The

Complete
Guide to
Vegan Food
BY THE VEGAN ACTIVIST
 Contents
Fundamentals........................................3
Breakfast................................................3
Lunch.........................................................3
Dinner.......................................................4
Dessert.....................................................4
Snacks......................................................5
Tips for eating out............................6
Tips for eating cheaply..................6
Tips for busy/lazy lifestyle........7
Substitutes.............................................7
Palm oil...................................................8
Alcohol....................................................8
Checking labels...................................8
Nutrients.................................................9
Protein Sources..................................10
Iron Sources..........................................11
B12 Sources............................................12
Calcium Sources..................................13
support....................................................14

THE COMPLETE
GUIDE TO
VEGAN FOOD
the vegan activist
 The Complete Guide To Vegan Food
the vegan Activist

Fundamentals:
Eat enough food for your gender, age, size and activity level - check with
Cron-o-meter: https://cronometer.com/
Base your meals around calorically dense foods like bananas, dates,
mangoes, potatoes, rice, pasta, oats, bread etc.

Breakfast:
• Cereals (with Vegan milks and fruits, nuts etc.)
• Oatmeal AKA porridge (with Vegan milks/water and fruits, nuts etc.)
• Toast and bagels with jam, fruit, nut butters, hummus, guacamole, Vegan butter, marmite,
tofu scrambles or fry up ingredients.

Fruit:
• Smoothies
• Mono-meals
• Salads
• Nice cream

More recipes and ideas:

http://www.govegan.org.uk/category/breakfast/
http://www.buzzfeed.com/deenashanker/vegan-breakfasts#.ln1B61QZb

Lunch:
• Bread-based (sandwiches, bagels, pitas, wraps and burritos)
with salad, hummus, avocado etc.
• Vegetable Sushi

Salads:
• Pasta salads
• Potato salads
• Cous-Cous salads
• Quinoa salads

More recipes and ideas:

http://www.popsugar.com.au/fitness/Healthy-Vegan-Lunch-Recipes-33902049#interstitial-1
http://ohsheglows.com/2014/02/21/15-vegan-lunch-ideas/

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Dinner:
• Vegan Quiche
• Stir fry & noodles with potato wedges
• Curries or chillis: With pasta, potatoes, rice, noodles etc.
• Vegan burgers/sausages/fish with chips
• Pasta bakes
• Potato bakes
• Various soups
• Stuffed peppers/mushrooms
• Spaghetti Bolognese
• Shepherd’s pie
• Pizza

More recipes and ideas:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/deenashanker/satisfying-vegan-dinners#.pqqO2g1qP
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/vegan

Dessert:
• Fruit
• Vegan cakes
• Vegan pies
• Vegan cheesecakes
• Vegan chocolate (and chocolate mousse)
• Vegan Ice-cream
• Fruit sorbets
• Vegan biscuits
• Vegan bars

More recipes and ideas:

http://ohsheglows.com/categories/recipes-2/dessert-2/
http://allrecipes.com/recipes/1664/everyday-cooking/vegan/desserts/?page=2

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Snacks:
• Fresh/dried fruit
• Rice cakes
• Crackers
• Nuts & seeds
• Vegan flapjacks, biscuits, sweets and chocolates

Bars:
• Trek bars
• Nakd bars
• Cliff bars
• Rude bars
• Frank bars
• Luna Bars

More Recipes and Ideas

• Crisps and popcorn: http://theveganwomble.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/popcorn
• Biscuits: http://theveganwomble.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/vegan-biscuits-uk.html
• And various sweets, chocolates and other snacks can be found here:
http://www.peta.org.uk/blog/44-accidentally-vegan-snack-foods/

AND CHECK OUT:

Vegan Kit: http://www.vegankit.com/eat
The Vegan Corner: https://www.youtube.com/user/thevegancorner
Plant Based Judy: https://www.youtube.com/user/plantbasedjudy
Veganuary: http://www.veganuary.com/recipes/
Search “Vegan recipes” or “Vegan What I Eat In A Day” into Google or YouTube for more!

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Tips for eating out:

Restaurant tips:
• HappyCow website or app: http://www.happycow.net/
• Ask for what’s Vegan (and explain, meat, dairy, eggs, honey and other
animal products) and if there isn’t anything ask if you can have
something without the non-vegan ingredients.

For example, you can order a pizza, but without the cheese and with extra vegetables. Many restaurants
will be happy to accommodate, but if not, use the opportunity to suggest that they should include some
Vegan options.

Quick lunches:
• Vegan bars
• Smoothies and juices
• Pack of dried fruits (and nuts) like raisins and dates
• Bag of apples, grapes etc.
• Pack of pita bread with salad bowl and hummus

Tips for eating cheaply:

Cheapest ingredients:
• Potatoes
• Pasta
• Rice
• Oats
• Corn
• Quinoa
• Lentils
• Beans
• Tinned (canned) tomatoes
• Raisins
• Bananas

Cheap Vegan Meal Examples Under £1:

• Raisins, water & oatmeal £0.12-25p
• Banana smoothie £0.55p- £1
• Beans & potato wedges £0.48-£1p
• Rice & Broccolli £0.35-50p

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Tips for busy/lazy lifestyles:

• Make meals in bulk and refrigerate or freeze for later.
• Carry dried fruits, pita bread and nuts around
• Use pre-prepared frozen fruit and vegetables

Quick, filling breakfasts:

• Oatmeal
• Bottled smoothies

Cheap Lazy Vegan: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEjkioV3LO_OIUaSWRxFZ3A

Check out her grocery guide and series about eating Vegan on $3 a day.

Substitutes:

There are loads to choose from like vegan cheeses, meats, milks, yoghurts, ice-creams, cakes,
chocolates, burgers, sausages even egg replacers.

American Shopping Guide:

http://www.adaptt.org/shopping.html

UK Shops:
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Waitrose, Morrisons all have lines of substitute products.

• Holland And Barret: http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/food-drink/vegan/#so=sort_topseller&to-

talNumRecs=124
• Vegusto: http://vegusto.co.uk/
• Vegan Store: https://www.veganstore.co.uk/ http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/di-
et/V-Vegan.html
• Ocado: https://www.ocado.com/webshop/getCategories.do?tags=%7C20000%7C20011

Australian Shopping Guide:

• http://www.unleashed.org.au/change_the_world/go_veg/shopping_guide.php

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Palm Oil:

New Vegans should focus on eliminating animal products first and ensure that their lifestyle is sustainable
before worrying about palm oil. However, it is incredibly damaging to humans, animals and the
environment, which is why many Vegans choose to avoid it.
Further information: http://bitesizevegan.com/ethics-and-morality/is-palm-oil-vegan/

Alcohol:

Further information: http://bitesizevegan.com/vegan-lifestyle-2/is-alcohol-vegan/

Barnivore: http://www.barnivore.com/
Recognised allergens:
Checking labels:
Celery Mustard
Crustaceans Nuts
• Allergen list should show eggs, dairy and fish.
Eggs Peanuts
• Suitable for vegetarian labels help show if there’s meat in it.
Fish Sesame
• Common ingredients: Meat, dairy, eggs and honey
Gluten Soya
• Other common ingredients: Casein, whey, rennet and lactose,
Lupin Sulpher Dioxide
which come from dairy, although lactic acid is almost always Vegan.
Milk Tree Nuts
• Carmine (also called Red 5, E120 or cochineal) or caminic acid
Molluscs
which comes from insects and is used as a red dye.
• Beeswax (E901) and shellac (E904) are often used as a coating
for things like sweets.
• Also look out for Vitamin D3, which is extracted from either
fish or sheep’s wool.
• Look out for E numbers like E542, E913, E966 and E1105.

Complete lists for ingredients:

• http://www.food-info.net/uk/ingredientlist.htm
• http://www.veganwolf.com/animal_ingredients.htm

E numbers:
• http://www.food-info.net/uk/qa/qa-fi45.htm

Is It Vegan App:
• App for checking products instantly: IS IT VEGAN?
(on Android, Google Play and the App Store)

'Is It Vegan?' App

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Nutrients:

• There’s plenty of Protein, Iron, Calcium, Zinc, Omegas... in plants

• Vitamin D should be sourced from the sun - about 20-30 minutes in the midday sun should be enough.
Otherwise, eat fortified foods like Vegan milks or take a supplement.
• B12: Whole plant foods provide all the nutrients we need to be healthy. However, because of current
agricultural practices, it’s difficult to obtain vitamin B12 naturally anymore. B12 is a bacteria that comes
from the soil and is found in our bodies. Before we started destroying the soil and washing things, we
used to get it from things like unwashed vegetables. Other animals get some from there and some from
eating their own faeces. It can also be found in dead animals, because they get some from the soil and
are injected with it.

However, since humans have to cook meat, (B12 is destroyed by heat) meat/dairy/eggs aren’t really a
reliable source. Both Vegans and non-Vegans can become deficient if they don’t supplement. But it’s
pretty much fortified into everything, so we don’t have to think about it. Our bodies are good at re-
absorbing it from our intestine, so it can take years for any kind of deficiencies to occur. So you don’t
need to worry about it too much. As a Vegan, you can get it from fortified cereals, dairy free milks, yeast
flakes, marmite, or just a tablet.

Since credible Doctors like Michael Greger recommend supplementing B12 whether you’re Vegan
or not, I recommend taking a weekly B12 supplement providing at least 2000mg. It’s easy to dismiss
supplementation as unhealthy and unnatural, but in the world we live in, this kind of purity is a pointless
concept. Clothing is a supplement, just as a toothbrush is, but they do us good so they’re good to use.

• Use the Vitamins, Minerals And Other Nutrients section of ADAPTT for a complete list of where to
find each nutrient: http://www.adaptt.org/veganism.html
• Use https://cronometer.com/ to track nutrients.

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Vegan Protein Sources:

• Tempeh 41g (1 cup)
• Tofu 11g (1 cup)
• Wheat Germ 33g (1 cup) Protein RDA:
• Seitan 31g (1 cup) 0.8g* per kg body weight
• Buckwheat 24g (1 cup) *Increases with activity level

• Lentils 18g (1 cup)

• Peas 9g (1 cup)
• Wild Rice 7g (1 cup)
• Quinoa 9g (1 cup)
• Spinach 5g (1 cup)
• Artichoke 4g (1 cup)
• Brussel Sprouts 4g (1 cup)
• Avocado 4g (1 med)

Beans
• Black Beans 15g (1 cup)
• Kidney Beans 13g (1 cup)
• Pinto Beans 12g (1 cup)
• Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas) 12g (1 cup)
• Soy Beans 29g (1 cup)

Nuts
• Peanuts 7g (1 oz)
• Almonds 6g (1 oz)
• Pistachios 6g (1 oz)
• Cashews 5g (1 oz)
• Brazilian 4g (1 oz)
• Walnuts 4g (1 oz)

Seeds
• Pumpkin Seeds 8g (1 oz)
• Sunflower Seeds 5g (1 oz)

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Vegan IRON Sources:

Two types of Iron: 1. Heme (Animals) 2. Non-Heme: (Plants)

Legumes
• Soy Beans 8.8mg (1 cup-cooked) Iron RDA:
• Lentils 6.6mg (1 cup-cooked) Female: 8-18mg
Male: 8-11mg
• Tofu 6.4mg (4 ounces)
• Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas) 4.7mg (1 cup-cooked)
• Tempeh 4.5mg (1 cup)
• Lima Beans 4.0mg (1 cup-cooked)

Vegetables
• Collard Greens 4.5mg (1 cup-cooked)
• Swiss Chard 4.0mg (1 cup-cooked)
• Potato 3.2mg (1 large)
• Tomato Sauce 2.5mg (1 cup)
• Watermelon 1.8mg (1/8 medium)
• Dried Apricots 1.4mg (15 halves)

Nuts
• Cashews 2.1mg (1/4 cup)
• Pine nuts 1.8mg (1/4 cup)
• Pistachios 1.4mg (1/4 cup)

Seeds
• Chia Seeds 2.2mg (1 oz)
• Sesame Seeds 1.0mg (2 Tbsp)

Other
• Blackstrap Mollases 7.2mg (2 Tbsp)
• Prune juice 3.0mg (8 oz)

Grains
• Quinoa 2.8mg (1 cup)
• Oatmeal 2.1mg (1 cup)
• Fortified Cereals (varies by brand)

Unfortunately, spinach is high in Iron, but also contains oxalates that block absorbtion. It's possible to
eat TOO much Iron so Iron absorbtion is almost (if not more) important than just eating lots of Iron.

Iron Absorbtion Tips:

1. Combine vegan (non-heme) iron foods with foods rich in Vitamin C
2. Avoid hefty meals and eat smaller amounts throughout the day
3. Avoid coffee & tea 1-2 hours before and/or after a meal

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The dirt on veganism and b12:

B12 is produced by microbes that live in symbiotic relationships
with plant roots.
B12 RDA:
Vitamin B12 is important for: Female: 2.5mcg
1. The replication of DNA Male: 2.5mcg
2. The formation of red blood cells
3. Maintenance of central nervous system

What is the intrinsic factor?

The intrinsic factor is a glycoprotein secreted by the stomach that enables the body to absorb
vitamin B12. Absorbtion decreases when the capacity of the intrinsic factor is exceeded
at 1-2 mcg of vitamin B12.

The B12 in animal products comes from the soil the animals ate. Livestock no longer feed on grass and dirt
on factory farms because pesticides kill B12 producing bacteria. 90% of B12 supplements produced in the
world are fed to livestock. Animal products high in B12 also heighten risk of cancer & heart disease. 'Dirty
Produce' is not a reliable source of B12, but supplements are when done right.

15% of population suffers from B12 deficiency and anyone can have a B12 deficiency, regardless of diet.
The recommended daily allowance of B12 for adults is 2.5 Micrograms

Vegan b12 Sources:

• Dietary Supplements
• Fortified Plant Based Milks
• Fortified Nutritional Yeast

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Vegan Calcium Sources:

• White Beans 161mg (1 cup)
• Tofu 253mg (1/2 cup)
• Tempeh 184mg (1 cup) CALCIUM RDA:
• Flax Seeds 255mg (100g) Female: 1,000mg
• Sesame Seeds 88mg (1 tbsp) Male: 1,000mg
• Almonds 253mg (100g)
• Okra 82mg (100g)
• Butternut Squash 84mg (1 cup)
• Dried Figs 140mg (10 figs)
• Turnip Greens 137mg (1 cup)
• Broccoli 62mg (1 cup)
• Collards 266mg (1 cup)
• Rhubarb 105mg (1 cup)
• Raisins 53mg (2/3 cup)
• Orange Juice (calcium fortified) 300ish (1 cup)

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 On a vegan diet you CAN save:

1,100 Gallons of water

45lb of grain

30sq ft of forested land

20lb of Co2

1 animals life

Every Single Day.

SUPPORT
Regardless of how much time or money you have, what foods you enjoy and how healthy
you want to be, it’s so easy to eat Vegan.

It takes hundreds of hours to produce free educational resources like this one, so if you want to help
support my activism, please visit my Patreon page for more information.
https://www.patreon.com/theveganactivist

As always, if you need help progressing to a Vegan lifestyle, email me theveganactivist@hotmail.com or

add me on Skype: theveganactivist. I’m happy to help you with any obstacles you’re facing.

Complete Guide to Vegan Cosmetics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oXC9Gb4xL8

Complete to Vegan Clothing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQXWa99Q3q0

The Vegan Activist

theveganactivist patreon.com/theveganactivist theveganactivist@hotmail.com