What Do Vegans Eat. A list of food items and ideas to get you started in your new vegan lifestyle.

Although Veganism has expanded, there are still a lot of people that don’t know about Veganism, and when they find out, the first thing that comes out of their mouth is the question: what do vegans eat???

Many of those who are not vegan firmly believe that if it did not come from an animal, it won’t taste good, so they find it impossible to even consider switching. On this blog I am going to provide you with a list of food you can eat and some ideas of what to do with that food in order to prepare a healthy and delicious meal that your taste buds will appreciate.

List of food to eat:

Among others fruits you can eat :

Apple
Apricot
Avocado
Banana
Bilberry
Blackberry
Blackcurrant
Blueberry
Boysenberry
Cantaloupe
Currant
Cherry
Cherimoya
Cloudberry
Coconut
Cranberry
Damson
Date
Dragonfruit
Durian
Elderberry
Feijoa
Fig
Goji berry
Gooseberry
Grape Raisin
Grapefruit
Guava
Huckleberry
Jabuticaba
Jackfruit
Jambul
Jujube
Juniper berry
Kiwi fruit
Kumquat
Lemon
Lime
Loquat
Lychee
Mango
Marion berry
Melon
Cantaloupe
Honeydew Watermelon
Miracle fruit
Mulberry
Nectarine
Olive
Orange
Tangerine
Papaya
Passionfruit
Peach
Pear
Persimmon
Physalis
Plum/prune (dried plum)
Pineapple
Pomegranate
Pomelo
Purple mangosteen
Quince
Raspberry
Salmonberry
Rambutan
Redcurrant
Satsuma
Star fruit
Strawberry
Tamarillo
Tamarind
Ugli fruit

Among other vegetables you can eat:

Artichoke
Asparagus
Eggplant
Amaranth
Legumes
Alfalfa sprouts
Azuki beans
Bean sprouts
Black beans
Black-eyed peas
Borlotti bean
Broad beans
Chickpeas
Green beans
Kidney beans
Lentils
Lima beans
Mung beans
Navy beans
Pinto beans
Runner beans
Split peas
Soy beans
Peas
Snap peas
Anise
Basil
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce

Corn
Mushrooms (actually a fungus, not a plant)
Mustard greens
Nettles
New Zealand spinach
Okra
Onion family
Chives
Garlic
Leek
Onion
Shallot
Green onion
Parsley
Peppers (biologically fruits, but taxed as vegetables)
Radicchio
Rhubarb
Root vegetables

Substitutions

I know that when one is not used to a plant based diet; it is really hard to realize how much earth has to offer for feeding. And especially when one is not used to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, but processed foods, it is even harder to feel capable to make the switch. Thankfully in these era of modernization and demand for vegan food, there are plenty of substitutions for those products that are hard to let go overnight, especially when you have eating it all your life.

As a vegan, you can make the transition easier by getting these products. It is important though you keep educating yourself so you know exactly what you will be eating in those substitutions, you do not want to become a junk food vegan either so ALWAYS read the ingredients before buying anything. When you don’t know what a word means, Google it on you phone really quick.

Some of the things you can substitute are:

Dairy: Milk (ice cream), butter, cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, etc.
Meats: ground beef, hot dogs, pork (peperoni, ham, sausages, bologna, bacon, etc.), chicken (nuggets, strips, etc.), burgers, meatballs, meat loaf, etc.
Eggs
Mayonnaise, and many other things.

What can you do with all of this food?

From the long list provided you could recreate anything and everything you want. All you need is patience and the Internet. With social media you can get any recipe you are craving for. I myself have made many delicious and guilt-free meals with the help of YouTube and Pinterest.

I know it may seem too much at first, but you will get the hang of it really quick. One thing you need to do is find out which grocery stores in your area carry the substitutions you would like to try, and I say substitutions because most of the grocery stores are filled with the most common fruits and vegetables mentioned above.

One thing you need to keep in mind is that everybody is different, what I may find delicious you may find terrible so, again, you need patience because it will take time for you to find out which brands give you a flavor you like for each substitution.

The ones I recommend are the following:

For ice creams, the soy based ones are my favorites, the almond based ones are the one I dislike the most. Having said that, “Soy” ice crams are the ones I lie best.
Ironically for milk, I like almond milk the best, and I also like soymilk and rice drink. I have never tried the new cashew milk that has come to the market yet. I have prepared my own at home for cooking purposes. For almond milk I like “Blue Diamond, Almond Breeze”, for soy milk I like “Soy” and for rice drink I like “Rice Dream.”
For cheese “Daiya” has come a long way and has made a really good “cheddar” cheese that melts really well and tastes very good. The soy brands have also made a good job making “American” cheese, the brand that I have used for soy is “Go Veggie”, but you have to make sure they are vegan, not all of the are, and this brand does not melt as well as “Daiya”, but its cheaper.
For other dairy products like: cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta cheese, etc. Toffuti is the best. They also have really good ice cream as well.
For meats “Gardein” stole my heart. They have come out with a large variety of food alternatives that are very easy to prepare and taste great; also they use very healthy ingredients, which is extremely important, since one of the best benefits of becoming vegan is health improvement. Boca is also a good brand, and is cheaper.

In reality sky is the limit. With the help of social media you can recreate your favorite meals, although what would be best is to eat just fruits and veggies. I know it is not easy to stop eating processed food overnight, thats where the substitutions come in handy. You could little by little eliminate them until you are left with a truly plant based diet.

Please take a look at the link bellow to find a more detailed guide on how to substitute your favorite recipes.

Vegan kitchen

Here is a good video showing things you can eat when you plan to eat a diet more based on substitutions.