5 Simple Changes To a Vegan Diet

Hey hey!

I thought it would be nice to do a post on just a few things that can be changed in one's diet in order to adopt a plant-based one.  After reading The Kind Diet back in the fall of 2009, I felt ready and inspired to jump into a vegan diet.  The last four years have been a wonderful learning experience.  There was a period where I went back to eating meat occasionally, but I officially gave it up in January 2013.  Dairy slips into my food here and there if I'm away from home, but making the transition away from it was surprisingly easy.  

Below are a five simple switches you can make in your diet if you're interested in a vegan diet.   I feel better from making these changes in my life - both mentally and physically - and I don't feel like I've given anything up.  In fact, I love almond milk way more than cow's milk and who needs cheese when daiya exists (see below)?!  I've linked all of the foods below to recipes I've posted in the past and the products too.  The websites provide a wealth of information regarding each food product as well.  

1 - Instead of cow's milk, try:  almond milk (my favorite kind), rice milk, soy milk, hemp milk.  These can all be store bought, but I've made my own almond milk with the Soyabella and rice milk with a blender.

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2 - Instead of regular cheese, try:  daiya and Tofutti cream cheese.  We go through a package of daiya cheddar in our house each week.  It's perfect in quesadillas, grilled cheese, and any other food you desire it with.  It melts just like regular cheese.  I swear you can't tell the difference.  I made my dad (who loves his meat and dairy) a grilled cheese with daiya and he didn't even notice the difference.  

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3- Instead of meat, try:  Tofurky Deli Slices, Tofurky sausages (love the Italian flavor), Field Roast sausages (Apple Maple flavor perfect at breakfast), tempeh bacon, and other meat substitutes.  There are faux chicken nuggets and patties out there and faux meat crumbles.  I don't even crave meat anymore, but with these delicious substitutes, I could always satisfy a craving.

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4 - Instead of regular mayonnaise, try: Vegenaise!  Perfect on sandwiches, wraps, in salad dressings, on quesadillas.  Oh it's just so tasty, you won't miss your old mayonnaise at all.  

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5 - Instead of regular butter, try: Earth Balance Buttery Spread.  Perfect on toast and great in all baking recipes that call for butter.  The cookies will taste just as good (but better, really!)

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I shop at Wegmans and I can easily find all these foods there, but I know lots of other grocery stores carry them as well.  And if yours doesn't, I would ask!

Would you give any of these vegan options a try?