How To Master Your Vegan Meal Plan [recipes included]

Have you ever thought of going vegan but then decided it was too hard or you had no clue where to start? Whether you’re thinking about becoming vegan, a new or long-time vegan, you have come to the right place. 

In this blog, I will share with you exactly how to plan your vegan meals so you have enough to eat, get the nutrients you need to support your activities and health goals and feel great in the processes.

Getting Started

The first thing you’ll want to do when changing your diet, if it is drastically different from what you are doing now, is to consult a health care professional. However, I caution you to speak to the right professional if you are thinking of going vegan or already vegan looking for more advice. This is because there is still a misconception within the traditional medical community, and even naturopathic community, that a vegan diet may not be nutritionally adequate. This of course is wrong. 

Much evidence exists, from years of human studies, that a vegan diet, especially one that consists of mostly raw, whole food, is the healthiest way to eat. Eating an abundance of fresh, whole foods comes with a variety of health benefits including:

• Reduced risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and more. 
• Weight loss.
• Healthier skin, hair, teeth and nails.
• More energy.
• Longevity. 

Therefore, choose a health care professional who is educated in the benefits of nutrition and learn as much as you can from experts who have been coaching people to gain better health with this type of diet. 

Some of my favourite plant-based professional educators include:

•  Dr’s. Brian and Anna Clement from Hippocrates Health Institute. I have had the great pleasure of learning from the Hippocrates Health Institute for many years and was gifted the chance to visit the centre for one week. I have met many people who had transformed their lives and healed themselves from various diseases by following these lifestyle techniques. 

• Dr. T. Colin Campbell, author of The China Study. I met Dr. Campbell at a conference a few years back. He is lovely man with many years of research in the field of living a whole-food vegan diets and has proven, in the China Study, the many benefits. He is is the founder of the T. Colin Campbell Center For Nutrition Studies and the online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate in partnership with Cornell University. 

• Dr. Michael Greger, author and creator of NutritonFacts.org. I saw Dr. Greger speak at a conference a few year ago and loved what he had to say and how he presented the material. I have read his books, blogs and listen to his podcast on a regular basis. Dr. Greger is the the author of the book How Not To Die and a professional speaker and educator on the topic of whole-food, plant-based diets and the harms of eating animal products. 

• Dr. Caldwell Esselstyne is a retired cardiologist and founder of Dr. Esselstyne’s Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease Program. My favourite quote from him is, “coronary heart disease is a benign food borne illness which need never exist or progress.” When I saw him speak at a conference he said he’s made it his life’s mission to make the profession of cardiology extinct. This, I am sure, doesn’t’ sit well with his peers. 

• The Physician’s Committee For Responsible Medicine. This is an organization that is dedicated to saving and improving human and animal lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research.

Developing Your Meal Plan

When planning your meals it’s important to ensure that you eat a wide variety of foods to get all the nutrition you need to keep you healthy. 

However, I believe it’s also a good idea to have fun with your food and enjoy yourself on occasion with choices that may not be considered the healthiest. This will help keep your sanity and prevent feelings of deprivation. 

A good place to start with your meal planning is to review the “73 Ingredients To Stock Your Vegan Kitchen.” This will get your kitchen stocked and ready to make a variety of delicious meals. 

Some simple rules to follow when developing your vegan meal plans include:

• Eat at least one serving of a dark leafy green (spinach, kale, chard, spring greens, lettuce) each day. 

• Choose plant-based milks that have been fortified with vitamin B12, calcium and vegan vitamin D or, better yet, take natural, whole-food supplements to ensure all vitamin and mineral requirements. 

• Eat at least one serving of flaxseed, walnuts, hemp seeds or chia seeds to get your omega 3’s. Or, take a high-quality omega blend supplement to be sure you get a daily dose of these healthy essential fats. 

• Only eat as much as you need based on your height, weight, age and activity level. Think if it this way, if you have eaten to the point of satisfaction and you still have energy to go about your activities then you have likely eaten the right amount. However, if you have eaten so much that all you can do is have a nap the you have probably eaten too much and should cut down the portion of your next meal. 

• It’s always a good idea to make extra food. That way you will have left overs and it will be easy to eat a health lunch or dinner the next day. 

Sample 7-Day Meal Plan

This 7-day meal plan is only a sample and should be used as such. Feel free to adjust the plan as you want by adding different recipes and switching recipes around for different times of the day and different days. You may also find that you will have left overs and want to eat them up as another meal before you make a new recipes.

Any meal plan should be based around your own personal health and wellness goals. If you are looking to gain weight you will want foods that are higher in calories. If you are looking to lose weight you will want to eat foods that are very clean, lower in calories and rich in healing nutrients. If you are looking to maintain weight and good health then a nice balance of whole-foods and treat-like foods will be important. 

Remember, regardless of your goals, feeding your body with whole-foods will provide you with the best results. Save treats, such as desserts and packaged foods, for occasional meals although there is nothing wrong with allowing yourself to indulge once in awhile. That’s what life’s all about…enjoying yourself.