How to Go Vegan–Part One: Vegan Substitutes

How to Go Vegan–Part One: Vegan Substitutes

Victoria Drake
Lifestyle

If you have ever thought about transitioning to a vegan diet (or eating less dairy and meat) in 2020, I highly suggest you make it a part of your new year! Going vegan was one of the best things I’ve ever done and has changed my life and my health for the better. 

I never in a million years imagined myself as a vegan (cheese dip at Mexican restaurants was my weakness and I once ate an entire stick of butter at Thanksgiving as a child…). But once I tried it for a week, then a month, then several months more, I realized how much it changed my health, life, and the way I look at food. 

If you’re veg curious, you’ve come to the right place! This is part one of a series of blog posts where I will walk you through the beginning steps to going vegan or starting your journey to eating less animal products.

Part One: Vegan Substitutes

Part Two: Resources and Education

I will spare you the long discussion about how veganism is great for your health, the environment, and saving animal lives through compassion (In part two of this series, I will list a lot of resources that help you explore these topics!). Although these topics are extremely important––they are the reason I’ve stayed vegan for more than 2 years now––everyone comes to veganism for their own reasons and each of these reasons I explored in my own time through paths along my journey.

However, through this first post, I want to cover the main question I hear all the time.

What do you eat?!?

According to Merriam Webster the definition of vegan is as follows:

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This means no beef, chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish, butter, cheese, milk, milk fat, milk powder, lard, beef tallow, milkfat, casein (another type of dairy protein), whey, eggs, cream, yogurt, egg whites… and so on. Essentially, anything that is produced by an animal. 

If you feel like this sounds next to impossible, think again! The popularity of vegan food has exploded in recent years and there are so many options for substitutes in your local grocery store. Vegan mock meats, cheese, butter, and more exist in most grocery stores. While these foods aren’t considered health foods in most cases, they do help transition to eating less animal products and are okay in moderation. 

daiya vegan pizza

Vegan Substitutes

Below, I’ve made the largest list of substitutes I know of and that are readily available in your local store’s natural food section or even the sections with the rest of the non-vegan food. Keep in mind I do live in the U.S., so this only includes products that are found here in the states. (For those in the UK, I envy your vegan sausage rolls like you wouldn’t believe…)

I’ve found most of these products at stores like Walmart, Food Lion, Wegmans, Kroger, Publix, ALDI, Trader Joe’s, and more.

MEAT SUBSTITUTES

Beef:

Beyond Meat

Beyond Meat Beefy Crumbles

MorningStar Farms Grillers Crumbles

Wegman’s Don’t Be Piggy Meatless Style Sausage Crumbles

Kroger Simple Truth Meatless Crumbles

BOCA Veggie Crumbles

Gardein Beefless Ground (my personal fave!!)

Gardein Beefless Tips

Gardein Sizzling Szechuan Beefless Strips

LightLife Plant Based Ground

LightLife Smart Ground (also comes in Mexican flavor)

LightLife Gimme Lean Beef

...or make your own vegan ground beef with my recipe!

boca vegan chicken

Or check out my Vegan Lemon Caper Chicken Piccata made with Gardein chicken!

Burgers:

ALDI Earth Grown Burgers (large variety!)

LightLife Ground Burgers

BOCA Burgers and Patties (Be sure to check––not all are vegan.)

Field Roast Fieldburger

MorningStar Farms Burgers (Be sure to check––not all are vegan. My favorite is the meat lovers!)

Beyond Burger

Fish:

Gardein Crabless Cakes & Fish Filets

Good Catch Tuna

Chorizo:

MorningStar Farms Chorizo Crumbles

Kroger Simple Truth Vegan Chorizo

Trader Joe’s Soy Chorizo

Upton’s Naturals Chorizo Seitan (Upton’s has a large selection of jackfruit and seitan mock meats!)

Field Roast Mexican Chipotle Sausage

LightLife Chorizo

tempeh avo toast

Cheese:

Violife (shreds, slices, parmesan, feta)

Daiya (shreds, blocks, slices, pizza, alfredo/cheese sauce)

Go Veggie Shreds

Field Roast Chao Cheese Slices

Follow Your Heart (slices, parmesan, shreds, etc.)

ALDI Earth Grown Vegan Mozzarella Style Shreds

Trader Joe’s Vegan Mozzarella Style Shreds

Miyoko’s Vegan Cheese Wheel & Mozzarella (this mozz melts like butter!!)

Tofutti Better than Cheese Ricotta

Mayo:

Hellman’s Vegan Dressing & Sandwich Spread (personal fave!)

Earth Balance Vegan Mayo

Follow Your Heart Veganaise

vegan tomato sandwich

Ranch/Caesar dressing:

Daiya (ranch, Caesar, italian, blue cheese, honey mustard)

Follow Your Heart (ranch, Caesar, honey mustard, etc.)


Eggs:

JUST Egg

Follow Your Heart Vegan Egg


Sour cream:

ALDI Earth Grown Dairy Free Sour Cream

Tofutti Sour Cream

Follow Your Heart Sour Cream

tofutti sour cream

This list will be ongoing and I will add as needed or as I think of more products. Essentially, eating vegan in 2020 is easier than ever before due to the rise of plant-based products. Use these substitutes as a way to help transition into a more plant-based diet. Check out your local grocery store, ask around, join a local vegan Facebook group that shares their shopping finds––there’s so much to discover!

Vegan Greek Tacos

Vegan Greek Tacos
Winter Thrift Finds

Winter Thrift Finds