Are There Plant-Based Substitutes For Milk? Find Out!

While a vegetarian diet does not necessarily require one to go dairy free, some people might want to go vegan with their milk choices. If you do not know about plant-based substitutes for milk or where to start, don’t worry! We got you covered.

Here are some widely available alternatives:

• Almond Milk

Made by blending soaked almonds and straining away the solid, almond milk is a delicious nondairy milk alternative. Almond milk is rich in vitamin E, an important antioxidant that helps lower the risk of health conditions like stroke, heart disease, and cancer.

Note that it is not safe for those with nut allergies.

• Hazel Nut Milk

Good-quality hazelnut milk contains a higher concentration of hazelnuts, making it higher in calories and fat. However, this fat is healthy and monosaturated. It also contains minute amounts of potassium, iron, and calcium. Its rich, creamy, and nutty flavour complements desserts, smoothies, and coffee.

• Oat Milk

Oat milk is higher in carbs than most other kinds of plant milk. The soluble fibre in oat milk offers several health benefits, such as reducing your cholesterol levels and keeping you full for longer. Oat milk is naturally sweet and a bit creamier than other alternatives.

• Soy Milk

Soy Milk, Soy Food and Beverage Products Food nutrition concept.

Soybeans are an excellent source of complete protein. Its nutritional profile closely resembles cow milk. Soy is apt if you want to avoid dairy but want a milk beverage that is higher in protein. Soy milk may also help lower your cholesterol, blood pressure, and risk of breast cancer. 

Besides these, there are many other vegan milk options like potato milk, hemp seed milk, and sesame milk. Scour the web a little to find out which milk suits your needs the best, experiment with it, and have fun!

3 Myths About Vegetarian Diets BUSTED!

The vegetarian diet has numerous misconceptions surrounding it. Don’t let these myths discourage you from trying this dietary approach. Read on to discover the most common myths and what scientific research has to say about them.

Myth #1: The Vegetarian Diet Does Not Provide Enough Protein

Many vegetarian options provide protein equivalent to meat. There are plenty of satiating and protein-rich vegetarian ingredients that you can include in your meals. From soy and tofu to lentils and pulses- the options are endless! Other filling vegetarian protein sources include eggs and dairy products such as plain Greek yoghourt and cottage cheese.

Myth #2: Vegetarian Diet Guarantees Weight Loss

A vegetarian diet done right can certainly help you lose weight. However, weight loss is not a guarantee. Food like potato chips and other crisps do not contain animal products. So, consuming them is not against the vegetarian approach. However, these foods are high in calories and work against your weight loss goals.

According to studies, the principle for weight loss is eating in a calorie deficit with plenty of exercises. A vegetarian diet can aid in the same.

Myth #3: Going Veg Is Boring

A diet sans meat is NOT dull. With so many ingredients to try and numerous recipes to experiment with, the vegetarian diet is far from underwhelming. Try foods and flavours that are new to you. Unconventional fruits and veggies can make the whole process exciting.

Do not fall into the trap of myths. The vegetarian diet is one of the best diets anyone can follow.

A Complete Plant-Based Diet Food List

What exactly does following a plant-based diet mean? There are many definitions of a plant-based diet, but here we assume that the diet limits animal products, including meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy, in favour of whole, plant-based foods. Use this article to prepare a perfect grocery shopping list for your plant-based diet.

Protein

• Beans
• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Quinoa
• Tempeh
• Tofu
• Seitan
• Hummus

These ingredients should be consumed liberally, so shop accordingly.

Fat

• Avocado and nuts
• Avocado, olive, and coconut oils

Fruits and Veggies

There are no forbidden fruits or vegetables. Make sure to include:

• Bananas
• Pineapple
• Apples
• Berries
• Pears
• Oranges
• Peaches
• Broccoli
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Carrots
• Asparagus
• Cauliflower
• Tomatoes
• Spinach
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Zucchini
• Eggplant
• Artichokes
• Sweet potatoes
• Squash

Nuts and Seeds

No nuts and seeds are restricted. The healthiest choices are the raw, unsalted, and unsweetened variety. You can eat the following foods:

• Almonds
• Peanuts
• Cashews
• Pecans
• Macadamia nuts
• Pumpkin seeds
• Peanut butter
• Almond butter
• Sunflower seeds

Grains

• Brown rice
• Quinoa
• Bulgur
• Barley
• Oatmeal
• Farro
• Brown rice pasta

You can also occasionally use foods made with refined grains, such as white bread and pasta.

Sweeteners

• Maple syrup
• Date syrup
• Honey (not if you are on a vegan diet)

Drinks

• Coffee
• Tea
• Nut-based beverages (almond milk, cashew milk)
• Plant-based milk such as Oat milk, Soy milk, Rice milk etc
• Fresh juices and smoothies
• Wine

While there are many more items that you can explore while on a plant-based diet, we have listed the healthiest food options for you and your family. Have fun with the veg diet!

Source: https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/plant-based-diet-food-list-sample-menu/

How to Switch to a Plant-Based Diet? Here are some tips

Eating a vegan diet is one of the best things humans can do for nature and personal health. There are endless different approaches to switch to a plant-based diet easily and efficiently. 

Here are some methods you can choose to switch to a plant-based diet:

• Motivation

Motivation helps us to start a plant-based diet easily. Some common motivations for eating more plants can be animals, the environment, and personal health. Plant-based diets stop the slaughtering of animals and reduces the impact on the environment. It can reverse a variety of illnesses in turn providing good personal health.

• Watch vegan documentaries

Documentaries about the vegan lifestyle are quite popular these days. They include the stories of animal slaughtering and its effects on the environment. Some documentaries also showcase the goodness of plant food and how it helps to maintain a longer life.

• Start with one meal a day

Switching to a plant-based diet can be hard for people who love meat. Starting a plant-based diet overnight is not possible. Try to include one meal a day with fruits and vegetables.

• Replace one meat product at a time

At the start, you can begin by replacing one meat product from the breakfast. While you’re replacing an animal product, use the meat substitute to make the meal more palatable. This can continue with dairy and other meat products one by one at a time. Gradually, with time, you can easily replace everything with plant-based foods.

• Try meat substitutes

Meat replacements are quite famous these days and it tastes almost pretty delicious and is close to meat. Some of these are tofu, seitan, pulses, beans, tempeh among others. These are nutritionally good and many are fermented which favors the gut flora.

• Make an easy pantry swap

People are concerned about health these days and it’s easy to find vegan alternatives for staple foods in most grocery stores. Swap your regular milk with plant-based milk like soy, almond, or cashew milk. Try out non-dairy ice creams along with tempeh, seitan, tofu for meat replacements. 

• Find your reason

Plant-based diet decisions are based on our reason. Why should I follow this diet? How can it help the environment as well as my personal health? What type of plant-based diet should I choose? are some of the questions you can ask yourself. You can easily identify the answers and make it a good reason to start this diet.

• Find recipes and meal plans

There are many amazing meal plans and recipes available online which can easily suit your taste buds. You can sort them with your interest in ingredients and start a diet.

A sudden shift to a plant-based diet is not possible for everyone. Experts suggest focusing on bigger changes like switching from meat, egg, and dairy to whole plant foods. Such changes can dramatically improve the nutritional composition of your diet. This can help you to find the most noticeable and measurable improvements in health.

Eating More To Weigh Less: How it works in Plant-based Diets

Plant-based diets are primarily focused on fruits and vegetables. But, do you know about the concept of eating more to weigh less? It’s simple. The “eat more, weigh less” diet recommends consuming less than 10 percent fat and almost zero cholesterol and eating as many plant source products that you want. A plant-based diet can help you implement this concept.

What is Energy Density

What happens if you add fruits to your regular diets? Fruits are low in calories, but not zero. Will fruits and vegetables make us gain weight? Absolutely not! They have fiber and give a feeling of fullness. But the actual reason is the lower energy density. 

Energy density is the number of calories per unit weight of the food or beverage we consume. It is an important factor in body weight control in both adults and children. This concept gives us an option to eat more and weigh less.

Plant foods are high in water and fiber. This makes them lower in energy density. It gives a significant amount of weight without adding calories. Eating such foods can help you to feel fuller for a longer period. Such foods can be consumed as much as we want. Also, they provide a good amount of nutrients too.

High energy-dense foods like bacon, chocolate, and cheese chips can provide a high amount of calories with very few nutrients. Such foods in very small amounts can increase the fat content of the whole diet thus leading to weight gain.

Relationship between Energy Density and Body Weight

Research shows that there is a relationship between energy density and body weight, which gives an idea that consuming diets lower in energy density can be an effective strategy for weight control. This is also related to people’s dietary patterns. Humans tend to eat a consistent amount of food daily. The quantity remains the same even if the ingredients change. Energy density can be reduced in a variety of ways by adding vegetables and fruits to recipes or we can lower the fat or sugar content. Thus, plant-based diets give a feeling of fullness by providing fewer calories.

For example, a diet of 3000 calories can be decreased to 1500 when the ingredients are replaced with plant-based products. We are substituting less calorie-dense foods, which means a lot of fruits, whole grains, vegetables instead of meat and sugar. Consumers can enjoy the meal even if the calories are half in amount.

Substituting high-energy foods with plant products can limit calories as well. High-dense energy foods are usually processed and less healthy. They simply add calories to the diet. Lower energy-dense diets tend to be of more healthy foods and help to prevent a range of lifestyle chronic diseases. It makes us enjoy our meal too.

The interesting thing with a plant-based diet is that there is no calorie counting while you eat. You eat the food as much as you like.  Plant foods are low in calorific value and very high in nutrient density.  So, this helps you to lose weight as well as maintain a healthy and safe body.

What is the Difference Between Vegan And Plant-based Diet? Find out

Vegan and plant-based diets are popular diets because of their health benefits. A large number of people are ready to switch to a plant-based options. Some people may term it as “vegan” and others as “plant-based”. While they are similar in many aspects, there are some notable key differences between them.

A vegan diet doesn’t include any animal source. It’s an ethical and environmental diet too as it prevents the slaughtering of animals for food. Plant-based diets are primarily focused on fruits, vegetables, and whole foods avoiding processed foods. It may or may not involve meat and its sources. It’s the consumer’s choice.

Vegan diets

It started with the word veganism which means living in a way that avoids the consumption or exploitation of animals and their products. It primarily focuses on vegetarian products avoiding dairy, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and honey. Many people choose to follow a vegan diet for environmental reasons too. The rearing of animals and the processing industry can create a lot of harmful emissions like greenhouse gases. 

Plant-based diet

A plant-based diet should include a healthful consumption of plant foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and healthy oils while reducing intake of less healthy plant foods as well as animal foods. The main part is having more whole foods and avoiding all the processed foods.

Difference between a vegan and plant-based diet

• A vegan diet is not necessarily as healthy as a plant-based diet, as it involves many processed and unhealthy foods like fried foods, chips, and chocolate among others which are suitable for a vegan diet.

• A vegan diet can include high-calorie vegan foods while the goal of a plant-based diet is to maximize the consumption of nutritious plant foods while minimizing processed foods.

• A vegan diet is completely vegetarian and there is no consumption of animal foods. A plant-based diet is primarily focused on whole foods, but still, some consumers have meats like lean meat and poultry occasionally.

• Vegan people avoid all the products made with animals and even boycott products made with animal testing. But plant-based diet people aren’t involved in avoiding the products or services that cause sufferings to animals.

• People adopting a plant-based diet see it as a positive food choice, but vegan as a lifestyle centered around animal rights and this extends out into other lifestyle choices like beauty, fashion, and homewares, which explains the key distinction between these two terms. A vegan diet revolves around ethics, while a plant-based diet goes for more healthy choices.

Choosing a diet is completely a personal choice. Here, the term vegan extends to lifestyle choice beyond the diet. A vegan lifestyle makes sure that no animal is harmed in any way. But plant-based diets are more personal and health concerned. Both are increasing in popularity and can be healthy when planned properly.