Online, vegans are frequently stereotyped as preachy know-it-alls, ready to tell you all about their dietary choices faster than you can say “pass the milk.” However, despite this misleading reputation, today’s market shows one of the fastest growths in plant-based diets we’ve ever seen (upwards of 43 percent in the last two years alone), and with good reason.
Vegan diet planning can be a fantastic way to improve your heart health, help the environment, and prepare for your week. However, before you get started, it's important to learn not only how to meal-prep for a vegan lifestyle, but also how to do so in a safe, healthy way.
Curious about what a week of vegan meals can do for you? My Fit Foods has the info on why so many others have hopped on the vegan train.
The Benefits
Whether for moral or health-based reasons, vegans are people who have chosen to omit any products created by animals, including meat, dairy, and eggs. At first glance, this lifestyle may seem incredibly restrictive, but it's actually easier to maintain than you might think. An entirely plant-based diet has been proven to open doors to a healthier lifestyle.
Studies have shown that by passing on many of the traditional sources of protein, vegans inevitably turn to lower-fat alternatives, boosting their overall health. While it’s not usually the overall goal of a vegan, one happy side effect of this lifestyle is often weight loss.
While obesity has reached the levels of an epidemic in America and around the world, those following a plant-based diet statistically fall well within a healthy cardiovascular range. In fact, studies suggest those with a history of heart issues permanently abandon any animal or soy-based products altogether after seeing the results of a vegan diet.
In addition to being great for your overall health, a vegan diet is great for the environment. Factory farming is one of the greatest contributors to worldwide greenhouse gases. Not supporting this industry, even on a temporary level, you provide support for our planet. To take this a step further, a vegan lifestyle can easily be transitioned into one that provides economic support for local economies. Look up all the farmer’s markets in your area and enjoy the delicious benefits.
Plan Around Protein
If you plan on giving the vegan lifestyle a whirl, even just for the span of a week or so, there is one uncomfortable truth that you’ll have to accept: many of our most important nutrients, including protein, come from animal products.
Protein is an incredibly important macronutrient responsible for building up muscular tissue. Those who struggle to maintain a healthy level of protein in their diet may find themselves frequently ill, fatigued, or unable to gain muscle.
However, that doesn’t mean that trying a vegan diet means accepting a poor macronutrient balance. Meat isn’t the only source of protein available. When beginning a vegan meal plan, it's smart to start with plant-based protein, then plan your other ingredients accordingly. Common protein sources include:
- Chickpeas
- Nuts
- Beans
- Dark, leafy greens
- Tofu
- Nutritional yeast
You can try starting each day with a delicious, fruit-based protein shake. There are plenty of plant-based protein supplements available to try. All it takes is a quick trip to your nearest vitamin store. While you’re there, you may be interested in picking up a few other items, including vitamin chews.
Invest in Vitamins
Protein is the most commonly lacking macronutrient in vegans, but there are a few micronutrients to watch out for as well. Those following an entirely plant-based diet frequently find themselves lacking invitamins B12, B9, Iron, and vitamin D.
B Vitamins are largely responsible for supplying the human body with energy, and people low in this category are prone to experience irritability, fatigue, or even depression. To fill in these gaps, try adding spinach, bananas, and mango to your morning shake. Dark, leafy greens and tropical fruits tend to be high in B vitamins; plus, they taste delicious.
Iron and Vitamin D are easier fixes. While most people get enough iron from meat, vegans can get their fix through beans, nuts, and quinoa. Vitamin D is the easiest; just take a walk outside. While vegans tend to be lower in vitamin D than the average eater, vitamin D deprivation is surprisingly common.
One dietary study performed in England concluded that a plant-based diet was nutrient-dense enough to help participants easily lose weight without too many negative losses. Though you may need to be careful with your meal prep, this lifestyle plan is still doctor-approved.
Still, if you find yourself irritable, tired, or frequently suffering from headaches despite eating your veggies, there is absolutely no shame in turning to vitamins and supplements. While vitamins are no substitute for the real thing, they are excellent in bridging the gap that may have been created during your dietary transition.
Buy Frozen
Because a vegan diet is so largely based on vegetables, you may find that after multiple grocery trips to replace your wilted greens, you’re ready to give up altogether. The fix for this problem is cheap and easy: frozen greens.
While it may not be as cute as a trip to the farmer’s market, frozen vegetables are truly almost as good. During the process of flash freezing their vegetables, food processing plants trap them in what was their “freshest” state, meaning that you get food of basically the same quality but for one difference: these won’t go bad before you have a chance to use them.
Not only that, but frozen foods tend to be mere pennies in a bag, meaning your wallet won’t feel the negative impact of your positive diet change. One trip to the grocery store per week is enough to keep you full every day.
Bowls Are Your Best Friend
As you learn more about how to create a healthy, balanced vegan meal prep, you may find that, while a smoothie is great for the mornings, a vegan bowl makes for the ideal packed lunch.
Vegan bowls, affectionately known as “buddha bowls” or “harvest bowls,” are absolutely delicious, filling, and a breeze to customize. A mixture of vegetables and grains, the end results of these bowls are a nutritionally balanced meal that also happens to be absolutely beautiful. To create a bowl of your own, you need three simple layers.
The Base
Typically a carb is the base layer of your bowl. It’s what fills you up until dinner time. The base should typically take up ⅓- ⅔ of your bowl. Options include:
- Brown rice
- Quinoa
- Couscous
- Cauliflower rice
The Protein
Remember, one of your biggest challenges as a vegan is going to be guaranteeing that you get enough protein. A simple way to do so is to incorporate a healthy dose into your bowl during lunchtime. Proteins that mix well with other flavors include:
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Chickpeas
- Edamame
- Fried tofu
While you could fill ⅓ of your bowl entirely with a single protein, we suggest combining several together. Personally, we love the crunch of roasted chickpea combined with the salty flavor of raw edamame.
The Veggies
By now, we’re sure you see where we’re going with this. Fill in any extra space in your bowl with whatever roots or veggies your heart may desire. Though the list could go on forever, our favorites include:
- Diced, roasted sweet potato
- Shredded carrots
- Arugula
- Baby Spinach
- Avocado
- Thinly sliced bell peppers
- Mushrooms
- Berries
- Fried onions
- Purple cabbage
- Grape tomatoes
To finish your bowl, sprinkle with a final layer of flavor. If you’re hoping for a lighter lunch, try a squirt of lime juice followed by shredded cilantro. Olives and hummus make a great dressing for a Mediterranean twist. Just have fun, enjoy the beauty of the process, and make this buddha bowl your own.
Conclusion
While a vegan diet is great for anyone suffering from heart or diabetes-related health issues, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Those hoping to follow this lifestyle, whether that be for a few days or for a lifetime, need to know how to do it in a healthy, affordable way. If you need extra help, you can always turn to expert meal preppers to make this positive life change work for you!
Sources:
Retail Sales Data: Plant-Based Diets | GFI
Nutritional Update for Physicians: Plant-Based Diets | NCBI