Learning about nutrition and working towards a plant based diet has taken time and patience. While I am not strictly avoiding any food groups, I try to limit certain items for animal welfare, health and sustainability. I have cut out some items that are high fat/cholesterol, for health reasons. I have learned a lot about marketing terms and farming practices which has helped guide the brands I choose to purchase, and foods I consume. With a lot of trial and error I found some great alternatives to my previously staple items. I try to make the best choices I can, but some food items I just can’t seem to replace. For today, I thought we could break down four foods I have easily given up, and three that aren’t exactly within my plant based goals, but too good to replace.
I looked back, and realized I don’t miss…..
- Milk: I drank milk, almost exclusively, as a child. I loved milk as a cold delicious beverage. Put it in all my cafe con leches, oatmeal and baked goods. As I got older, I did not like drinking a glass of it, but still used a significant amount in all other areas. But, then I felt bad about the dairy industry and the nutrition facts. Luckily, milk alternatives are extremely abundant at the grocery store. My personal favorite is Oat Planet oat milk. It is delicious, works perfectly in baked goods, lattes and is much healthier. I love it so much, and have completely stopped buying dairy milk. The other alternative is making homemade almond milk. This is a definite game changer. So sweet and nutty. The milk or dairy exception is evaporated milk, condensed milk or whipping cream. Although not used very often, there is no replacing those items.
- Butter: This category I can pretty much repeat everything in the milk category. There are great vegan alternatives with no cholesterol. I use it to bake and butter my toast, and see no sacrifice at all. I recently used it for banana bread, and it was a hit with everyone over at my home. I have been buying Miyokos, but there are several brands out there.
- Meat: This is a very wide category, so let me start by saying I have never been too adventurous with meats. I do not like to bite into meat on bones, I don’t like gamey meats, I don’t like weird animal parts like tongue or liver, and don’t like fatty meats. Needless to say, I was very limited in what I liked. I don’t love burgers, hot dogs or steak. I have always been ‘take it or leave it’ with meat. I do like pork and used to like deli meats. For health and environmental reasons I really wanted to try and cut those things out, and have to say I don’t miss it. I will still eat some poultry, like chicken or ground turkey, but try to focus on small, local farms that value animal welfare. It’s important to try and find the highest quality butcher you can find when you do eat meat/poultry.
- Fast food: Nutrition is important to me. This does not mean a highly processed breakfast sandwich at “low calorie” count. I focus on quality, and nutrient dense foods. If I eat out, I spend a little extra and visit a local vegan restaurant, go to fast casual that offers more fresh options, or a pizza with high quality ingredients. I also never feel good when I eat fast food, like McDonald’s or Wendy’s. I avoid foods that don’t make me feel good. There is almost always a better alternative than fast food, it just may not be the most convenient.
Food faves…
- Ice cream: I love ice cream. It is maybe my favorite dessert? Food? Snack? Yes, to all of the above. It is delicious, I love the creamy texture and endless combination of flavors. I may pick up and try a dairy free option, but they are usually not equal. Am I alone in not loving Halo Top?The best alternative I have had is Cado, which I only really recently discovered. I tried the salted caramel flavor, which was very creamy and tasty. Overall, this is a category I make room for in my flexible outlook to dieting. Jeni’s is up there as my favorite. I just ordered Malai, and was so impressed with the unique flavor and creamy texture. I have also homemade ice cream, which had a custard dairy and egg base. It was delicious, and fun, and cool to make without a machine (see below).
- Eggs: Eggs are so universal. Scrambled, in an omelette, fried, in baked goods, in ice cream, on toast. The versatile egg is just so versatile it is hard to cut it out. Cholesterol and the health of eggs is debated, along with the ethical standard of farming. I love vital farms, they have made a commitment to humane management of animals, and provide extensive space and a proper diet for chickens. The yolks have the most beautiful rich, yellow color. The marketing labels for eggs are particularly confusing. A vegetarian diet is not necessarily good for chickens, and cage free does not mean they have access to the outdoors. Understanding these marketing terms is important so you understand what you are buying and who you are supporting.
- Cheese: I do not eat a lot of cheese, but there are so many instances where it adds a lot of flavor and there isn’t a great alternative. Some vegan cheeses have so many ingredients, I am not convinced it is a better option. Love pizza, risotto, and a good cheese and cracker app.
I want to stress there are no bad foods. I am very flexible in eating everything I want, in moderation. This is just an observation of different foods I eat and changes I have successfully implemented on my journey to a healthier and more sustainable plant based diet. Within each category, I always try to find the highest quality items I can find. I also love supporting small businesses.
I think making even one change towards sustainability goes a long way. We don’t all need to be doing it perfectly, but rather everyone making small changes that lead to large impacts.
What are your favorite foods? Anything you also had an easy time replacing or cutting down on for environmental or health benefits?
