Plant-based Cuisine &
Health Optimization
If I stop eating animals, every month I save
30
Animals
33,000
Gallons of Water
900
Sq. Feet of Forest
Ditching Dairy
If you’ve decided to embrace the power of plants and dive into finding yummy alternatives to meat and dairy, let’s get going.
Let’s start with the staples that might be hard to find comparably yummy replacements: Milk and Cheese.
Our team has spent months fervently excavating the yummy, the foamy, the creamy.
We have no affiliate links and make no money on any product suggestions.
We just believe in these products!
Dairy Alternatives
Foam-Savvy Milk Alternatives
Ripple, Oatly, and Sproud
These three brands come closest to the taste and vibe of milk (while not latently damaging your bones or health that milk consumption does) and are also higher in Vitamin D and Calcium than milk. Sproud also has 50% less sugar than dairy milk, and 5x more protein than Almond milk.
Sproud: Best Foaming Award
For milk comparable foam factor, which dictates our affinities, Sproud (made with pea protein) takes the lead widely. I mean this stuff foams fluffy just like milk.
Oatly: Most Yummy Ice Cream Replica
Oatly bedazzles with its vanilla soft serve and its pints.
Say Cheese!
In the world of dairy-free cheese, there’s surprisingly excellent options out there.
Here’s a list of our favorites:
Follow Your Heart Shredded Cheese & Cheese Slices (Pictured)
Treeline Cream Cheese
Miyoko’s Mozarella
LOCA Cheese
Wanna make your own? Here’s a vegan parmesan from the Minimalist Baker you can bedazzle your taste buds with in under a minute prep!
Flax Milk
Flaxseed Milk is the most neutral goes-with-anything beverage and one of our favorites for many reasons.
It’s the lower in calories than all other options and contains no cholesterol or lactose, making it a heart-healthy alternative. Its filled with omega-3 fatty acids that are shown to prevent cancer, diabetes, heart diseases and strokes. In addition to having vitamins A, B12 and D, it is gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free!
Although it has many benefits, those with sensitive stomachs should regulate the amount they drink due to it being very high in fiber.
Plant-Based Cuisine
Though the vegan diet has abundant health benefits, a "vegan" food label doesn't necessarily equate to a healthy choice.
Focus on nutrient-dense whole-food, such as beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, whole grains and of course, plenty of fruits and vegetables.
We’ve also curated a few resources below to help you along the way.
Meal Planning
Easy Plant-Based recipes
Minimalist Baker
Minimalist Baker is an amazing source for delicious and inventive foods to keep your body happy. They celebrate simple cooking by sharing recipes that require 10 ingredients or less, 1 bowl, or 30 minutes or less to prepare.
Check out their Top 10 Recipes of 2021
Love&Lemons has put together a great list of 31 easy plant-based recipes that will satisfy any craving! They include vibrant grain bowls, hearty veggie burgers, noodles, sushi, and more!
Supplements
The debate over the need for supplements when transitioning to an all vegan diet is ongoing, but just to be on the safe side, we do recommend supplements.
Terraseed’s philosophy falls perfectly in line with Operation Animal Joy, and their approach is of high sustainable value.
Vimergy is an amazing source for products for smoothie boosting, immune support, and high quality organic supplements. We recommend their Advanced Support Kit, Micro-C, and Smoothie Booster Kit!
This beautiful company makes our favorite herbal supplements. Their focus is connecting people to the wisdom & healing of plants. Their products are cold-pressed, high quality, and sustainably sourced. They are also formulated without alcohol which we love! Three of our favorites are Turmeric Supreme, Elderberry Syrup, and Adrenal Daily Support.
Make your own!
A huge advantage of choosing plant-based milk is being able to make it at home— saving money and making sure you know exactly what’s going into what you drink. Plus it’s easier than you might think.
Minimalist Baker has created a guide for making some of the yummiest milks you’ve ever had. Their list of milks include: Almond, Coconut, Hemp, Oat, Rice (and Horchata), Macadamia, Cashew Coconut Oat (An Oil-Free Take on Oatly Barista Milk!), Creamy Coconut Hemp, and Creamy Chocolate Hazlenut.
Bonus idea: Try blending bananas into your milks for a tasty boost!
Vegan Athletes
Vegan diets: practical advice for athletes and exercisers
For those with a high intensity exercise lifestyle, nutrition plays an even more vital role in maintaining the body. This article attempts to review literature in order to provide recommendations for how to construct a vegan diet for athletes and exercisers.
