For a lot of people who want to go plant-based, a major obstacle is the wrong thinking that they ‘won’t have what to eat’. But, going plant-based and following a vegan diet, especially today, is easy if you know which ingredients you should have in your pantry.
With this in mind, if you’re still building your grocery list and you’ve just recently went plant-based or you’re planning to do so in the near future, make sure you check out the list we’ve prepped for you.
It’s consisted of some vegan essentials and useful tips about why that ingredient is important for your diet.
Just because you’ve made the choice to eliminate animal products from your nutrition, it doesn’t mean you’re depriving yourself of tasty food or missing out on vital nutrients.
A properly balanced vegan diet should be rich in minerals, vitamins, and fibers, and, very delicious!
My Vegan Grocery List: Great for Newbies & Experienced Vegans
Fruits
Fresh, dried, and frozen fruits definitely belong to a vegan diet.
Similarly to frozen veggies, frozen fruits are rich of vitamins and nutrients because they were frozen at a height of their ripeness.
You can use them in smoothies or with oatmeal. Dried fruits are an excellent choice for a healthy snack to avoid cravings and fight off bad mood.
Avoid overeating fruits because you can overstep the recommended daily carb amount.
Veggies
You should always stock up on different fresh and frozen vegetables. Leafy greens are definitely the basics of a vegan diet to get the needed nutrients.
You can buy fresh fruits and freeze them to have them out of season or buy frozen veggies that you can bake, stir-fry, steam, etc.
When you freeze veggies at a ripe period, you make sure you get the necessary nutrients and antioxidants when you consume them.
Grains
Whole grains are abundant in complex carbs, vitamins, protein, and minerals. Avoid the refined ones as they’re processed and may cause insulin spikes.
Opt for the whole grains and try to replace white for black rice. Also, add amaranth and quinoa- excellent sources of protein for plant-based eaters. And, they make a good replacement for rice.
Other excellent whole grains are bulgar, cornmeal, faro, kamut, oats, oat bran, rye, spelt, and whole wheat flour.
Legumes and beans
Beans are rich in vegan protein and other vital nutrients like iron, potassium, zinc, etc. dried beans have anti-nutrients so it’s pivotal to soak them overnight with some vinegar or cook them at a high heat to eliminate them.
If you choose soy, go with GMO-free; today, unfortunately, 90 percent of soy is GMO.
Nuts & seeds
Vegans can benefit from healthy fats like nuts and seeds. They will supply you with abundance of copper, manganese, vitamin E, zinc, selenium, and many antioxidants.
Being satiating and high in calories, they will maintain your satiety longer.
Choose walnuts, teff, tahini, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia, hazelnuts, hemp seeds, Brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, macadamia nuts, etc.
Herbs & spices
Spices play a vital role in the end taste of a meal- they can help you make it floral, fruity, hot, nutty, pungent, spicy, sweet, sour or woody.
But, they don’t just improve taste- they also supply us with antioxidants and other nutrients as well.
Make sure you add curcumin, garlic, parsley, basil, chives, cilantro, cumin, dill, oregano, nutmeg, rosemary, thyme, ginger, paprika, etc. to your daily diet.
Milk Alternatives
Today, there are so many great milk alternatives. Some of the most popular ones are almond, cashew, and coconut milk.
But, there are other options too, including hemp milk, flax milk, hazelnut milk, macadamia milk, rice milk, soy milk, etc.
Oils & Fats
Avoid oils with a low smoke point because they contain toxins and free radicals. Use extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, canola oil, coconut butter, grapeseed oil, sesame oil, and rice bran oil.
Sweeteners
Good plant-based sweeteners for vegans are coconut sugar, molasses, rice syrup, coconut sugar, and agave syrup.
Condiments
Vegans have plenty of plant-based condiments to choose from.
Some of the best ones are guacamole, hummus, kombucha, apple sauce, vinegar, baked beans, balsamic vinegar, mustard, salsa, soy sauce, lemon juice, and water kefir.
Fermented foods
Fermented foods are one of the healthiest foods in the world and luckily, plant-based and great for vegans. They will supply you with amazing nutrients.
Some of the most popular ones are kimchi, sauerkraut, real pickles, meigan cai, etc.
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