Building a Healthy Vegan Grocery List for Meals & Food Prep

Veganism is becoming a very common lifestyle and is one that involves staying away from anything that is gotten from animals. This includes but is not limited to food items.

Some years ago, the vegan lifestyle was not a very easy one. People that wanted to live the vegan lifestyle did not have enough vegan foods to choose from. Although this was not a good place to be in, people with the vegan lifestyle did not have the confusion of having to choose from several foods.

At the moment, we live in an age where there are lots of vegan foods available and selecting the right vegan foods might not be exactly easy. Do you live the vegan lifestyle and are looking to build a grocery list for meals? If yes, then, you are on the right page.

Below are some of the vegan foods you can make a major part of your diet or vegan meal replacement shakes.

Fruits

There are various ways to take fruits. You can decide to make them dry or frozen. While dry fruits can be eaten just after getting washed, frozen fruits are great for baking and for making smoothies.

Some fruits that can be taken fresh include blueberries, strawberries, cherries, mangoes, grapes, apricots, cantaloupe, Honeydew, Watermelon, blackberries, bananas, nectarines, plums, peaches, limes, lemons, grapefruit, oranges, kiwis, pears, and apples.

Fruits that should be consumed frozen include; mixed fruit blends, mango, sweet cherries, mixed berry blends, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries.

Dried fruits include banana chips, apple slices, figs, dates, apricots, currants, and raisings.

Vegetables

As one with a vegan lifestyle, you should always have your fridge stock with vegetables. These vegetables can be used in preparing sandwiches and salads. When buying vegetables, you should always select a variety of vegetables. These should include frozen and fresh vegetables. Unlike fresh vegetables which you might not be able to purchase extra as they could get spoilt, frozen vegetables do not get spoilt so easily. Furthermore, they can be prepared very easily. That’s not all. When you feed on frozen vegetables, you are bound to get more nutrients than when you feed on fresh vegetables. This is because vegetables are usually frozen just at their peak of ripeness.

There are various types of fresh vegetables. Some are meant to be cooked and eaten raw. Others are best cooked, while some have to be frozen to get the best out of them.

Legumes, Beans, and Grains

As one that lives the vegan lifestyle, you need to have a couple of whole grain bakery products for making pitas, wraps, and sandwiches. Grain bakery products do not stay a long time before getting frozen. This implies that you can keep some of them in your freezer and be certain that they will always be available whenever you need them. Furthermore, you should also have some whole grains, some soy products, legumes, and beans. To get the best out of these, after mixing them, you can eat them alongside a vegetable side dish.

Eating whole grains and vegetables is a great way to provide your body with some nutrients. However, if you need to feed on something really fast in the morning, you can always make oatmeal.

Some whole wheat food items you should have in the house are pasta, pitas, bagels, English muffins, tortillas, and bread. That’s not all. You should also have some whole starches and whole grains in your store of food items. Some of these whole grains are sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, seitan, quinoa, oatmeal, and brown rice.

Beans and Legumes should include Edamame, veggie burgers, hummus, lentils( dry), kidney beans, black beans (canned/dry), kidneys beans, black beans (canned/ dry), chickpeas (canned/dry).

You should have some soy products. These soy products should include soy milk, tempeh, smoked/marinated tofu, soft/silken tofu, and firm tofu.

Healthy Fat

Healthy fats should not be put aside when putting together a vegan diet. When putting meals together for the purpose of getting healthy fat, you need to consider meals that are rich in omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. To get the right amount of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, you should feed on foods such as olives, nuts/seed, dark chocolate, and avocado.

Some foods that are high in fat and can be trusted to provide your body with the level of healthy fats it needs are hummus, olives dark chocolate, coconut milk, edamame, and avocado. Furthermore, you will need to make use of oils in preparing your meals. Some oils you can depend on to get the best out of your meals are vegan margarine, vegan “butter” canola oil, olive oil, sesame oil, flax seed oil, coconut oil.

Some nuts and seeds you should make a part of your meal are tahini (sesame butter), sesame seeds, ground flax seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seed butter, sunflower seeds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, almonds, almond/ nut butters, peanuts, etc.

Non-Diary Products

You should always have in your home at least 1 unsweetened non-diary milk. This can be used for baking, cooking, and making smoothies. In addition to making use of non-sweetened non-diary milk, you should also select  non-diary milk which has a great taste. This can be taken on its own. Furthermore, it can be added to coffee and tea. That’s not all. You will also need to select a plant-based milk that has a very rich flavor. If you are not sure what plant-based milk you want to select, you can make use of soy milk. Soy milk is a good option because it is rich in protein and can provide the body with the level of nutrients that cows’ milk provides.

When looking to buy milk, your alternatives are flax milk, hemp milk, rice milk, coconut milk, oat milk, cashew milk, almond milk, and soy milk.

Beyond purchasing milk, you can purchase some yogurt, butter, and cheese. These should include but should not be limited to vegan cream yeast, vegan cheese shreds/ slices, vegan butter, tofu, etc.