic, tomato paste, soy sauce and nutritional yeast all play their part in making these vegan meatballs taste meaty. Plus they are full of protein and fiber.

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Lentil-Mushroom Meatballs

Vegan Basil Pesto

The combination of smoked almonds, pistachios and green tea gives a depth of flavor that cheese would normally provide, making this a great vegan condiment for pasta or crostini. Freeze leftovers in an ice cube tray and store for up to one month.

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Vegan Basil Pesto

Vegan Roasted-Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Yellow-fleshed potatoes, like Yukon gold, are dense, creamy and moderately starchy, making them perfect for mashed potatoes-especially these vegan spuds, which have no dairy and are low in calories and fat.

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Vegan Roasted-Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole is a true fall comfort dish; its creamy sauce, tender green beans and crunchy onion topping will have everyone coming back for seconds. We substituted a few vegan ingredients, such as unsweetened almond milk and vegan sour cream, for an equally comforting side dish that all can enjoy. Assemble the entire casserole in a large oven-proof skillet for easy cooking and minimal cleanup.

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Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Instant Pot Indian Spicy Eggplant

Inspired by the flavorful eggplant dish bhartha, this version skips the lengthy roasting and peeling steps and instead uses an instant pot to pre-cook the eggplant in 20 minutes.

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Instant Pot Indian Spicy Eggplant

Vegan Pinto Bean Breakfast Sausage

These meatless, bean-packed sausages taste just like the real thing — and they’re full of fiber (5 grams per link).

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Vegan Pinto Bean Breakfast Sausage

Vegan Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

We love the combination of mushrooms and fennel seeds, which adds a nice earthiness to this dairy-free, meatless lasagna. You can prepare the lasagna a few hours before baking. Be sure to use no-boil noodles that aren’t made with egg.

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Vegan Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

Quinoa with Roasted Butternut Squash

Cooking quinoa in vegetable broth makes it extra savory and flavorful. We up the deliciousness in this simple, protein-packed dish by adding some subtly sweet butternut squash and dried cranberries into the mix.

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Quinoa with Roasted Butternut Squash

Vegan Sunflower Seed Tuna Salad

This vegan take on a deli classic uses soaked sunflower seeds two ways: both in place of the tuna and mayonnaise. With bright flavors of lemon and fresh herbs and a little crunch from fresh celery and shallots, you won’t miss the fish in this satisfying salad.

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Vegan Sunflower Seed Tuna Salad

Vegan Quinoa-Cranberry Stuffed Acorn Squash

This stuffed squash isn’t trying to trick you into thinking it’s stuffed with meat. And it doesn’t have to — the quinoa filling is satisfying enough on its own, full of spiced warmth (thanks to the curry powder) and salty sweetness (from the pistachios and cranberries).

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Vegan Quinoa-Cranberry Stuffed Acorn Squash

Vegan Stuffing

All the usual suspects are here (minus the butter and eggs) plus some meaty, sliced mushrooms. Although green tea may seem like an oddball ingredient, we like its earthy flavor and find it a better replacement for chicken stock than vegetable stock, which can be too sweet and high in sodium.

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Vegan Stuffing

Roasted Okra and Chickpeas

This mixture makes a great snack — just salty, crispy and spicy enough to go along with an ice cold lager.

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Roasted Okra and Chickpeas

The best vegetarian and vegan meal delivery for 2021

There are soy many plant-based meal delivery services these days, and more jumping to the arena all the time. Healthy competition for healthy food delivery is a good thing, but it makes finding the best vegan and vegetarian options for prepared food and meal kits a bit trickier than in the past. If you’re looking to eat less meat in 2021, we’ve been eating our way through the most popular vegetarian meal delivery services to find the food that’s worth your coin.

Blue Apron may have kick-started the meals-by-mail revolution, but they also opened the door for many a prepared meal and meal kit delivery service to set you up with delicious plant-based meals on the regular. These services are perfect for those completely cutting out meat from the menu, but even meat-eaters looking to add a few more healthy vegan dishes to the menu rotation or stock up on prepared vegetarian lunches, dinners and snacks can get in on the fun.

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While Purple Carrot remains the only fully dedicated vegan meal-kit service — no animal products or byproducts used in any of its recipes — most other meal-kit and meal-delivery services have integrated plant-based meals and snack options. Green Chef, for instance, offers as many as nine vegan or vegetarian meal kit recipes per week, in addition to its lineup of meals that do have meat. HelloFresh has roughly six per week and Sunbasket, my favorite meal kit service, offers three or four plant-based meal options along with a full market of vegan-friendly grocery items and snacks you can add to your weekly shipment.

The same goes for prepared meal-delivery services, which require no cooking at all. There are a few strictly vegan meal services like Veestro and Daily Harvest to peruse, but even ones that do have meat, such as Fresh n’ Lean and Factor, offer vegan meal plans with as many as 12 plant-based options a week to keep you well-fed, even when there’s no time to cook.

You may be wondering, with all these players in the game, which is the very best meal delivery service for vegans and vegetarians in 2021? The answer varies a bit depending on what you’re looking for and each meal kit or delivery operation takes a slightly different approach. For example, some vegetarian meal-kit companies use plant-based foods like Impossible Burger that imitate meat, while others emphasize whole foods in lunch and dinner recipes. There are also vegetarian meal kits that specialize in organic ingredients and produce, in case that’s important to you, while others aren’t organic but are able to offer more budget-friendly meal plans. Some meal kits are also more complicated to execute, aimed at chefs with cooking experience looking to hone their skills, while others are quick to prepare and help you get a healthy, no-fuss dinner on the table sometimes in as little as 20 minutes.

Having personally tested as many of the plant-based meal kits and prepared meal services as I could get my fork into, I’ve settled on this list of the absolute best meal-kit services for vegans and vegetarians in 2021. We’ll continue to update this list periodically as new players enter the arena.

Read more: Best healthy meal delivery services for 2021

Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot is the first, and to my knowledge, the only 100% percent vegan and vegetarian meal kit delivery service. This vegan option takes its plant-based recipes seriously too. Purple Carrot’s underlying vegan lifestyle philosophy is not to imitate other foods using plant-based alternatives, but simply to create tasty and nourishing dinners the old-fashioned way, using fresh vegetables, grains, legumes and other whole foods. 

You won’t find many of the newfangled lab-made alternative meats like Beyond Beef or Impossible Burger in Purple Carrot’s recipes but you will find lots of lentils, mushrooms, ancient grains and nutritious produce. I tested a week’s worth of Purple Carrot meal kits — which you can read about here — and really enjoyed everything I made with this vegan diet option. 

Out of all the vegan meal kits I’ve tried, Purple Carrot’s provided me with the best knowledge of and practice for cooking vegan cuisine and its ingredient mainstays like lentils and grains. Purple Carrot also introduced me to some really interesting sauces and condiments great for a vegan diet like cashew cream and other nut-based “dairy” products.

Vegan meal kit options per week: 8

Sample menu: Lemon-braised chickpeas with rosemary and cashew cheese; green curry lentils with brown rice and vegetables; broccoli and cheddar soup with miso garlic croutons.

Pricing: Purple Carrot meals are $9 to $12 a serving, depending on how many servings per meal you order. A box of three meals per week for two people will cost about $72.

Fresh n’ Lean

If it’s a fully prepared meal delivery you’re looking for, Fresh n’ Lean is my top pick for 2021. Every meal I tried from the meal service was good, and many of them were great, including the plant-based offerings. With Fresh n’ Lean you don’t have to go with a full vegan diet but the nonmeat meal kits were just as good as any other, with fresh ingredients, all cooked to perfection with no mushy vegetables (a major problem I’ve encountered with prepared meals). 

Fresh n’ Lean has as many as 12 vegan meals to choose from each week with plant based meal options like cauliflower and squash with tofu, mushroom rice with lentils and teriyaki bowls with Beyond Beef crumbles. There are even some breakfast meals to tack on to your order, including pineapple coconut chia and banana oatmeal. There is even a low-carb vegan meal plan if you’re going keto and plant-based in 2021. You can read my full Fresh n’ Lean review here.

Vegan meals per week: 12

Sample menu: Shawarma tofu with turmeric cauliflower rice; spinach pesto with garbanzo beans; red lentil pasta with roasted red pepper sauce.

Pricing: There are many pricing combinations depending on the meal plan and frequency. For a snapshot, Fresh n’ Lean meals start at under $8 when you pick three meals a day (15 or 21 meals per week) from the Vegan Standard plan — Low-Carb Vegan is a little bit more. For one meal per day (five to seven per week) it’s more like $13 per meal. Fresh n’ Lean is a subscription meal service, but you can pause, cancel or skip a week anytime.

HelloFresh

Pound for pound, HelloFresh has the most vegetarian meals that will appeal to larger groups — in my opinion. Because HelloFresh isn’t confined by vegan rules, you’ll find plenty of plant-based “cheat meals” like cheesy bean enchiladas, hot honey brussels sprouts and ricotta flatbread and pasta dishes galore. 

HelloFresh also has a ton of very crave-worthy meal kits that aren’t vegetarian, so if you still want the occasional steak with peppercorn sauce or Thai coconut chicken curry, this is a great choice. 

I tried out HelloFresh myself and found it to be one of the most affordable, flexible and consistent meal kit services on the market. HelloFresh’s vegetarian meal kits were also some of the easiest to prepare, with many taking less than 25 minutes from start to finish. You can check out my full review of HelloFresh for more.

Vegetarian meal kit options per week: 6

Sample menu: Apricot, almond and chickpea tagine; cheesy portobello mushroom cups over spaghetti.

Pricing: HelloFresh breaks down to $9 per serving for two people or $7.50 if you’re ordering for four, plus $8 for shipping per box. For a family of four to receive three nights’ worth of meals would be just under $100 per week.

Daily Harvest

Daily Harvest offers an enormous menu of frozen and ready-to-blend vegan smoothies, premade soups and hearty grain bowls to keep stocked in the freezer. You can order a one-time box to try them or keep these healthy, vegan meals coming monthly with a subscription. 

Some of the bowls and soups could pass as dinner, but I like this vegetarian meal delivery service best for a quick vegan lunch or breakfast. Depending on the specific meal, you either drop it into a saucepan or skillet to heat and eat. Or add nut milk and blend it up with any of Daily Harvest’s protein-packed smoothies and lattes.

This is a completely plant-based meal delivery service and is great if you want to simplify your week and keep healthy vegetarian meals on hand. Daily Harvest uses lots of ancient grains, oats, nut milks and trendy superfoods like chia, avocado and kabocha squash in its recipe selection, which are satisfying and well-balanced in flavor. The brand recently expanded offerings to include vegan flatbreads (which I wasn’t crazy about) as well as meat-free snacks and desserts such as low-calorie ice cream and protein bites. 

Read my full Daily Harvest review here.

Vegan meals per week: 25 smoothies, 17 harvest bowls, 7 flatbreads, 11 soups, 6 oat bowls and 3 chia bows.

Sample menu: Sweet potato and wild rice hash; ginger, avocado and banana smoothie; lentil and tomato bolognese.

Pricing: With so many different offerings and options you can build a box with whatever you’d like. Smoothies and chia bowls can be had for as little as $6 per serving with bigger meals like grain bowls, soups and flatbreads in the $8-$9 range.

Read more: Best prepared meal delivery for 2021

Sunbasket

Sunbasket is my pick if you’re looking for vegan and vegetarian meal kits but not all vegan and vegetarian meal kits. Sunbasket has about three or four plant-based options per week, which is significantly fewer than Purple Carrot, Green Chef or HelloFresh. That said, Sunbasket’s meal kits, vegetarian included, are of a higher quality than any others I tried.

Sunbasket also has a great market of vegetarian grocery add-ons like fresh fish, cheese, prepared foods, snacks, bread and breakfast foods so you can essentially tack on an entire shopping list to your meal kit delivery if you choose. 

See just how much I liked Sunbasket’s healthy and creative meals in my full Sunbasket review here.

Vegan meal kit options per week: 3-4

Sample menu: Spicy Sichuan mapo tofu with kale and jasmine rice; triple-mushroom quinoa with watercress, scallions and peas.

Pricing: Sunbasket meals start at $11 per serving when you order four meals per week. If you choose fewer meals or servings per meal, the price increases to $12 or $13 per serving.

David Watsky/CNET

This organic plant-based meal delivery and vegan cleanse program is all fresh food that arrives just after having been prepared and is meant to be eaten as soon as possible. Sakara also happens to be a favorite meal delivery of some A-List celebs and more Victoria’s Secret models than can fit on one runway. I’d tried it and would describe Sakara Life as high-end spa food that looks great on camera and it tastes pretty good too. Note, this is the only meal delivery program in which freezing the food is not really a good option since you’re getting fresh salads, grain bowls and even breakfast bread that won’t handle it well

I really liked the variety of healthy, organic salads, noodle bowls, curries, breakfast noshes and snacks. You can order as many as three meals per day, five days a week — but beware, it gets expensive. Subscribing to three meals is about $70 per day, but you can order just lunch and dinner for $54 per day (shipping is included). 

Expensive as it may be, this is definitely the freshest food of any meal delivery options on this list (meal kits excluded) and with the hefty price tag, it might be better suited for that pre- or post-vacation cleanse rather than an ongoing diet plan.

Vegan meals per week: 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 5 dinners.

Sakara Life pricing: The Signature Program starts at $24 per day for just breakfast five days per week and goes up from there. A more practical plan might be dinner and lunch a few days a week, which would run you between $29 and $53 per day. 

Sakara Life cleanses are even pricier with the Level II cleanse (five days of meals and supplements) clocking in at $400 and the 20-day Bridal Cleanse at a gulp-inducing $1,400. All prices include shipping (you’d think so!).

Veestro

Just to be clear, Veestro is a fully prepared vegan meal delivery service and not meal kits, so all you’ve got to do is heat and eat. I tried it and found the 100% plant-based food to be consistently fresh and tasty, and Veestro has a massive menu of ready-to-eat, meat-free meals to choose from each week. 

Veestro’s vegan meals arrive frozen in shipments of 10, 20 or 30, so you can pop them into the fridge to defrost or into the freezer to keep for the days and weeks ahead. Having a few Veestro meals on hand is a good way to hold yourself to any plant-based nutrition goals you may have set in 2021 since you’re far more likely to eat healthy vegan food you have on hand than go out of your way to track it down in the throes of hunger.

Veestro makes use of some alternative meat substitutes so you’ll see a lot of meals that try to make you forget you’re eating vegan food at all. Some meals are more successful than others, but out of the 10 or so that I tried, most were solid. You also have a whopping 44 dinners to pick from each week and eight breakfast options to build your shipment from.

Vegan options per week: 44 dinners and eight breakfasts

Sample menu: BBQ chick’n pizza; carrot osso bucco; lentil meatloaf.

Pricing: You must order a minimum of 10 meals but are not bound to a subscription. For 10 meals the cost is $11.70 per meal; 20 meals per week cost $10.80 per meal and an order of 30 meals breaks down to $9.90 per meal.

Green Chef

Green Chef has billed itself as one of the healthiest meal kit companies with a majority of organic produce, and features nine vegetarian meal kits per week, making it a solid choice if you’re looking to eat less meat or go completely meatless in 2021. 

I tried Green Chef for a week and you can read my full Green Chef review here. While it wasn’t my favorite meal kit experience, the results were solid and it is certainly one of the healthiest meal kit options whether you’re eating vegetarian or not. Green Chef actually offers more vegetarian meal kits per week than Purple Carrot, making it a clear contender for the best vegetarian meal kit service in 2021, especially if you want variety and eating organic is important to you. Green Chef’s veggie meals are also very hearty, with lots of chickpeas, cauliflower and lentils.

Vegetarian options per week: 9

Sample menu: Creamy mushroom penne with peas, sun-dried tomatoes and cashew cheese crostini; butternut squash chili; maple cauliflower power bowls.

Pricing: Green Chef’s Plant-Powered meal plan comes out to $12 per serving, plus a $7 flat-rate shipping fee for each box. It’s one of the more expensive meal kits on the market but with all that organic food that’s not totally surprising.

More vegetarian and vegan advice

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

90,000 What you need to know when switching to plant nutrition :: Health :: RBC Style

Take care of yourself

Vegan or plant-based diet involves a complete rejection of animal products – all types of meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products. Perhaps the first and foremost thing to remember when switching to this type of diet is that you don’t have to give up everything at once.If you can’t live without salmon steaks or scrambled eggs in the morning, try Flexetarianism, a flexible diet that deliberately reduces animal products in your diet. For starters, you can stick to one simple rule – for example, have vegan Mondays or daily vegan dinners. You can switch to a soft vegetarian diet, when milk and eggs remain in the diet, and gradually reduce their amount in the diet.

When it comes to nutrition, small incremental dietary changes work out-commensurably better than drastic measures.The more comfortable the transition to a plant-based diet, the higher the chances that it will firmly enter your life.

Eat balanced

According to statistics, vegans live longer than meat eaters: a plant-based diet significantly reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases (according to various sources, from 29 to 42%), serves to prevent the development of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes, and reduces the risk of developing certain cancers , arthritis, dementia and kidney dysfunction.But veganism has its risks and pitfalls. Any diet should be balanced, especially if it involves a complete rejection of a huge group of foods.

Whatever type of food you eat, doctors recommend maintaining the proportions of a “healthy plate” in your daily diet: half of the diet – vegetables and fruits, a quarter – whole grains, another quarter – proteins. We can get the fats the body needs from vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, avocados and legumes. But the proteins should be monitored separately.Vegans may suffer from a lack of them, not because complete protein cannot be obtained from plant foods (this is just a myth), but because of an imbalance in foods.

Watch protein

Protein consists of amino acids – they are the building blocks of the body. There are 8 essential amino acids that we can only get from food. Animal products contain all 8, but plants do not.Therefore, vegans need to combine food wisely in order to get a complete set of amino acids. The good news is, it’s pretty straightforward to do this. The main thing is to always combine vegetables and fruits with other food groups: legumes, cereals, nuts or seeds. That is, a simple vegetable salad most likely will not provide all the amino acids. Sprinkle it with nuts or seeds. And ideally also add cereals – for example, quinoa or bulgur. Or it’s trivial to eat it with a piece of whole grain bread.

The most vegetable protein is found in legumes (beans, chickpeas, edamame beans, tofu and other soy products), lentils, nuts, green vegetables and grains.Gluten is nothing more than vegetable protein, which is abundant in wheat and oat products. So oatmeal with nuts and berries for breakfast is more than a complete vegan dish.

Today, more and more vegan options appear in large cities of Russia. In supermarkets, you can find wheat and soy sausages, almond and oat milk, coconut yogurt and soy cheese. Many cafes and restaurants are introducing completely plant-based dishes into the menu; American meat substitute Beyond Meat has taken a separate niche.However, vegans still need to make an extra effort to stick to their diet.

You should be prepared to carefully read food labels in supermarkets (you can often find rennet in pesto, egg white in cookies, lactose in chips) and plan your shopping list in advance. Some products can still only be bought in specialized stores – tofu, canned chickpeas and meat substitutes are not sold everywhere. Separately, it is worth exploring the menu of the cafe near home and work and watching the opening of new food outlets.

Many plant-based alternatives can be cooked from scratch on your own – see recipes on vegan food blogs. Especially popular with supporters of plant-based nutrition are curries, pastas, sautés and woks, oat pancakes, pies and granola, vegetable spreads, nut pastes, cashew cheese and others, at first glance, exotic, but in fact simple and tasty dishes.

Remember vitamins and minerals

Plants contain a huge amount of nutrients, but some vitamins and minerals remain in short supply.For example, vitamin B12, which is critical for health, is obtained from animal products. You can find vegan foods fortified with B12 – plant-based milk, cereals, pastas, but in natural form this vitamin is almost not present in plants. This does not mean that vegans need to take B12 as a dietary supplement, but it is worth monitoring its level in the body, and in case of a deficiency, consult a specialist and select the dosage together with a doctor.

Supporters of a plant-based diet should also monitor the level of vitamin D, omega-3 acids, iron, iodine.Omega-3 can be obtained from seeds and nuts, iodine – from iodized salt and seaweed, iron – from legumes and dark green vegetables.

Don’t lean on junk food

The Vegan badge on a product does not automatically make it useful. For example, Oreo cookies do not contain animal products, but they are hardly a healthy snack. The same goes for potato chips, vegan jerks (smoked snacks that look like pieces of meat), high-sugar cereals, energy drinks, crackers, and sugary syrups like Hershey’s.All of these foods are vegan, but too much can be harmful to your health.

Many types of cookies and ready-made (industrial) baked goods do not contain milk or eggs, but they contain harmful trans fats in their composition – usually they are hidden under the name “partially hydrogenated butter”. Vegan semi-finished products – sausages, sausages, cutlets – are also difficult to call useful. They usually contain quite a bit of salt and additives to create a meaty flavor. It is not necessary to abandon them altogether, but it is better to limit consumption, as is the case with real meat semi-finished products.

Prepare for Questions

Adherence to a certain food system arouses interest in others. It doesn’t matter if you are gluten-free, practice intermittent fasting, or follow a plant-based diet, you will be asked questions. The most popular is why and why. It happens that those around them express their opinion about such a nutrition plan, ask provocative questions (“do you mind the plants?”), Make assumptions about the benefits and harms, cite statistics and broadcast the opinions of popular bloggers.This should be treated philosophically and with kindness – everyone has their own ideas and ideals, we all believe in something and blame something. The beauty is that our intentions completely depend only on ourselves. A coarse comment from a coworker or a friend’s joke about grass eating can only affect you if you let it happen. Of course, frank and aggressive negativity should be suppressed. But if loved ones are ironic about your diet, let them remain unconvinced – and periodically cook delicious vegan dishes for them.Perhaps one day they will become your like-minded people.

90,000 Beginner’s Guide to Eating Whole Plant-Based Diet + Papaya, Toast & Peanut Butter – Recipes

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If you’re new to eating whole foods on a plant-based diet, or you’re just curious, you’ve come to the right place.

First, following a whole plant-based diet is different from a vegan diet. While none of these include animal foods or foods derived from animal ingredients, the whole plant-based diet (WFPB for short) goes a step further and does not include overly processed foods like butter. junk food, white flour, white sugar, vegan ice cream, vegan cookies, or any other processed food.It is worth noting that neither the whole food plant diet nor the vegan diet is DSA in terms of calorie restriction. The term diet is used here as a description of how someone constantly eats.

When you eat whole foods on a plant-based diet, you eat whole, plant-based foods and delicious recipes made with these foods every day.

These products include:

• Vegetables
• fruit
• Beans
• Vegetables
• Whole grains
• herbs
• spices
• walnuts
• Seeds
• Minimally processed plant-based ingredients such as tofu, tempeh, unsweetened plant-based milk, and sprouted grain bread.

Whether you are motivated to eat more plants to boost your immune system and overall health, lose a few pounds, stop diabetes medications, help protect the environment or animal welfare, it’s never too late to start and there are no prerequisites. You just start where you are and relax however you want.

Going down can look different to different people. You can eat one whole plant-based food per day, one whole plant-based meal per week, or you can simply add some plant-based foods to your existing diet.Plus, you can jump straight, switch to all plants, and never look back.

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I have seen that people are successful with both methods, and that is entirely up to you. This is you process and you have to do what works best for you .There is no wrong or right way to do it, it just takes a little practice and patience to become familiar with new ingredients, new textures and new cooking methods …

Whether you want to start all at once or slowly relax into this eating habits, here are some tips to help you get started.

Get used to the idea of ​​spending time in the kitchen You cannot order this food at a restaurant or buy it in advance at the grocery store. Eating this way requires you to go into the kitchen and cook. You don’t have to be a kitchen professional, but you should be willing to spend some time preparing food.

As a society, we have moved away from spending time in our kitchens because cooking our own food is inconvenient.But snacking all the time and reheating frozen food in the microwave is also not suitable for us. If you don’t have time to spend in the kitchen, it’s time to take a look at your life and change some things. We make what we do a priority. Eating more plant foods will give you time to cook. If it’s not a priority, it won’t. It is so simple. This is good anyway, just know that you have to use your kitchen for this.

It may take time for food to taste good If you are used to eating a lot of processed and prepared food in a restaurant, it may take some time before you get used to your taste and you really enjoy the taste of whole, plant-based foods.This is because processed foods and restaurants are loaded with salt, sugar, and fat. Any food that isn’t as stimulating as this will taste bland and boring.

The more plant foods you eat, the better your food will taste until one day you pass, and BOOM! They hit you with a thirst for salad. I see this happening all the time!

Prepare the Kitchen with Tools You don’t need a lot of fancy kitchen appliances, but there are a few things worth buying because you will be using them a lot.

• Decent blender // I used a $ 20 Target blender. I now have a Vitamix that I love, but my $ 20 blender worked when I couldn’t afford Vitamix.
• Sharp knives // You only need a few knives to keep them sharp; Trust me, sharp knives go a long way.
• Instant Pot // This will save you time in the kitchen. I couldn’t imagine that I don’t have an instant jackpot.
• Food Processor // You won’t use it every day, but when you need it, you really need it.The food processor is ideal for hummus, legumes, walnuts, and for chopping and chopping vegetables.

Serve fruits and / or vegetables with food, plant-based or not. It doesn’t matter what you eat, just put aside fruits and / or vegetables to increase the nutrient density of your food. Eat eggs and bacon for breakfast? Fine! But toss the apple pieces aside. Do you have an avocado sandwich for lunch? Fresh, add some celery and chunks of red pepper to the side.Eat some brown rice and stews and tofu for dinner? Amazing! Add a few carrot and berry sticks and say this daily. Adding fruits and vegetables to your meals is a super fast way to feed nutrients and fiber. And when it comes to nutrients and fiber, more is better.

Here’s an example of what I eat per day The only way to eat healthy plant foods is to put healthy plant foods in your mouth. It.Try not to complicate it too much. Here’s an example of what I eat per day:

1. 7 AM // Glass of warm water
2. 9 am – // Hippie breakfast porridge. I eat it cold and I do it with different types of whole grains and lentils every time I do it. I add fruits, raisins, nuts, and unsweetened soy milk.
3. 1 p.m. // large salad or food scraps Meal plan
4. 3 pm // Green Cocktail
5. 6 p.m. // Meal plan (different all the time so I never get bored)

I try to stick to this schedule and always eat until I stop starving (I am not full and do not feel like I need more food).I don’t eat between meals and I don’t drink anything with my meals.

Find Good Recipes There are whole food herbal recipes that taste gaseous and there are whole food herbal recipes that taste like cardboard. I can’t personally vouch for other WFPB recipes, but ours are always filling and delicious. There are hundreds of free plant-based recipes on our blog, and we also offer a weekly plant-based meal plan subscription and a plant-based recipe subscription (recipe subscription is included with meal plan subscription).Whole plant-based whole food recipes are what we do best, but you’ll definitely Google and see what’s out there. Whatever you do, stop cooking all your recipes first. Start with a solid foundation and then experiment with yours if you enjoy playing in the kitchen.

Fill Your Kitchen With Paper Clips To regularly put delicious plant foods in your mouth, you need to have staples in the refrigerator and pantry so you can cook food.

It will use ingredients you’ve probably heard of but never bought. Nutritional yeast, mind plums, plums, quinoa, tahini and miso paste. Here is a list of kitchen staples that will create a solid foundation for your kitchen. Once you have these foods, you can make a variety of whole food plant recipes. Once you’ve prepared a delicious meal, you have no reason not to eat it.

Add Green Smoothies to Your Routine Green Smoothies are a quick and tasty way to get a great nutrient boost in one go.If you’re doing nothing more than adding a green smoothie to your daily routine, this is a great start! Here are some green smoothie recipes to get you started.

Always have these items in the fridge for a ton of quick meals

• Hummus // sandwiches, quesadillas, in salads
• Chickpea Mash // sandwiches, in salads
• Sprouted tortillas // tacos, burritos, quesadillas
• Delicious cheese sauce (that’s my jam) // put it in potatoes, pasta and bowls
• Cooked sweet potatoes or white potatoes // season with herbs and top with cheese sauce
• Salad dressing (this is my favorite dish of all time) // Salads, sandwiches
• Lettuce and leafy greens washed and dried // You eat vegetables much more often when they are washed and ready to eat
• Sprouted bread // sweet or savory toast (see p.Today’s recipe)
• Baked tofu // sandwiches, salads, bowls or just to eat
• Nut or seed oil // add celery or apple slices
• Fruit // eat alone or next to anything you eat
• Cooked rice or quinoa // bowls
• Canned beans // bowls, burritos, salads
• Walnut Parm // sprinkle pasta, salads and bowls
• Fried seeds // salad topper
• Hippie Porridge // I love this cold with fruits, nuts, raisins and soy milk
• Sauerkraut // add to sandwiches and salads

Act on your cravings, just eat whole plants version of what you want The longer you eat whole foods based on plants, the less you crave things like pizza, fries, burgers, and cakes.However, when you’re new to eating this way and craving unhealthy foods, mix in the plant-based versions of whole foods.

Do you have a craving for pizza? Make a pizza with red sauce, cheese sauce, tofu sausages, and vegetables.

Worried Burgers? Make these bad guys.

Cake Craving? Pinch this thrust here!

Craving for macaroni and cheese? We got you!

Whatever you do, never eat a slice of lettuce when all you really need is a ruben, or an orange when all you really need is a candy bar.You will only be angry and disappointed. Make the healthiest version of what you want and let it satisfy you.

When you’re ready to dive deeper into plant-based food and life, check out our CFDG resources that you won’t find anywhere else Plant-Based Weekly Meal Plans that bring you a new plan and new recipes every Friday. You can customize your portions to the amount you want to cook and everything will adjust to suit you.Our meal plans include our extensive database of over 2,000 tested and validated plant-based whole food recipes.

If you don’t want to follow a meal plan, check out our plant-based recipe subscription and you never have to search the web for recipes that may or may not be delicious.

When you’re ready to immerse yourself 100% in a plant-based diet and transform your life and body, join us on our 29-day Lighten Up program to help you let go of your fear and fall in love.

Don’t Give Up! If you have tried a vegan diet in the past and it hasn’t worked for you, know that whole foods are a different experience. This is truly one of the best things you can do for your health that will affect how you feel on a daily basis. Wherever you are, I encourage you!

New to Plant Nutrition? What problems did you have while making the changes? Talk to us in the comments below!

Papaya toast with peanut butter

Peanut butter papaya toast

• sprouted bread, toasted

• peanut butter
  without added butter or sugar

• papaya, seeded and sliced

• raspberries
  fresh or frozen

• lime juice

1. Toast the bread and then spread it with peanut butter.

2. Add a few slices of papaya and raspberries and squeeze fresh lime juice on top. Enjoy!

I wish you a happy week. Let it be filled with trying something new.

Xo Molly

Do you have a friend who is interested in a plant-based diet and doesn’t know where to start? Share this post with them and help them along the way. They can read the products and then subscribe to our Saturday emails.

Nutritional Food Diet Guide

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90,000 Your Guide to Whole Plant Nutrition – VegAnn

The articles, recipes, and reviews on this blog are mostly about the whole plant-based diet. I use the word diet only as a synonym for food or diet and in no way mean any experiments on myself in the form of radical restrictions on foods and calories.

Here I want to clarify a little about what a whole plant-based diet is, how it differs (and differs) from veganism, and how it can be useful for those who, for some reason, do not see themselves as vegans either now or in the future. …

Many of you, especially those who read English-language sites and blogs devoted to nutrition, have probably noticed more than once such abbreviations and phrases as HCLF (high carb low fat), whole food plant-based or 80/10/10.They all reflect one and the same way of building the healthiest and healthiest diet, which is gaining more and more popularity and finding a lot of scientific evidence. This is a whole, plant-based diet or whole plant foods.

Of course, most people who eat a whole plant-based diet are vegans. But being vegan and eating whole, plant-based foods are not always the same.Veganism can be very different and is not always synonymous with healthy eating. After all, you can, for example, eat exclusively raw vegetables and fruits, or you can eat potatoes and pasta – both will be called veganism. In fact, you can even be a vegan and not eat anything that looks like a whole plant-based food in many years, of course, there will be no health benefits from such a diet.

Regarding nutrition, the very word veganism is about what is not in the diet – animal products.A Whole Plant-Based Diet is about what it has (or should have) – whole plant-based ingredients. And if everything is clear with the word vegetable, then whole means that in such a diet there is no place for highly processed and refined products, that is, those in the manufacture of which not the whole plant or its certain part is used, but its individual isolated components. A whole, plant-based diet is based on fruits, vegetables, herbs, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds.This does not mean that the listed products should be eaten exclusively in this original form (although this is generally a good idea). Of course, there is no place for bread made from white refined flour in such a diet, but there is quite enough whole grain.

As it logically follows, such a diet should strive to minimize, or better even eliminate, the use of added oil, sugar and salt.High carb low fat means high carbohydrate low fat diet. At the same time, do not be intimidated by the word high-carbohydrate, because of course, we are not talking about refined carbohydrates, flour or added sugar, but about carbohydrates naturally found in whole plants, which are accompanied by various useful nutrients and fiber. A low-fat diet can be called a low-fat diet because a person who eats whole plant foods typically gets no more than 10% or so of their calories from fat, without any effort.

What does all this have to do with those who are not going to go vegan? Of course, the greatest positive effect of a whole plant-based diet can be obtained by completely eliminating all animal products, but if for some reason this is impossible or unacceptable for you, then eating in this way, for example, by 90%, and leaving 10% for other food groups. , you can still experience significant changes for the better in your health and well-being. And even if we completely abstract from any percentages and numbers, the goal of increasing the consumption of whole plant foods is already an important step towards well-being and appearance.

In terms of whole plant nutrition, all foods can be divided into three groups:

1. animal products,
2. whole plant foods,
3. highly processed plant fragments.

While determining whether a food is animal or vegetable is easy enough, figuring out whether it can be classified as a whole food is a little more difficult.Although this is precisely the difference between healthy and unhealthy veganism and between healthy and unhealthy diets in general.

What are highly processed plant fragments?

During processing, some plant components are separated and isolated mechanically or chemically. This processing can be of varying degrees. To help you figure it out, here’s a simple example. If you peeled an orange and cut it into slices, can we assume that you have machined it? Sure.But did the final product remain intact? Yes. What if you peeled an orange and made orange juice out of it? Juice is no longer a whole product, because it does not contain the fiber originally present in the whole orange. And if you made a smoothie out of an orange, can the final product be considered whole? Yes, because you used the whole plant product (orange), and not its individual components. This illustrative example helps you understand the principle by which you can determine which industrially produced products can be called whole and which are not.A wide variety of methods are used in manufacturing to isolate, recover and process components of the parent plant, such as separating oils and certain nutrients, extracting dietary fiber, or bleaching.

What to eat and what to avoid?

Whole plant foods

Green and starchy vegetables, leafy greens, legumes, whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds.

Raw and cooked, they are the basis of a healthy diet that guarantees well-being and appearance, and can be eaten with virtually no restrictions.

Minimally processed plant foods that use whole plants rather than isolated ingredients, such as pasta and whole grain breads, can complement your diet, although they may not themselves be the basis of it.

Refined and highly processed products

For example, white bread, sweets, pastries.They can be vegan in composition, but they are devoid of dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. In addition, entering the body, such food is converted into sugar, causing a sharp release of insulin. Regular consumption of products from this group directly correlates with the development of a number of pathologies: insulin resistance, cardiovascular pathologies, bowel cancer, obesity.

Vegetable fats and oils

Vegetable oil, even the best quality unrefined cold pressed oil, is 100% fat, rich in calories and poor in nutrients.Regular use of oils leads to damage to the endothelium (inner layer) of blood vessels, which is an initial factor in the development of cardiovascular diseases. The addition of vegetable oils to food should be minimized, and for people who already have diagnosed cardiovascular pathologies, it should be completely excluded.

Animal products

Foods that include animal products are associated with many more diseases than the vast majority of people realize.Animal protein has a carcinogenic effect and has been proven to be associated with the occurrence of chronic pathologies, including pathologies of the coronary arteries and diabetes. The recommended daily amount of protein is 10% of the calories consumed, while most people get at least twice as much from their food. Excessive protein intake is the result of eating animal products or highly processed foods that contain isolated protein. A whole plant-based diet allows for natural protein intake within the recommended 10%, and provides the body with nutrients and dietary fiber not found in animal products.

Dairy products

A very popular and widely consumed group of products of animal origin, which should be distinguished separately. Despite a common belief (even among many doctors), dairy products do not have any benefits for bone health and, on the contrary, cause bone loss and are associated with the development of osteoporosis. It also confirmed the link between the consumption of dairy products and the development of autoimmune diseases, diabetes, breast cancer and prostate cancer.Milk proteins stimulate growth hormones, which in turn lead to the growth of tumor cells. Whole, dairy-free, plant-based foods provide an adequate supply of calcium, so there is no excuse for consuming them.

What else is important to know?

About the healthy habit of drinking water

Water should be your drink of choice.Adequate water is essential for the transfer of nutrients, oxygen and electrolytes to all tissues of the body and for its normal functioning, including nerve conduction, muscle function and the elimination of toxins. Signs of insufficient water intake can be high fatigue, fluid retention in tissues, and constipation. Just make sure that other drinks do not replace water in your diet throughout the day.

On the healthy breakfast habit

A healthy first meal with fiber and complex carbohydrates helps stabilize and maintain blood sugar levels throughout the day, provides energy, long-lasting satiety and avoids unnecessary snacking.Many people choose whole grain cereals with added fruits for breakfast, and this is a good option. If you’re looking to lose weight or “reset” your taste buds, it’s a good idea to start your day with a vegetable meal. For those who don’t like breakfast, vegetable and herb smoothies can be an option.

About diets that promise fast weight loss

Low-carb diets for weight loss are some of the most dangerous nutritional systems in the world.Never use trendy weight loss methods without understanding the scientific basis behind them, this threatens, at best, with the return of the previous weight, at worst – with serious health problems. It is important to remember that if the diet you choose is not suitable for long-term use (that is, you cannot stick to such a diet all your life without experiencing health problems), then it is not suitable for short-term use either.

Whole Plant Foods help you maintain your optimal weight without having to feel hungry.This is due to the fact that the diet is based on foods rich in fiber and nutrients, in which there are many vitamins and minerals for every calorie. They satisfy hunger on all three parameters – saturation with essential nutrients, sufficient calories and sufficient amount of food, thanks to the content of dietary fiber. Eating in this way, you do not get “empty” calories, for clarity, just take a look at the picture.

The idea that whole plant foods are not necessarily difficult and expensive

Everything new at first seems difficult, but in order to cook healthy food has become a habit, you can use the recipes presented in this blog or on other similar resources.Over time, you will be able to prepare whole, plant-based meals automatically, without the hassle, just like you are now preparing your usual meals containing animal ingredients.

If your budget allows you to buy only organic products, great. If not, there are lists of products that strongly accumulate harmful substances, and which practically do not accumulate them. The former, indeed, are worth choosing organic, while the rest can continue to be bought in the usual places – this way you can fit a healthy diet into any budget.

About the good habit of reading the composition of the product on the label

When buying packaged food, make sure you read the ingredients carefully. Keep in mind that the ingredients on the labels are listed in descending order. The best formulation is one in which the list of ingredients is short and all ingredients are plant-based and easily recognizable. Over time, you will have your own list of acceptable products, and you will not have to spend a lot of time studying the formulations when buying.

About vitamins and food additives

A variety of whole plant foods provide the body with all the nutrients it needs. The exception is vitamin D, for the synthesis of which the body needs sunlight and vitamin B12, which must be taken additionally. You can read more about why this is happening here.

90,000 Nutrition plan to keep your weight healthy – justfood blog

When all your weight loss goals have been achieved, the most important thing is not to rest on your laurels.If you do not continue to tightly control your nutrition, even when the numbers on the scales suit you completely, then the result can be lost very quickly, and all efforts may be in vain. It is especially a pity to lose what has been achieved when a lot of effort and time has been spent for this.

In order not to experience the agonizing longing for lightness and joy from your reflection in the mirror, you will have to make proper nutrition and regular exercise your habit for life. Sometimes, to maintain weight at the same level, just proper nutrition is enough, and sometimes it is necessary to create a small calorie deficit so that the body does not take it into its head to store up again.It all depends on the individual characteristics of each and the initial data, as well as the long-term goals that you set for yourself.

However, there are a number of universal rules that should be followed to maintain the same weight.

1. Don’t just eat if you don’t feel hungry.

2. Do not sit down at the table immediately after hypothermia, overheating or stress.

3. Wait at least 20 minutes and try to get back to normal before starting a meal.

4. Eat 3-4 times a day – these are the main meals for hunger. You can add 1-2 light snacks.

5. Do not force-feed, especially if you feel unwell.

6. ​​Don’t overeat. Remember that satiety can be very delayed, so measure your hunger level after a 15-20 minute break from eating.

7. Enjoy food.

8. Chew food thoroughly.

9. Eat more foods that contain fiber (in most cases, these are vegetables and fruits).It not only promotes healthy digestion, but also helps to prolong the feeling of fullness.

10. Follow your drinking regime.

At the same time, it is always worth remembering about the individual characteristics of your body. You probably already learned about them in the course of losing weight. Be sure to take into account your need for calories, the level of their expenditure depending on the intensity and frequency of physical activity, the reaction of your body to certain foods in the diet or limiting their use.

Remember that all nutrients must be met whether you are losing weight, gaining or maintaining weight. The body should not lack nutrition so that you can always feel and look good. Also, do not greatly limit the calorie intake. It should be exactly tailored to your needs according to your age, gender, general condition and activity level.

The ideal daily caloric intake for you can be calculated using the Harris-Benedict equation, invented at the beginning of the last century.It takes into account the metabolic rate and is based on many years of research into this process in the body of men and women.

66 + (13.7 x weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) – (6.76 x age) – calorie requirement for men per day

655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) – (4.7 x age) – daily caloric requirement for women

By plugging your height, weight and age into the formula, you will get the number of calories you need.It is worth starting from this figure when drawing up a menu to maintain weight at the same level.

You should also take into account the generally accepted norms for the balance of other nutrients.

Fats should not be neglected even in the process of intense weight loss, because they are of great importance in all metabolic processes. The minimum need for carbohydrates with an average level of physical activity is 4.5 – 6.5 g per kilogram of body weight. The higher the intensity of physical activity, the greater the need for carbohydrates.Therefore, if you visit the gym several times a week for strength training, it is worth increasing the amount of carbohydrates to 6.5 – 9 g per kilogram.

A sample menu for the day to maintain weight at the same level, taking into account the above rules, may look like this.

Breakfast:

Yogurt and fruit salad (you can dress chopped fruits with plain white yogurt) or porridge with milk with vegetable oil or 2 eggs (hard-boiled or soft-boiled, in the form of omelet or scrambled eggs without butter) or low-fat cottage cheese with fruit.

Snack:

Pancakes, cooked without oil, with jam, syrup, honey or jam.

Lunch:

Vegetable or fish soup (ukha)

Baked poultry meat dish with vegetables garnish

Fresh vegetable salad dressed with olive oil

Snack:

Fruit or vegetable juices, fruits

Dinner:

Light fish dish without garnish and salad or curd casserole, baked cheesecakes.

For dessert you can afford dried fruits

Any beverages can be used – tea, herbal or berry decoctions, the main thing is sugar-free. And don’t forget to drink more water. The diet will help to diversify the different ways of preparing the same product. The main thing is that oil is not used at all or only in minimal quantities.

And if you do not have time for all these calculations, selection of suitable products and their preparation, then we hasten to please you: many have already appreciated the convenience of delivering ready-made healthy food.The justfood.pro service will do all this for you, you just have to warm up the container with ready-made food balanced in all parameters and eat it at the right time.

90,000 Fat Burning Meal Plan • Nutrition Blog

The most difficult thing in losing weight is to make the body burn stored fat deposits. The daily diet in this matter plays a major role, since without it, even regular physical activity will be ineffective. In order to form a slim and fit figure, you need to do the following:

• Draw up a detailed diet plan for burning fat for a week, making your menu as varied and healthy as possible;
• Work out a sports training program, including aerobic and strength exercises for 40-60 minutes 2-3 times a week, which will allow you to speed up your metabolism.

If sports activities are simple, nutrition is different. You will have to study the features of a rational diet for weight loss and its principles, because it is important to eat not just right, but so that excess weight begins to go away.

Nuances of the dietary diet

The first and most important thing to compose a daily menu is to calculate the optimal ratio of calories and BJU for your weight and physical activity. The Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences established the norms of energy requirements per day for a healthy adult with normal weight, which were published on the Rospotrebnazdor website.According to them, the physiological need for energy is:

• About 1800 kcal per day for women;
• For men, the minimum requirement is about 2100 kcal per day.

If your calorie content is above the norm and you are overweight, it is recommended to gradually reduce the energy value of food by 500 kcal so that the body has time to adapt. The minimum daily calorie content should be at least 1000 kcal. Having achieved the desired result, you should adhere to proper nutrition and increase the calorie content to normal levels.Women with a sedentary lifestyle and low physical activity can consume about 1400-1500 kcal as their main diet after losing weight.

About BZHU (proteins, fats, carbohydrates)

Your Fat Burning Meal Plan must be balanced, otherwise the excess weight will return as soon as you finish the diet.

• First, it is necessary to reduce the amount of carbohydrates to 30-35%, since they are a source of energy, and our goal is to force the body to produce energy from its own fat reserves;
• Second, increase the amount of polyunsaturated fats (vegetable oils, fish, nuts, seeds).But animal fats must be excluded, for example, pork or lard, butter, as well as sausages and semi-finished products;
• Third, enrich your diet with dietary animal proteins (poultry, beef, rabbit). Do not forget about plant proteins, which are found in large quantities in legumes (chickpeas, soybeans, beans, lentils).

Eliminate spices, reduce salt and replace sugar with natural sweeteners or add fruits and berries to meals.

Weekly Short Meal Plan

The most important rule for effective fat burning is to consume most of your calories in the morning. The same goes for serving size. The menu might look like this:

• First and second breakfasts – granolas, cheese cakes, oatmeal, cottage cheese balls, pancakes, cottage cheese casseroles with berries, baked apples. The first breakfast should be more satisfying, that is, the portion can reach 300 g, and the second – 150-200 g;
• Lunch – pilaf with chicken meat, bulgur or buckwheat with a steamed cutlet, barley with turkey;
• Afternoon snack – salad with meat or fish paste, boiled vegetables with feta cheese, omelets with herbs.It should be light, a portion can be 150-200 g;
• Dinner – protein, may consist of egg pancakes with herbs, chicken skewers with steamed vegetables, grilled turkey.

Take a look at the sample Grow Food menus and even taste them to see that the diet can be healthy, satisfying and delicious!

Nutrition for weight loss

The issue of dropping extra pounds is very relevant today. We will not consider the reasons for weight gain in detail, but it will not be superfluous to list them.Among the main reasons are:

• Stress
• Lack of sleep
• Harmful snacks
• Drinking alcohol
• Hypodynamia (violation of body functions)
• Age
• Diseases
• Genetic predisposition

All of these reasons together form a person’s way of life. Of course, we are able to influence something on our own, but some of the above does not depend on us in any way.Therefore, there are problems with weight. Someone lets everything take its course, and does not bother too much, but for others this issue is vital. As a result, all kinds of diets, hopes of returning to the previous form, etc.

Of course, there are diets that help to lose weight, but here a new question arises: how to make sure that the result after losing weight remains for a long time, and the annoying diet is forgotten like a bad dream?

Next, we will tell you about how to eat right, and to lose weight, and not to gain extra pounds at all.But once again, remember that if you have any weight problems, the first step should be to visit a nutritionist who will help identify the cause of the excess pounds and find the best ways to eliminate it.

In this appendix, we will address the following questions:

• Nutrition Basics for Weight Loss
• What you can eat while losing weight
• What you can eat while losing weight in limited quantities
• What not to eat while losing weight
• Food for weight loss for the week
• Best Slimming Products
• Example of a weekly weight loss menu
• Brief Weight Loss Nutrition Scheme
• Recommendations for weight loss while playing sports
• How not to go astray

Based on the information received about proper nutrition, you can create your own menu for the week and for every day, but let’s say right away that ready-made recipes for the dishes you are interested in will need to look for yourself in third-party sources, i.e.because we will only indicate the direction for work.

Nutrition Basics for Weight Loss

The meaning of nutrition for weight loss is to prevent not only “evil and insidious” overweight, which terrifies most people, but also a wide range of intractable ailments. Based on this, to begin with, it is worth paying some attention to the theoretical foundations:

• Setting the goal of losing weight, you need to immediately throw canned food, mustard and your favorite sandwiches aside. This will set you up to think over your diet, and at the same time will help you forget about digestive problems: from heartburn to the deposition of sugar and fats that provoke diabetes, atherosclerosis and other ailments.
• Adopt fractional meals: it will help avoid acute hunger and overeating. Small portions will never stretch the walls of the stomach and will not make it a “bottomless barrel”. To always be full, active and not gain excess weight, you can eat not even 4-5, but 5-7 times a day, but little by little.
• Research has shown that even the most intense feeling of hunger goes away 15 minutes after starting a meal. Use a weight loss trick: in order to fill up and not eat much, eat for 15 minutes as little as possible.
• To keep your weight normal, you need to have dinner with the lightest meals and a few hours before bedtime. The break between breakfast and dinner should not exceed 12 hours.
• Nutrition for weight loss is 40-50% of vegetables and fruits in the diet. The abundance of fruits will turn into a real vitamin and mineral bomb, not just burning fat, but exploding fat deposits. But when losing weight, it is better to eat fruit up to 15 hours.
• The menu of a losing weight person must include dishes from cereals and cereals.It is useful to eat porridge every day. Almost all cereals cleanse the body of toxins and debris, performing the function of sorbents much more efficiently than medicinal products.
• Oatmeal with dried fruits, apples or bananas is considered an ideal breakfast (even noble people in Great Britain indulge themselves with such dishes). Buckwheat porridge with light roasted carrots and rice porridge with pumpkin contribute to rapid weight loss.
• Sunflower seeds and nuts should be included in the daily diet for weight loss.They supply the body with the necessary dietary fiber, unsaturated acids and potassium.
• Losing weight, you need to eat yoghurts, cheeses and cottage cheese, as well as drink milk. These products restore the intestinal microflora and supply the body with calcium.
• If you are not on a diet, then provide yourself with at least 50-60 g of fish or meat per day so that the body does not experience a lack of protein.
• Do not forget about the obligatory 2-2.5 liters of liquid per day. It is recommended to drink pure non-carbonated water (mineral water is possible).For weight loss to be more effective, exclude strong teas and instant coffee from the menu. The best diet drinks are jelly, compotes, natural fruit drinks and green teas.
• Study your usual diet, find high-calorie foods in it and replace them with low-calorie ones. Consuming more than 2,000 calories per day is unacceptable. It is also important to replace unhealthy foods with healthy ones, namely: sugar with honey, fatty pork with lean veal, sunflower oil with olive oil, fatty sour cream with low-fat yogurt, etc.p.
• Try to monitor the acid-base balance, because it is responsible for oxygenation of cells and many other biochemical processes inside the body. To normalize the balance, you should eat nuts, vegetables, fruits, yoghurts and milk.
• Semi-finished products, carbonated drinks, white bread, fatty and fried foods are the true enemies of beauty, health and normal weight. In addition, you should avoid the simple carbohydrates found in sweets, cakes, pastries, and other treats.However, once a week, pampering yourself is not forbidden.
• Salt will not do any good for a person who is losing weight, and it is best if it is replaced with natural herbs and spices. By the way, we recommend seasoning salads with either sea salt or lemon juice.
• Alcohol is one of the reasons for excess weight, and it is also advisable to give it up, and especially beer and liqueurs. In addition to their high calorie content, they whet the appetite, which is not necessary at all in the case of losing weight.If you still want to “have fun” with alcohol, opt for a small amount of red wine, but without fanaticism.
• Those who are used to eating a lot, but do not want to do this anymore, can engage in self-deception for a while: large plates are replaced with new ones, instead of a 200 g portion, a 150 g portion is eaten, etc.
• In order not to get tired of proper nutrition for weight loss, you need to make the diet as varied as possible. When shopping, buy fancy diet foods, do your own culinary experiments, combine different tastes and read more thematic literature.Healthy eating should be a pleasure, not a reminder of limitations.
• If you are going to the store, first have a good meal. A hungry person leaves an order of magnitude more money in the store than a well-fed person, and also buys all kinds of unnecessary stuff that could be dispensed with. And all this is due to hunger.
• One of the most effective ways to lose weight is to leave the table a little hungry. Having reached a feeling of satiety, but thinking that it would be nice to “throw in” something else, do not be tempted by this desire, but rather be distracted by some business.
• One of the reasons people can’t stop eating on time is stress. Try to relax more, be outside more often, arrange small parties and give yourself gifts. In general, indulge yourself so as not to “bite” stress with another cake.

The weight loss menu does not imply eating only unusual and unusual products – most of them have long been present in your menu, and many of them are true yummy! Naturally, at first you will have to limit yourself to your favorite chocolate or such appetizing hard cheese, but you don’t need to shed tears of sadness over them.See for yourself.

What you can eat while losing weight

Recommended products for weight loss are:

• Turkey (without skin)
• Chicken (skinless)
• Rabbit
• Veal
• Seafood
• Kefir, yogurt, milk (all – low-fat)
• Eggs (steam omelette instead of scrambled eggs)
• Almost all vegetables and fruits (see below)
• Legumes
• Tofu Cheese
• Brown rice
• Coarse flour bread

At the first stages of achieving the goal of losing excess weight, it is better not to go beyond this list, but you should cook only on steam, in the oven or during the cooking process.

What you can eat while losing weight in limited quantities

Let us remind you that food for weight loss cannot be called a diet in the full sense of the word, which is why from time to time you can give a slight weakness. But in order not to frantically reflect on whether it is possible to eat this or that, check out the conditionally permitted foods (you can eat them only sometimes, for example, once a week):

• Foods containing starch: beets, carrots, corn, potatoes
• Sweet fruits: grapes, persimmons, avocados, bananas
• Dark chocolate
• Honey
• Natural juices
• Hard cheeses
• Sour cream and cream
• Olive oil (no more than 10 g)
• Butter (no more than 10 g)

Here it makes sense to talk about desserts, because sometimes you just want to touch them.But is it worth doing when losing weight? The answer to this question will surely please you, tk. it is very possible to eat desserts. The only condition: when choosing desserts, try to make them healthy too. These include:

• Oatmeal Cookies
• Fruit mousses
• Jelly
• Cottage cheese with fruit
• Sorbets
• Kissel
• Curd soufflé
• Dried fruit sweets

And the last thing in this part of the application – foods that are taboo when losing weight.

What not to eat while losing weight

Nutrition for weight loss is a rather tricky thing, and there are, of course, its own prohibitions in the corresponding diet. Harmful products adversely affect the general condition of the body, which is expressed in heaviness in the stomach, nausea or some other uncomfortable sensation. Their use also affects the appearance: the skin and hair deteriorate, but the worst thing is that extra pounds appear.

Products that are taboo during weight loss (and are not desirable in principle) are:

• Wheat flour products
• Most sweets
• Sugar
• Salt
• Packaged and instant juices
• Pork
• Mayonnaise
• Packaged sauces and dressings for dishes
• Smoked products

It is easy to see that the list is quite small, and it is, in fact, easier to refuse from the one just mentioned.Plus, your overall health will be much better. Well, when you achieve the desired result, and begin to weigh as much as you would like, you can sometimes indulge yourself with harm again. But is it worth it?

This concludes the first part of the material and move on to the second, which is more practical. And we will start by presenting recommendations for drawing up a weekly diet.

Food for weight loss for the week

You do not need to have in-depth knowledge of nutritional science to determine the right diet for the week.It is enough to know about two main nuances:

• Watch your calorie intake. Its average daily rate should not exceed 2000 calories. And when you lose weight, you can cut 1600 calories.
• All products included in the weight loss menu should be healthy and nutritious.

This also includes the need for a variety of dishes, because The same healthy oatmeal, albeit with fruit, may be pleasant for the first few days, and then you just get bored and want something new.And bored food can overnight cross out all plans – and on the table there will again be cakes, sausages and cutlets, which it was decided to abandon yesterday. But let’s continue …

It is very simple to compose a menu for losing weight for a week: you can, for example, alternate fish and meat, cook all kinds of salads, cook cereals and try to make sure that the dishes of the next day are at least somewhat different from the dishes of the past. Plus, it is important to ensure that fruits and drinking water are always available.

If we bring these recommendations to a common denominator, we get something like this plan for the day:

• Breakfast: Foods rich in carbohydrates and fiber (e.g. porridge)
• Snack between breakfast and lunch: Beck-rich foods (e.g. yoghurt and cottage cheese with fruit)
• Lunch: Foods rich in carbohydrates and proteins (e.g. chicken soup or broth)
• Snack between lunch and dinner: several fruits
• Dinner: Protein-rich foods (e.g. meat or fish fillets)
• A few hours before bedtime: cottage cheese or kefir

In addition to this, we have compiled a short list of foods best suited for weight loss.Take note of it.

Best Slimming Products

Products from this cheat sheet can form the basis of your daily diet:

• Fish and poultry. An excellent source of protein for weight loss, and it is much healthier than red meat. Fatty fish are rich in iodine and omega-3 fatty acids that the body needs. We remind you that poultry and fish dishes should be steamed or in the oven.
• Low-fat fermented milk products. They have always occupied and continue to occupy leading positions in the ranking of products for beauty and slimness.
• Vegetable salads. Ideal for snacks or to complement any meal. The benefits of low calorie content are complemented by the fact that a huge amount of vitamins enters the body.
• Apples and pears. These fruits are rich in pectin, give a feeling of fullness and at the same time are low in calories.
• Grapefruit. Perfectly burns fat, and also lowers the insulin content, which leads to decreased appetite.
• Ginger. It is recognized as one of the best means for losing weight and maintaining a slim figure.Ginger contains substances that improve metabolism, cleanse the body of toxins and stimulate digestion.
• Fig. Another product that stimulates the digestive tract, satisfies hunger and contains a minimum of calories.
• Pine nuts. They are called “the treasure of Siberia” for a reason, because they contain protein and linolenic acid, which reduces appetite.
• Almonds. If you eat 25 almonds a day, you can achieve rapid weight loss and significantly lower cholesterol levels.
• Green tea. Its ingredients burn fat and promote weight loss.

Create your dietary menu, including these products, and the result in the form of lost pounds will not take long. And to make it easier for you to decide on dishes for weight loss, check out the sample menu for the week.

Example of a weekly menu for weight loss

As you already know, a healthy diet should include at least two snacks.But in the case of losing weight, you need to snack mainly on fruits, cottage cheese, yoghurts, oatmeal cookies and dried fruits. Naturally, don’t forget about a lot of water.

Go to the menu (there are several dishes to choose from).

Breakfasts *:

• Omelet or soft-boiled eggs
• Cottage cheese and biscuits or oatmeal cookies
• Baked vegetables and cheese sandwich (bread made from durum wheat)
• Oatmeal with chicken or steamed vegetables

* Suitable drinks are green tea or freshly brewed coffee

Snack between breakfast and lunch:

• Baby fruit puree
• Low-fat yogurt
• Several dried fruits or a handful of nuts
• Curd with raisins
• Several fruits

Lunch *:

• Chicken broth and vegetable salad
• Boiled potatoes, stewed mushrooms and white cabbage salad
• Ukha, steamed meatballs and tomato and cucumber salad
• Borscht (lean (with beans) or vegetarian), baked meat and Chinese cabbage salad
• Chicken soup, vegetable salad

* Natural juices or water are suitable as drinks

Snack between lunch and dinner *:

• Oatmeal
• Fruit Salad
• Several fruits
• Yogurt
• Cottage cheese with chopped herbs

* Natural juices or jelly are suitable as drinks

Dinner:

• Cottage cheese and cucumber salad
• Steamed chicken cutlets and cabbage salad
• Omelet with vegetables
• Grilled fish grilled with vegetables
• Stewed rabbit with vegetables

The main thing to remember when drawing up a diet for weight loss is low calorie content, usefulness and variety.It is on the basis of this that modern nutritionists have drawn up a daily diet for weight loss.

Brief Weight Loss Nutrition Diagram

We present only the most important elements of the diagram, where the portion sizes of different dishes and the proportions of some products are indicated:

• A portion of porridge made from any whole grain cereal – visually the size of a fist
• A portion of lean meat, including poultry and fish, visually no more than the palm of your hand
• Low-fat cottage cheese – no more than 200 g per day
• Natural yogurt – no more than half a glass per day
• Kefir and milk – no more than a glass per day
• Still mineral water – at least 1.5 liters per day (when eating fruits and soups).The drinking component of the diet can be supplemented with natural juice, fruit drink, compote, green tea or rosehip broth
• Vegetables in any form – at least 300 g per day
• Fresh fruits (preferably unsweetened) – at least 300 g per day
• Any vegetable oil – no more than 2 tablespoons per day
• Nuts, low-fat cheese and eggs – no more than 30 g of both per day

This scheme is suitable for any person, regardless of lifestyle and occupation.However, if you play sports, there are a number of additional recommendations to consider.

Recommendations for weight loss while playing sports

Every athlete knows that exercise can help you lose weight. But in the same way, they can contribute to his recruitment. Based on this, in order to reduce weight, not increase, train in accordance with the following guidelines:

• Main meal should be 2-3 hours before training
• If for some reason it is not possible to comply with the previous paragraph, refuel with kefir, cottage cheese or yogurt 30-40 minutes before the load.Such food is digested very quickly and supplies the body with the protein needed by the muscles.
• To recharge your batteries, drink a glass of natural juice or eat fruit 20-30 minutes before training.
• During the training process, it is imperative to drink a little mineral water without gas
• 20-30 minutes after the end of the workout, you need to feed the body with something protein, for example, eat some cottage cheese or drink a protein shake.Fatty and fried foods are completely excluded
• If you plan to go to bed 4-5 hours after training, it is allowed to have a full dinner, for example, fish and vegetables (but dinner should be no later than 19 hours)

Exercising and eating healthy can help you reach your weight loss goal many times faster. But let’s not argue: at the click of your fingers, it can be difficult to switch from your usual diet, which includes unhealthy foods, to a healthy one, especially one designed for weight loss.Saying goodbye to old habits is almost always difficult, although if you apply some tricks, this process will be almost painless.

How not to go astray

To make the transition to a new diet, and with it to a new lifestyle easier, try to adhere to a few simple rules:

• Form the correct inner attitude by giving your mind a clear and clear order to eat healthy food and eat right. Do not allow yourself to relax and be soft – then your goal will motivate you much more than pasta and meat and all kinds of sweets.
• Observe the principles of balance in formulating your diet. If the menu is built correctly, your body will always be saturated with everything it needs, and you simply will not be drawn to junk food.
• Be attentive to your psychological mood, because, as you know, all problems are in a person’s head. Create in your mind an image of your best self – the way you want to see yourself, i.e. beautiful, healthy, fit. Set aside 5-10 minutes daily to relax and recreate this image in your imagination.”Look” at your new self, praise yourself, admire yourself, thank yourself for endurance and perseverance.
• Get busy planning: Make a plan for the week, month, even year. Decide how many kilograms you will lose by this or that date, how you see yourself by this time, what is your state of health and feelings, etc. Keep this plan in front of you, look into it more often – and everything will certainly turn out the way you want.

Be that as it may (i.e.That is, regardless of any psychological preparation and self-motivation), the foundations of nutrition for weight loss are based on a varied and thoughtful menu made up of carefully selected products. It is the products that contribute to painless weight loss to a greater extent, but it is extremely important that the calorie content of the daily diet during weight loss is less than the calories lost per day. And this can be achieved by guided by the information provided in this application.

Currently, the overwhelming majority of overweight people are trying to lose weight effectively and correctly, without causing absolutely any harm to their body and well-being and at the same time achieving long-term results.Periodic food restrictions and painful diets will not lead to anything good. Instead, it is much better to opt for a consistent, balanced diet aimed at normalizing weight and improving health. And now you have everything you need to start eating the way it really is.

We wish you success and delicious but healthy meals!

Kirill Nogales 90,000 Proper nutrition for an athlete

Proper nutrition is the key to the success and health of any person, and for an athlete it is also the most important rule leading him to victories.In general, in fact, the nutrition of an athlete and a person leading a healthy lifestyle is very similar and has almost no differences, but there are several aspects that reveal these differences. The fact that an athlete constantly spends his time doing training already suggests that he spends much more energy than an ordinary person, and therefore he must eat accordingly. Do not forget that there is no sport without injuries, an athlete must maintain his health in order that his jaw does not break with one blow, therefore nutrition is also in the first place here, without him and excellent physical indicators the road to sports is closed.

Each sport has its own characteristics, therefore, the diet should be selected based on its criteria and physical characteristics of a person: an athlete needs a sufficient amount of calories, vitamins and minerals, it is worth considering that the diet should be aimed at reducing or increasing muscle mass, and the food itself should not contain anything superfluous: it should only contain products of plant or animal origin.

Proteins

Proteins are very important organic substances, which are a building material for tissues of the whole organism, and in addition, they act as accelerators of biochemical processes and provide tissues with oxygen and nutrients.Protein foods:

• Milk, cottage cheese, kefir, yogurt
• Porridge: oatmeal, rice
• Eggs
• Fish
• Rabbit, chicken, turkey

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are organic compounds that are the basis of energy processes in the body. It is beneficial for athletes to eat foods that contain complex carbohydrates, not simple ones.

Foods containing complex carbohydrates:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Berries
• Black bread
• Legumes
• Cereals
• Nuts
• Greens
• Mushrooms

Foods containing simple carbohydrates:

• Candy and sugar
• Flour products
• Honey (recommended instead of sugar)
• Sparkling water

Fats

Fats are natural compounds responsible for structural and energy processes in the body.As with carbohydrates, there are two types of fats: saturated and unsaturated. Athletes are advised to consume unsaturated fats, as consuming foods with saturated fats can lead to obesity.

Foods containing unsaturated fat:

• Nuts
• Olive oil
• Seafood & Fish
• Sunflower oil

Foods containing saturated fat:

• Fast food
• Coconut oil
• Margarine
• Chocolate.
• Dairy products

Water

Water is important for any person, and athletes need it even more because of physical activity, which they lose a large amount of fluid.

In the body, water is necessary to maintain the temperature balance, the distribution of nutrients and the removal of harmful waste products, and it also carries out metabolism.

Athlete Nutrition Requirements

The work of athletes is associated with heavy loads, and in order to fulfill them, you need to choose the right nutrition, for which several requirements must be highlighted:

Eat those foods that will be useful, more nutritious and energy-intensive.