It's never too late to consider switching to a vegan diet. Perhaps you're considering a change of diet for health reasons, or maybe you're looking for a more sustainable lifestyle. If you cater for vegans, maybe you'd like to understand their needs better.
This week we will take you through how and why to go vegan. Each day we will give you tips on how to improve health, nutrition and sustainability in your diet. Nutritionist and author Rohini Bajekal will offer advice on how to improve your diet, alongside VfL's own expert chefs. We'll include plenty of recipes to help you along the way.
To start the week, here are five top tips to make that first step. Perhaps they’ll inspire you to try something different.
1. First steps
Like any change in your life, it will take some time to adjust, gain confidence and shop and prepare food without spending hours reading food labels.
To begin, it might feel a little overwhelming, especially realising that your favourite treats might be off the table. Don’t let this discourage you. You might also have some hiccups along the way. Don’t worry if this happens: you’ll learn from it, and no one is perfect. Go easy on yourself and enjoy your new way of eating.
Exploring a vegan diet is a great opportunity to try some new products or to improve your culinary skills – have fun in the kitchen and find yourself some treats while you're shopping.
If you're considering veganism as a more radical change in lifestyle, you can take a step further and look at minimising your use of plastic or increasing how much you recycle.
If you're looking to improve your health, there are many examples of athletes who reached the top of their game on a vegan diet. It's worth listening to some of them on how vegan foods such as protein-rich pulses, vitamin-laden legumes, or ‘brown carbs’ such as wholemeal pasta and brown rice improved their performances.
In his memoir, Eat & Run ultra-marathon runner Scott Jurek gives an account of his running, with vegan recipes at the end of each chapter. Who knows, perhaps you'll dig out your running shoes and give yourself a workout.
2. Swapping the basics
If you are using spreads on your toast or when you're baking, check your current brands to see whether or not they contain buttermilk (not vegan). Some brands advertise their products as ‘plant goodness’, but still contain dairy. There are plenty of vegan alternatives available such as Pure spread, Naturli, Flora, and supermarket own-brands.
There are also lots of milk alternatives, including rice, oat, almond and soya, so get experimenting and find what you like. There are lots of vegan cheeses too, but being a different foodstuff, the taste won't be exactly the same.
If it's texture you miss, or maybe something that's been a favourite for many years, there are plenty of meat alternative products available. Check out the vegan frozen and chilled sections at your supermarket or wholefood store for vegan mince, sausages, steaks, ‘chicken’ pieces, facon (vegan bacon, or try sliced and fried tempeh), and more.
3. Check your pantry
Start with pantry staples. Maybe it needs an overhaul – checking whether your pantry staples are suitable for vegans. It’s also an opportunity to add something new. You may find you already have lots of vegan products, such as lentils, beans and chickpeas. You may find you have some ‘accidentally vegan’ items in the cupboard, such as Bisto or Jus-Rol pastry. Lurking on the shelves may also be some non-vegan items such as pesto, which you can replace with vegan-friendly versions, or even make your own (see recipe below).
Add something new like fortified nutritional yeast flakes, which provide a nutty, cheesy flavour to dishes. They're great for sprinkling on pasta or using to make a cheese sauce. They also have the added benefit of providing vitamin B12, an essential vitamin for vegans. This may need to be supplemented, or ensure that you include dietary sources daily.
Experiment with tofu. Silken tofu is great in scrambled tofu (see below) or mousses. Firm tofu works well in curries and stir-fries. Tofu has no taste so needs to be well-marinated or added to a flavoursome dish. If you’d like to add an extra twist to your dishes, try adding coconut aminos or vegan miso paste. Experiment with new ingredients such as canned jackfruit or banana blossom. If you’d like to know more about plant-based protein and calcium sources, have a look at our Vegan Rescue Pack or nutrition guide.
Make sure you have a good selection of herbs and spices. If you like curry pastes in jars make sure to carefully find the vegan options, ensuring there is no fish sauce or paste added.
If you like your condiments do check for vegan mayonnaise – there are many own-brand or well-known brand vegan alternatives. Henderson’s Relish is vegan and can replace Worcestershire sauce (which contains anchovies). Be aware that some barbecue sauces may contain dairy.
4. Master the vegan shop
You may find that shopping takes you a little longer at first. Do a bit of research so you know what products to look out for, and so you aren’t having to spend hours reading food labels.
Check online. Most supermarkets have a special search section for vegan-friendly options. Larger grocery shops have a wider range of products, and you’ll find most supermarkets now have a great range of vegan products. But wholefood shops will guarantee a good range of vegan products, and staff who are happy to help with any questions you may have.
In supermarkets, take care in ‘free-from’ sections – not all products here will be vegan-friendly. You may find gluten-free or even dairy-free cakes, for example, which may contain egg. In the free-from frozen section you may find that meat products are stored next to vegan meat replacements, because they meet gluten-free or dairy-free criteria.
5. Make it interesting
Once you’ve got a few shopping trips out of the way, and you're getting the hang of it, your shopping will take much less time than before.
For a fun twist, you can download a free app on your phone called ‘Veggie Challenge’. It counts your vegan days and gives you daily quizzes to keep you entertained, as well as providing you with some interesting statistics and recipes. There are plenty of vegan Facebook groups too – you might want to share your accomplishments, ask for advice or find out about local events. Some local vegan Facebook groups even organise social events. For those over a certain age, there's even a specific Facebook page for mature vegans and veggies in the UK, where vegans over 65 may be able to offer more advice and support while you explore the vegan diet.
The most important thing is that you enjoy vegan living and take advantage of the new product releases and all the new recipes flooding social media.
And of course don’t forget to take a look at the recipes and various publications on our website.
Enjoy your vegan diet!
Here are some recipes from VfL chefs to help you on your way:
Battered Tofu & Nori Seaweed ‘Fish’ & Chips
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