In this chapter, we will teach you how to shop. We’ll navigate the supermarket aisles right alongside you, teaching you how to read and decipher the ingredients listed on labels and showing you how you can make easy, simple swaps to replace animal-based products with vegan versions of the same thing! We’ll guide you through stocking your vegan kitchen and teach you about some of those “weird” vegan ingredients.
In addition to knowing what individual ingredients you should avoid in packaged food to achieve a plant-based diet, we also want to give you some rules for making sure that any vegan product you choose is also promoting good health.
None of us, other than infants, would just put something into our mouths without knowing what it is and if it is good for us. Yet, every day, most of us walk into a grocery store and make the assumption that because it is on the shelf, it is good for us. Never make that mistake! We know the thought of reading labels on packaged products that you buy seems like a terrible inconvenience to many people, but we promise you’ll be amazed at what you see in some of your favorite products. It doesn’t take very long before you won’t have to look at labels because you’ll get a good feel for which products are more likely to have ingredients or levels of fats, sodium, and sugars that we just don’t want in our food. Here are two simple rules.
Never, ever, never believe the statements made on the front of packages. Statements such as “low in sodium,” “lightly salted,” and “lower in fats” sound good, but what do they really mean? Lower in sodium than what? What amount of salt does a lightly salted product contain? Food marketers know what buzzwords consumers are looking for in healthier foods. They manipulate their message so it’s not legally incorrect; however, it still misleads consumers into believing it is healthy.
Read the nutrition panel. While ignoring the claims on the front of the package, simply turn the package over and look at the back. Here’s what you want to look for.
First of all, look at the serving size. Remember that the numbers on a nutrition label are representative of one serving. Food manufacturers manipulate the serving size. They generally use a serving size that is unrealistically small so that the numbers on the nutrition label will please the consumer. For example, if the package says that there are 300 calories per serving, but there are two servings in the package, and you eat the whole package, then you have eaten 600 calories.
Here’s an example. Spray oils are one product where they really manipulate the numbers on a nutrition facts panel. The spray oils we use to spray on our pans when cooking are 100 percent oil in the can, but the label reads “fat free.” How can that be when all oils are 100 percent calories from fat? The answer is that the manufacturer uses a serving size that results in 0.5 grams of fat. The government rule is that when a serving size has 0.5 grams of any nutrient, it can be rounded down to zero. So the manufacturer uses a serving size that results in 0.25 grams of fat, which for a spray cooking oil is a serving size that comes out of the can in 1/120 th of a second! What in the world is 1/120 th of a second? One little spritz takes almost 1 second. But if you read “fat free” on the label, you might think that there is no fat in the can and liberally spray the oil all over your food, resulting in hundreds of empty calories! So watch that serving size.
The next number you should look at is the amount of fat in the product. In addition to the total fat, two types of fat are specifically listed on a nutrition facts panel: saturated fat and trans fat. Let’s talk about each.
Saturated fat: It’s recommended that we get 7 percent or less of our daily calories from saturated fats. So the amount of saturated fat in a product should be very low—preferably zero. You should also do a quick mathematical calculation on the number of calories from fat. If you are eating for your health, and more than 40 percent of the calories are from fat, put the product back on the shelf, even if those calories are coming from “good” fats, such as mono- or polyunsaturated fats.
Trans fats: The government has suggested that we avoid getting any trans fats in our diet at all. So trans fats should always read zero.
When you add together the total saturated fat and the trans fat and subtract that from the total fat, what you have left is the “good” fat.
Cholesterol is another number to look out for on the nutrition label. Our bodies make all the cholesterol we need, so we should not eat products that contribute any cholesterol. The amount of cholesterol in a food you eat should always be zero. Luckily for us, all plant-based food is cholesterol-free. If you see cholesterol on the label, put the product back on the shelf. The product is not vegan.
Sodium, i.e. salt, is another important number to look out for in packaged foods. A real easy rule to follow for sodium is that there should be no greater than a 1:1 ratio of milligrams of sodium to calories per serving. So if there are 110 calories per serving, there should be no more than 110 milligrams of sodium in that serving. If that number goes slightly over, it isn’t a big deal, but try to stick as close to the 1:1 ratio as possible.
The preferred fuel for our bodies is carbohydrates. So when people tell us that they don’t eat carbs, it’s all we can do to maintain our cool. However, not all carbs are created equal. We need the right types of carbs—in the right amounts. There are two types of carbs: complex carbs and simple carbs.
Complex carbs are in foods such as whole grains, vegetables, and starches from potatoes. These are the “good” carbs and ones that we need for energy to fuel our body’s functions.
Simple carbs are in foods such as processed grains, processed sugars, and other “junk” foods. These break down faster in the system and spike your blood sugar, and they are void of any nutrients.
Don’t reject a packaged product just because it has carbs. Check the ingredients list, and make sure that the carbs are coming from healthy, complex carbs.
The amount of sugar mentioned on the nutrition label does not tell you the source of those sugars. To learn more, check the ingredients list. Maybe the sugars are coming from raisins or other fruits, which is okay. But maybe the sugars are coming from processed white sugar, which is not okay.
A general rule for sugars is that if a sugar is mentioned within the first three ingredients, put the product back on the shelf. But you have to look for more than just the word “sugar.”
Food manufacturers are clever about using different names for refined sugars. Here are some other names you should look for that are sources of sugar that should be avoided or that should be present in very small amounts.
• Corn syrup or corn starch
• Evaporated cane juice
• Malted barley
• Maple syrup
• Molasses
• Rice syrup
• Words ending in “ol”—such as maltitol, xylitol, and sorbitol
• Words ending in “ose”—such as dextrose, fructose, sucrose, and glucose
Sugars should not be more than 5 percent of the total calories, or 2 tablespoons (13 g) per day for adults. Sugars from fruits or fruit juices are fine. Of course, everyone deserves a treat now and then, so go ahead and enjoy a cookie or two, just don’t make it a daily habit, and make sure that treat is made with bone-char free sugar. (See “The Secret Animal Ingredients Hiding in Your Food” on page 60).
The last nutrient to watch for is protein. If you’re trying to follow a plant-based diet, you want to make sure that the protein is not coming from an animal source. We suggest that you only need between 5 and 10 percent of your daily calories from protein.
One of the biggest fears folks face when deciding to make the switch to a plant-based diet is the fear of never enjoying certain favorite foods again. The truth is, it’s never been easier to be a vegetarian or vegan. The popularity of plant-based eating has food producers taking notice. As one of the largest growing sectors of the food service industry, more and more vegan products are becoming available at traditional grocery stores. Here are some super-easy supermarket swaps that will make a meatless meal a no-brainer.
This one is the easiest of all. In most grocery stores, right next to the traditional cow’s milk, you’ll find a variety of nondairy milks. The most common is soymilk. In addition, you’ll find coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk, and even hemp milk. All of these varieties typically come in several flavors, such as original, unsweetened, vanilla, and sometimes even chocolate.
You’re not limited to just milks. Many of the same companies that make nondairy milks also make nondairy yogurts, sour cream, creamers for coffee, and ice cream–like desserts. Products such as whipped dessert topping in a can are available in rice and soy varieties as well. And if butter is your poison, you’ll find nondairy buttery spreads that taste so good, they’ll make you wonder why you ever liked dairy in the first place.
The main thing to look for in choosing nondairy milks and other products is taste! Try out different brands and different flavors until you find one that you love. And remember, different milks work well for different uses. For instance, you may love vanilla rice milk by the glass, but you might find that unsweetened almond milk produces much better results when baking.
Ahh, cheese. This is the dairy product that most people have the hardest time giving up. After all, it’s melty and gooey, and it tastes so good on nachos. We have experienced that suggesting people give up cheese is a little like asking them to remove a body part! But we are here to tell you that there is life after cheese—really, a much healthier one.
Years ago when we started our healthy journey, the cheese substitutes were really not very good. Plus, the most entertaining thing to Gerrie was that the cheese substitutes would use caseinate in the products to give them the meltability and consistency of real cheese. Caseinate is the protein found in dairy—so why in the world would manufacturers put a dairy protein in a cheese substitute?
It takes 1.5 gallons (5.5 l) of milk to make 1 pound (454 g) of cheese. So giving up dairy milk means you also need to give up cheese, or at least replace it with other options in recipes.
It used to be that you either made your own nut-based cheese at home, or you simply did without, because store-bought vegan cheeses were, honestly, just gross. But, guess what? The vegan food industry, along with some amazing and talented vegan chefs, have made great strides in producing melty, stringy, and downright tasty dairy-free cheeses in the past few years. Every new product that comes out is better than the last.
Look for brands such as Follow Your Heart’s Vegan Gourmet, Daiya, Kite Hill, Teese, Tofutti, Nacheez, Queso for Lovers, Parmela, Parma, Nutty Cow, and many more. Several brands of shredded vegan cheeses are available and perfect on a pizza, in a burrito, for grilled cheese sandwiches, and, of course, as a topping for nachos. If you are limiting (or eliminating) added oil from your diet, these options should be used very sparingly or not at all.
You can buy cream cheese alternatives in plain and flavors like strawberry, cinnamon, and even garlic herb, which are perfect for spreading on crackers and bagels. Solid cheeses that mimic cheddar, Swiss, and other traditional favorites are also available. Add in any number of the aged nut-based cheeses now available, and you can make yourself a delicious cheese plate to share and enjoy at your next cocktail party. From aged Parmesan sprinkles to brie, artisan vegan cheese has made a name for itself even in the traditional cheese-making realm.
These new plant-based cheeses melt and taste pretty close to traditional dairy cheeses and work really well as cheese substitutes in your favorite recipes. Also, check out our recipe section starting on page 71 for some wonderful recipes that include plant-based cheese.
Substituting eggs can be a little bit trickier than all the rest. What you’re planning to do with the egg will determine how best to swap it out. For example, if you want to make a scrambled egg dish, omelet, deviled eggs, or egg salad, tofu is your swap of choice.
However, if you’re baking a batch of cookies, cupcakes, or a custard, you may want to use a commercial egg replacer such as Ener-G or Bob’s Red Mill, which both use a blend of flours you mix with water to make a whipped-like concoction to replace beaten eggs in recipes.
Does egg replacer powder sound a little too “out there” for you? That’s okay, you can survive without it. Many recipes turn out just fine using a little ground flaxseed mixed with warm water, applesauce (or other fruit purée), or some blended silken tofu to replace an egg.
Looking to replace chicken breast in a recipe? No problem, just pick up a package of Beyond Meat in the refrigerated section or Gardein in the frozen aisle.
Looking for a tasty alternative to beef? Upton’s or WestSoy Seitan, Gimme Lean Gardein Beefless Tips, or their Ultimate Beefless Patties are spot-on replacements for the real thing. Maybe you’re after a nice spicy chorizo sausage? El Burrito has you covered with its delicious version of Soyrizo.
Looking to grill up some hot dogs or brats at your next cookout? Field Roast, Tofurkey, Yves, and Smart Pups all make prepackaged ready-to-cook hot dogs and sausages ready for the grill.
Or maybe you just need a package of sliced deli meat to make school lunches. Head on over to the refrigerated section of your local health food store. Right next to the tofu, you’ll find packaged Yves or Tofurky brand deli slices flavored and spiced to mimic salami, turkey, and even bologna!
It’s pretty amazing what companies have been able to do with plant proteins. Use these products just as you would their animal-based counterparts in recipes. You’ll be hard pressed to notice a difference.
This one is super easy. Agave syrup can be used to replace honey at a one-for-one ratio in recipes. If you have an aversion to agave, you can use any number of other liquid sweeteners to replace honey, such as brown rice syrup, maple syrup, or molasses. Of course, these syrups have their own distinct flavors, so we recommend experimenting to find your favorite. As an alternative, you can use a variety of fruits or fruit juices as unrefined sweeteners.
Maybe you’re a busy bee, and a frozen dinner is about all you have time for with your hectic schedule. Fret not! Tofurky, Daiya, Gardein, and Amy’s brands tout vegan versions of everything, including frozen burritos, macaroni and cheese, frozen pizzas, hot pockets, and full-blown replicas of your favorite TV dinner. But be careful of those sodium, sugar, and oils when purchasing ready-made convenience foods.
In this book and any other vegan cookbook out there, you’ll find ingredients that may be new to you. The following quick rundown will help you understand what some of these ingredients are!
Also known as kanten, this all-vegetable gelatin is derived from red algae. It’s commonly used throughout Asia to thicken soups, desserts, and jellies. Most often, it is found in flake or powder form. If you search for it, you can also find it in sticks or rods that can be ground down to your desired consistency. To assure the right amount gets used, we will always give the weight when calling for this ingredient in recipes.
As a convenience, we like to use canned beans, choosing the “no salt added” varieties when available or rinsing and draining them thoroughly to get rid of unnecessary sodium. If you cook your own dried beans, more power to you! Keep in mind that one 15-ounce (425 g) can of beans generally equals approximately 1 2/3 cups (294 g) cooked beans, or 2/3 cup (120 g) dry beans.
Generally, when we call for coconut milk in a recipe, we recommend the full-fat variety. It’s usually found in a can in the international aisle of most grocery stores. If left unshaken, the coconut cream will separate from the coconut water. This thick, delicious cream is also called for in some recipes. Luckily, you can also buy just the cream! If you are watching your fat intake, go easy on coconut milk because it is high in saturated fat.
For the sake of accuracy in measurements, we use a scoop to transfer flour into the measuring cup, so as not to overpack it. It can make a difference in how recipes turn out, so it’s a good thing to keep in mind. We choose the flour based on the flavor profile of the recipe, and whenever possible, we choose 100 percent whole grain flours.
When this starchy fruit is ripe, it has a very mild flavor that’s similar to a cross between a pineapple and a banana. When the fruit is young and green, it takes on the flavors of whatever you cook with it. As it cooks, it breaks down into a stringy, almost meaty texture, which makes it a perfect medium for dishes simulating “pulled pork” or “shredded chicken.”
It’s almost impossible to find fresh jackfruit. When you do, it’s almost always well ripened and too sweet for most applications in this book, so we stick to the canned variety, packed in brine (not syrup) for savory recipes.
In most markets, this flavoring is stocked near the marinades. It’s actually made by condensing smoke into liquid form. A little goes a long way in giving a smoky flavor to many foods.
This pungent paste has a variety of uses. It makes a very versatile and simple broth, and a little bit added to sauces, stews, and even cheese sauces adds depth of flavor and sharpness. You can find it in most Asian grocery stores and sometimes in your local health food store in the refrigerated section.
We most commonly use unsweetened soymilk, almond milk, or coconut milk when cooking. They seem to give the best results. However, if you have a preference for another type of nondairy milk, we are sure it will work just fine. We recommend using one of these three in any recipes where a “buttermilk” texture is needed.
Ahh, the nooch. This flaky yellow yeast is usually grown on molasses. It has a nutty, rich, almost cheesy flavor that also adds a nutritional boost to your foods. (Hello, B vitamins!) Be sure to seek out “vegetarian support” formulas. You can find nutritional yeast in the vitamin and supplement section of most health food stores. This yeast is of the non-active variety and can be enjoyed by people with candida. Don’t confuse it with brewer’s yeast. They will yield very different results in recipes.
We respect your habits when it comes to salt and pepper, so the measurements you’ll find in many of our recipes are meant as a guide. We usually add “to taste” so that you can follow your needs and preferences. We prefer using sea salt because it retains a minuscule amount of minerals. We like to use a small amount of black salt in recipes that replicate eggs, because it lends a delicate, sulfurous flavor to foods.
Edible seaweeds, such as hijiki, dulse, and nori, add a fishy and salty flavor to foods without using fish. Most can be found in your local health food store or Asian supermarket.
These ingredients can be used interchangeably in recipes. It really is personal taste preference. For people with gluten sensitivities, wheat-free tamari and Bragg’s are usually good choices. Bragg’s is also lower in sodium than traditional soy sauce.
Made from chile peppers, garlic, vinegar, and salt ground together to form a smooth paste, this hot sauce is addictive. Check for ingredients, because some brands contain fish sauce.
We don’t use refined white sugar in any of our recipes. Most refined white sugar is processed using charred animal bones. We prefer to keep the bones out of our sugar, so we stick with the more natural, cruelty-free versions. When shopping, look for evaporated cane juice, raw sugar, or turbinado sugar. These sugars are slightly off white in color. They still contain some trace minerals that are otherwise completely removed through the sugar refining process. If you really need pure white sugar, use beet sugar, which does not go through the same refining process as cane sugar, or white sugar that is clearly labeled as vegan. To reduce the amount of added sugar, you can also use dates or dried fruit pastes. This way you also get the nutritional benefits of the fruit, such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Whole soybeans fermented and pressed into a cake, tempeh is considered to be healthier and less processed than tofu, with an earthier flavor. Although tempeh is available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, we try to stick with the plain variety.
For people who find the flavor a bit too much to handle, extra or super firm tofu can usually be used as a substitute in recipes. Bitter to some, this whole-bean soy treat is a very versatile protein. Still afraid? Simmer tempeh in water or vegetable broth for about 20 minutes prior to using in recipes. It mellows the flavor.
We call for soft silken tofu in a lot of recipes because it makes a great base for desserts and creamy sauces. In this case, you can use the kind packaged in aseptic shelf-stable packaging or fresh packed in water. We also call for extra- or super-firm tofu in a lot of recipes where the tofu will be the main star of the dish. In this case, refrigerated types are recommended.
If you’re lucky enough to live near an Asian grocery that sells fresh tofu, buy it! It’s so much better than pre-packaged tofu.
When using extra- or super-firm tofu, it is always best to drain and press it ahead of time, to save time when preparing the recipes. One of the easiest ways to do this is to sandwich the block of tofu between folded kitchen towels or a few layers of paper towels and then place a heavy pan or book on top to press out excess moisture.
Everyone has their own favorite brand, and Joni’s is Better Than Bouillon. It comes in several flavors: Better than Chicken, Better than Beef, and Vegetable. It’s a small jar of bouillon paste that has fantastic flavor, and she cannot recommend it highly enough. She also loves to keep a stockpile of veggie broth powder on hand to use in spice mixes and other recipes.
Because Gerrie does not use extracted oils in her food, she’s a big fan of the Pacifica, low-sodium vegetable broth. This is one of the few veggies broths that doesn’t have oil in it. Even bouillon cubes have oil added, so if you are cutting out extracted oils, read the labels!
Of course, you can make your own low-sodium broth. Simply save all of those veggie scraps you’d normally throw out, add them to a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for two hours. Strain out the solids and use as desired.
As a general rule, we’ll always try to give alternatives to using oils when warranted. That being said, Joni believes there is still a valuable use of oil in a vegan diet. When recipes call for a mild-flavored vegetable oil, Joni generally uses canola, but she knows many of you don’t. She also uses coconut oil quite often, but she understands it can be cost prohibitive. Extra-virgin olive oil is often used when the flavor of the oil needs to shine through, as in salad dressings. Peanut is also a favorite when she is frying, because it has a very high smoke point. Unless specifically noted in a recipe, use whichever mild-flavored vegetable oil you prefer.
Gerrie doesn’t use any oils in her cooking, and she has found the flavors to be just as delicious. In fact, oils can mask the taste and flavors of foods, so most dishes prepared without oil are more flavorful and definitely contain far fewer calories. Also, because oils are not cheap, minimizing them is another way you can cut down your grocery costs.
Gluten is the natural protein portion removed from whole wheat. You can find vital wheat gluten flour in most grocery stores or order it online. It’s important to know that vital wheat gluten flour is completely different from high-gluten flour. The two are not interchangeable, and they won’t perform the same in recipes.
The following is a list of ingredients regularly used in plant-based recipes that will last for a long time in your pantry.
• All-purpose flour
• Chickpea flour
• Vital wheat gluten flour
• Whole wheat flour
• Whole wheat pastry flour
• Black beans
• Chickpeas
• Red beans
• Buckwheat
• Farro
• Oats
• Quinoa
• Rice
• Allspice
• Anise
• Basil
• Cinnamon
• Cumin
• Curry
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Thyme
• Turmeric
• Bob’s Red Mill
• Ener-G
• Vegg
• Arame
• Dulse
• Hijiki
• Kelp
• Kombu
• Nori
• Wakame
• Arrowroot
• Cornstarch
• Potato Starch
We’ve now armed you with all of the knowledge and information necessary to shop for just about anything you’ll need to create healthy and cruelty-free dishes in your very own vegan kitchen. Are you ready to get cooking? We hope so! The next two chapters are full of recipes and meal plans designed to make your conversion to WellBeing an easy and tasty one.
