More and more research is leading to the conclusion that a diet high in plant-based food is most beneficial for your health and energy levels. Deciding to embrace a high plant-based, or vegan lifestyle can be overwhelming and exciting. To begin, it’s a good idea to clear out your pantry and ensure you have the foundations right for making the transition.
Here are a few store cupboard ingredients that will make your new vegan lifestyle easier to follow.
Legumes/pulses/beans
However, you want to refer to them, stocking up on legumes is essential. These are essential plants with a pod and you can get them fresh or dried. Legumes are an excellent source of protein and fibre, and you can build many different meals around them. Lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, peas, nuts and black-eyed beans are all great examples. They’re easy to add to a soup, salad, rice dish or stew.
Whole grains
Better for you than refined grains (like white flour or white rice), whole grains such as brown rice, barley, buckwheat, spelt, rye, quinoa and oats are an important part of a vegan diet. Research has shown that consuming whole grains can reduce your risk of a number of chronic conditions.
Nuts
Nuts are a quick and nutritious snack. They can be used to add some flavor and texture to salads and grain dishes, and they are also great for creating a quick vegan pesto to add to your pasta too. Although you can keep them in your pantry, they go off quickly in warm weather so it’s best to pop them in an airtight container in your fridge or store them in your freezer to give them a longer life. Nuts are also great for making cheese and milk alternatives such as nut milk, almond feta and cashew cream cheese. Yum!!
Tahini
Tahini is a sesame paste that can be used for both sweet and savoury dishes. Use it to whip up a simple hummus(which can be used as a dip, salad accompaniment or sandwich filler) or mix with miso, garlic and lemon juice to create a simple dressing to pour over salad, pasta or tofu. For pudding, it’s simple to make these raw zesty lemon slices or these simple energy bars.
Coconut Products
Everything coconut is vegan so you can enjoy coconut milk, coconut butter, coconut oil, coconut nectar (honey alternative) and so many other coconut products as healthy alternatives to animal-based, or processed foods. Coconut is also a great source of healthy fats that don’t cause weight gain (unlike its dairy options). Coconut fat is actually a source of fuel for the body that increases metabolism and doesn’t store as fat. The Healthy Coconut Book – Your complete guide to the ultimate superfood, goes into extensive detail on the health benefits of coconut oil and coconut products, and it is a recipe book that offers over 100 plant-based, gluten-free, wholefood recipes for you to enjoy!
Getting the nourishment you need on a vegan diet isn’t difficult, you just need to make sure you have an understanding of your nutritional needs. Vegan Australia has a great guide to getting started, and you will find plenty of vegan recipes on our website that are packed with the nutritious ingredients your body needs.
Author: Jenni Madison
Jenni started Coconut Magic when she returned from living in Thailand in 2011. Whilst abroad, Jenni had discovered the most amazing quality of coconut oil and experienced her own health transformation. Jenni returned with very little other than her coconut oil discovery and a desire to share it with the world. Just a few months after her return coconut oil and whole new perception of well being started to become 'rediscovered' in the west. People were looking for clean, pure and sustainable, health products. People were eager to learn about health food, raw food and healing with plant-based nutrition. Based on this, alongside Jenni's passion to share what she had discovered in the East, the company grew fast.
Coconut Magic is committed to bringing you the highest quality coconut products, backed by sustainable, fairly traded production, and well-being education.
Find more about the author Jenni Madison here
