How to Eat Vegan Without Giving Up Foods You Love (No More Hungry Vegan!)

Veganism has gone mainstream. In the US alone there’s been a 600% rise in the number of vegans! Yes, you read that number right, wowa. These days, it isn’t a diet that’s reserved for hippies and eccentrics. Nope, veganism has hit the masses! However, despite its skyrocketing popularity, there remain many misconceptions about the diet itself. There’s the fear of being a hungry vegan and giving up all your favorite foods. So today I’m explaining how to eat vegan and still get all the flavors you love having!

You Don’t Have to be a Hungry Vegan

Surprising as it may be, going vegan doesn’t mean restricting yourself to lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes. That couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, there are all sorts of delicious non-animal-based foodstuffs that keep you satiated, healthy, and happy.

Don’t be a hungry vegan! Keep reading to discover 7 awesome foods that define how to eat vegan the right way.

Tofu

You may have already heard about tofu.

“Isn’t it that weird, slippery, white mush?” You ask. Well, not exactly.

It is white. And it can be a little slippery, depending on the tofu type and how you cook it.

However, it’s far tastier than it sounds when cooked right. Indeed, because of how great it is, tofu is a staple of many vegetarian and vegan diets. Made from soybeans, it’s packed full of protein and high in iron and calcium. Oh, and there’s no cholesterol either.

You can cook it almost any way you like! Bake it, fry it or put it straight into your dishes. Worried about giving up your scrambled eggs? Well, scrambled tofu has you covered.

Want something meaty between your teeth? Well, firmer forms of tofu can provide the perfect substitute (more on meat substitutes later).

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are amazing. No matter the type you choose to cook with (be it Shiitake, Portobello, or your good old Button), mushrooms will have you covered.

Grill them whole, mush them up into “burger” patties, and slice and dice them into vegan Bolognese… The options are endless. Indeed, mushrooms are another common meat substitute in the vegan world. The texture lends itself amazingly well to the task.

They’re packed full of vitamins and minerals too. Lastly, mushrooms are low in fat and great at preventing a hungry vegan.

How to Eat Vegan with Avocados

Oh, avocados. You beautiful fruit, you. Yes, they’re a fruit, not a vegetable!

Avocados have shot upwards in popularity in recent years too. They seem to grace the breakfast menus of every hipster cafe and restaurant under the sun. And can you blame anyone for indulging in them?!

For vegans and non-vegans alike, avocados provide a nutrient-dense food to use in all sorts of ways. Chop them up and smash them onto sourdough toast, mince them into guacamole. Or, make a batch of avocado pesto, using this fruit in place of cheese.

There are endless ways to eat avos. They’re buttery, full of fats – of the good kind – and have tons of vitamins and minerals too.

Nutritional Yeast

This is one you might not have heard of before. Vegans are a bit obsessed with nutritional yeast. It’s lovingly referred to as “nooch” by most people.

However, the average person may never have come across it before. When you’re learning how to eat vegan, it’s only a matter of time before it hits your radar though.

It doesn’t sound great, I admit it. Literally, it’s what’s known as a “deactivated” yeast. If you saw that on a menu it’s unlikely you’d be tempted to indulge in it. But never judge a book by its cover!

For some mysterious reason (ok, probably not all that mysterious in reality), nooch has an incredible cheesy smell and taste. This makes it epic in fake cheese sauces, on top of pasta, and as a topping to most savory dishes.

For a flavor-boosting, cheese-replacing vegan alternative, it doesn’t get much better than nooch. Plus, it’s full of healthy things, including B vitamins and protein.

Non-Dairy Milk, Cheese, Yogurt & Ice cream

Cheese is a common reason many people assume veganism isn’t for them. The thought of giving up dairy, in general, is a tough one for most non-vegans.

However, doing so isn’t nearly as hard as you think. That’s because there’s now an abundance of awesome, nutritious, and tasty dairy alternatives.

A few dairy alternatives to prevent a hungry vegan are:

• Almond milk
• Soy milk
• Rice milk
• Oat milk
• Coconut milk

Try them, seriously! They’re all delicious, and make easy replacements for cow’s milk.

Even better, they’re now used to make insanely good non-dairy ice cream (hello peanut butter and Oreo Ben and Jerry’s!). Likewise, soy or coconut yogurts, vegan cheese… Essentially all typical dairy products now come in vegan form.

Dates: A Yummy Part of How to Eat Vegan

On to the sweet stuff. Honestly, dates are God’s gift to vegans.

It’s worth noting that many vegans choose not to eat “normal” sugar. Horrible as it sounds, this stuff often gets refined using the char from animal bones. Likewise, pesticides are a problem, as well as the exploitation of sugar plantation workers overseas.

Dates are naturally high in sugar. That sweetness gets put to good use. For example, many vegan sweets have dates as their base. It gets used in caramel sauces and other delectable treats!

Another sugar substitute to consider is beet sugar. If you do embrace dates after reading this guide on how to eat vegan, they’re yummy sweet additions to breakfast cereal. Here’s more info on this subject.

Non-Dairy Chocolate

We have good news: There’s a vegan substitute for everything.

That means you don’t have to give up chocolate! No cranky, hungry vegan, got that right.

Dark chocolate almost always avoids milk solids anyway. You’re already good to go there. But white chocolate and milk chocolate now come “veganised” too, which is good news if you have a sweet tooth as I do.

Don’t Be a Hungry Vegan!

There you have it, 7 top vegan dietary tips for how to eat vegan that will fill your tummy.

Not only that but you’ll also now be open the doors to renowned benefits of vegan diets, including:

• Health benefits
• Weight-loss support
• General good for animals and the environment

In other words, go vegan and everyone’s a winner.

Final Words on How to Eat Vegan

Unfortunately, there remains a mass of misinformation, misconception, and slight stigma around veganism. Many people think of vegan and conjure images of boring green salads. Thankfully, this couldn’t be further from the truth, as shown above.

True vegans eat incredibly tasty, wholesome, and nutritious food. You just have to know how to do it! And… now you do.

Want more ideas? Check out these two yummy vegan recipes!