If you normally eat meat, dairy, and eggs, the plant-based way of eating can seem daunting. You’re going to eliminate any food that comes from an animal. We also minimize oils and junk food. To get started, you’ll need to plan some meals and go grocery shopping.
I need ideas for meals!
The website Forks Over Knives offers a great meal planner (forksmealplanner.com), with grocery lists and weekend meal prep suggestions. You can try it free for one week.
I also recommend Dr. Michael Greger’s Daily Dozen–a checklist to make sure you’re getting the variety that’s important on a plant-based diet. Dr. Greger is the author of How Not to Die, a massive undertaking published in 2015. His website, nutritionfacts.org, contains the latest science on health and diet.
Google will be your friend. Search for plant-based meal plans. You’ll get millions of results!
What do I buy at the store?
Grab a cart and go right. (Why is produce always on the right?) Prepare to be overwhelmed by the choices. Which is why, before you left home, you made a plan. A rough idea of what you needed to cook meals for the next few days.
I always buy some greens, like chard, collards, or kale. Bok choy. Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, beets, green beans. Zucchini and summer squash, mushrooms. Bell peppers of all colors, carrots. Lettuces, tomatoes, cucumber for my daily salad. Sweet potatoes, onions, garlic. Extra-firm tofu.
Don’t forget avocados. Slightly soft means they are ready to eat. Leave them on the counter until then, refrigerate when they get there. Avocados and nuts are going to be your primary source of fat! So pick up some walnuts, almonds, pecans, and raw cashews (Chatham Market carries them in the bulk bins).
What fruit do we like? Oranges, blueberries, lemons, cantaloupe, mangoes, kiwi, apples. Pears, peaches, bananas, grapefruit. So many choices! You’ll be eating fruit at least twice a day, so stock up!
Zoom past the butchered meats and the cheese display. Head for the milk cooler and prepare to be overwhelmed again by the choices: almond, soy, oat, hemp, or coconut milk? Sweetened or not? Plain, chocolate, vanilla? Try different kinds to see what you like. I like unsweetened and plain, soy milk for my coffee, and almond milk for my oatmeal.
In the middle aisles, grab grains–brown rice and quinoa are my staples. Depending on the week’s recipes, I might also buy barley, millet, or bulgur. Most mornings I have oatmeal for breakfast.
The world of beans is next. Some kinds of dried beans need soaking and take a long time to cook, so for convenience it’s good to have cans of them on hand. Canned chickpeas, black beans, pinto beans, navy beans, and cannellini beans. Split peas (green and yellow) and lentils (green, brown, and red) cook quickly, so I buy them dry. Recently I bought an Instant Pot, a glorified pressure cooker. It cooks dried beans in 30 minutes! About once a week I cook up some chickpeas or pinto beans and keep them in the fridge.
You might want to get a few things in the baking aisle. I really like King Arthur’s white whole wheat flour. It’s a whole grain (thumbs up!) but not as heavy as brown whole wheat.
Almost done! It’s good to have on hand: nut butter, canned tomatoes, whole grain bread (we like Dave’s Killer Bread), whole grain pasta (brown rice pasta is great), whole wheat tortillas.
Nutritional yeast is a plant-based must-have. It’s packed with vitamins and adds a cheesy nutty flavor to whatever you sprinkle it on.
If you’re already plant-based, what’s your go-to for a delicious supper everyone loves?