Complete Vegan Meal Plan and Sample Menu
Introduction
Today we are going to share the complete vegan diet plan which has been linked to the various health benefits.
The research says that the vegan meal plan is also more effective for weight loss and also helps to improve other aspects of your health.
Before deciding to go from the completely vegan plan, the first thing you need to think about avoiding meat, eggs, and all animal-based products. If you’re a carnivore then following the vegan plan is completely challenging for you.
Evaluate these sample vegan meals created by cleared nutritionists. If you think eating vegan every day is not much really for you, then you can choose one or two days from the week and skip meat and dairy products on those days.
You can less eat meat and other dairy products and ramp up the veggies to gain the benefits of a vegan-based diet.
What is a Vegan Diet?
A vegan diet is to eat completely plant products and avoid eating all animal products, including eggs, and also avoid eating dairy products, and honey.
Many people follow the vegan diet or adopt veganism for various reasons like losing weight, and because of some diseases or health issues, they may be restricted by the doctor to follow the vegan meal.
In a country like India, most people only eat veggies or plant products daily for their whole life, not because they want to lose weight or because of some diseases or health issues, but because of religious principles.
Some people follow the vegan diet to decrease their ecological footprint, as the vegan diet is considered to generate fewer greenhouse gas emissions and use fewer natural resources.
Research says if you follow vegan diets, it will improve your health and heart issues. Vegan plants support blood sugar control.
Health Benefits of Veganism
There are several health benefits when you follow a vegan meal.
According to the survey, if you follow the vegan meal it will reduce more than 75% risk of developing high blood pressure than the omnivores.
Following vegan meals also reduces the body mass index and lowers the levels of bad cholesterol.
The vegan diet also leads to weight management. Some study shows that people who follow a vegan diet are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than omnivores.
A vegan diet is also likely to reduce joint pain and lower the risk of cancer
Sample meal plan
Below is the sample one-week meal plan that highlights a few of the nutritious meals that can be enjoyed on a vegan diet.
Monday
- For Breakfast, take tempeh bacon with mushroom, and avocado.
- In the Lunch, take a whole grain pasta with lentil “meatballs” and a side salad.
- In the Dinner, you can take the cauliflower and chickpea tacos with guacamole.
- In the Snacks, you can take the air-popped popcorn, banana chips, and trail mix.
Tuesday
- For Breakfast, take coconut yogurt with berries, and walnuts.
- In the Lunch, take baked tofu with red cabbage, sprouts, and herbed couscous.
- For Dinner, you can take the mushroom lentil with garlic cauliflower, and green beans.
- In the Snacks, you can take bell peppers, fruit leather, and seaweed crisps.
Wednesday
- In the Breakfast, take sweat potato toast topped with peanut butter and banana.
- For Lunch, take salad, avocados, tomatoes, onions, and beans.
- In the Dinner, you can take the oats, mushrooms, and butternut squash.
- In the Snacks, you can take mixed berries, vegan protein shakes, and walnuts.
Thursday
- In the Breakfast, take eggless quiche, broccoli, tomatoes, and spinach.
- In the Lunch, take chickpea, and spinach curry with brown rice.
- For Dinner, you can make salad, cucumbers, olives, peppers, and tomatoes.
- In the Snacks, you can take roasted edamame, sliced pear, and energy balls made from oats, nut butter, and dried fruit.
Friday
- For Breakfast, take apple, oats, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, and nut butter.
- For Lunch, take steamed broccoli, sweet potato, and black bean veggies.
- In Dinner, you can take the cheese, cucumbers, and collard greens.
- In the Snacks, you can take pistachios and coconut chia pudding.
Saturday
- In the Breakfast, take broccoli, kale, tomatoes, and zucchini.
- In the Lunch, take garlic-ginger tofu with stir-fried veggies.
- For Dinner, you can take the bean salad, tomatoes, corn, bell peppers, and onions.
- In the Snacks, you can take frozen grapes and celery with almond butter.
Sunday
- For Breakfast, make a vegan protein shake, whole grain toast with avocado.
- In the Lunch, take a baked potato, lentil chili with asparagus.
- For Dinner, you can take onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and artichokes.
- In the Snacks, you can take almonds, fruit salad, and carrots.
Nutritional Deficiencies
Following the complete vegan diet immediately will increase your risk of nutritional deficiencies.
This is because if you immediately stop the meat and completely switch to the vegan diet, the meat, fish, and poultry are rich in nutrients.
Eggs and dairy products also reach in protein and nutrients like iron, magnesium, iodine, and many more. In simple the vegans may increase the risk of vitamins B12, D, calcium, and many more.
But if you include a variety of nutrient-rich ingredients and strong foods in your diet, it is necessary to ensure you’re meeting your nutritional needs.
Make sure to include the nuts, seeds, legumes, and soy products in which zinc and iron are found.
To meet the need for iodine include a moderate amount of iodized salt in your diet plan.
Supplements
By following the vegan diet it becomes difficult to meet the nutritional needs required.
In meat or in animal products, certain nutrients like B12, Vitamin D, and iodine are found.
You can reach the needs of the nutrition and provide the micronutrients by taking multivitamins or other supplements.
Take the multivitamins which are high in vitamin B12, iron, zinc, vitamin D, and calcium.
Try to take the 2,000 – 2,500 mcg of vitamins, and divide them into several smaller doses in addition to the multivitamins.
Bottom Line
Following a vegan meal plan can help you organize many nutrient-rich, healthy foods into your diet to provide your body with the nutrients it needs.
Keep in mind that supplements and proper planning are required to neglect needs in several critical nutrients.