Hello Earth Savior…😊

We all talk about taking small steps toward veganism, but how?

You have lots of thoughts like being vegan means compromising my delicious regular meals to a blunt meal or in case I chose to go for vegan then what could I eat instead of milk, egg, or meat…how can dairy products substitute meet up with my nutritional need… could vegan food will be available anywhere and what are other options for me to be a vegan?

Through this blog will try to provide all the information and clarify your doubts. Once you decide to go vegan and want to contribute to saving Mother Earth trust me you will feel good and get long-term health benefits too.

Let’s start with what alternatives are available for dairy products…

1. Milk alternatives:

One can go for animal milk replacement because of milk allergy, Lactose intolerance, Personal taste preferences, Ethical or Health reasons, or Potential health risks even though some people choose to avoid cow’s milk due to concerns over potential contaminants, including antibiotics, pesticides, and hormones.

These reasons may vary from person to person.

To replace all kinds of animal milk from your diet you can go for Soy milk, Cashew milk, Walnut milk, Almond milk, Hazelnut milk, macadamia milk, Coconut milk, Rice milk, Flax milk, Oat milk, Chia Seed milk, Quinoa milk, Potato milk, Hemp milk, yellow split peas milk, and many more…

Here, I would like to share some milk-making processes from plant-based products:

To prepare Soy Milk:

Take soybeans in a bowl and soak them for 24 hours.
Now drain and rinse them properly.
Take a pressure cooker and add beans and water to it.
Cook for 10-15 min on high flame.
Cool it down.
Grind it in a mixer and make a liquid paste.
Now strain it. You will get the Soy milk.
Place a peeled raw potato into the Soy milk. It will absorb the smell of soy.
You can add cardamon for flavor.
Store the Milk in a glass jar. You can refrigerate it and consume it within 3-4 days.

Coconut milk:

Take daab (green coconut with water and cream).
Take the coconut water and cream in the mixer-grinder and grind it.
Strain and store in the glass jar.

Almond/Cashew milk:

Soak the nuts overnight
Peel off almond. Add the nuts to the mixer-grinder, add water, and grind it.
Strain the liquid with the help of linen or muslin cloth to avoid any fiber.
Store it in the glass jar.

Similarly, you can prepare milk from flax seeds, chia seeds, oats, quinoa, hazelnuts, walnuts, and many more.

The taste, nutrition, and cost of these alternatives can vary considerably, so it might take a while to find the one that’s best for you. You can select as per your choice and taste.

There are a few things to consider when choosing a vegan milk alternative, including nutrient content like calcium, protein, and vitamin B12, added sugars, cost, additives, and dietary needs.

2. Vegan-friendly Chicken/Meat substitutes:

Vegan or plant-based meat is described as food that looks and tastes like real meat but is made from plants. Some people used to have meat to fulfill their protein needs. So here come vegan meat alternatives for all of them:

Tofu i.e. well-known meat alternatives, rich in protein and a versatile ingredient for many dishes.
Soy curls mimic chicken pieces and strips; they contain soy protein and omega-3.
Soy and Seaweed can be used to mimic the texture and taste of fish like in fishless fillets.
Jackfruit texture is quite similar to shredded chicken. It can be used in curries, tacos, sandwiches, etc.
Tempeh a fermented soy product, is rich in all essential amino acids and delivers probiotics.
Lentils are a nutritional powerhouse of proteins and fibers and can replace real meat to get enough protein.
Chickpeas are used as a multipurpose ingredient in many dishes to fulfill protein needs instead of meat.
Mushroom has a meaty texture and earthy, smoky flavor that works well in the place of meat.
Beans are a good switch for beef in many recipes like in place of meat in Tacos, Vegetarian Taco Salad, and many more. Beans and sprouts are a suitable alternative for diced chicken.
Cauliflower replaces the chicken in Sriracha-Buffalo Cauliflower Bites and makes a healthy choice for "meatballs."
Potato can be cooked in a variety of ways and when properly prepared can mimic the structure of chicken.
Seitan, which is also known as wheat meat or wheat gluten; has a chewy structure like real meat.
Nuts to get crunchy texture to salads and other dishes. Cashews can be used as a close substitute for chicken breast meat whereas the use of groundnuts with tofu or vegetables will give a satisfactory crunchiness to the dishes. To fulfill the protein needs nuts can be used as a good option.
Quinoa can be considered as an alternative to “chicken for protein”. It adds a nutty flavor to many dishes like salad and Buddha bowls.

3. Other dairy products replacement:

For Egg substitutes in baking, sweet and savory dishes can use mashed banana, apple puree, aquafaba, ground flax seed, chia seeds, silken tofu, pumpkin puree, and dairy-fee yogurt.

In baking, Butter can be replaced by coconut oil, olive oil, nuts/seed butter (almond, cashew, sunflower seed), mashed avocado, and mashed banana. Whereas in cooking coconut oil, and olive oil, are common alternatives to butter.

For Yogurt Alternatives can use almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, or hemp yogurts.

To replace Dairy Cream, you can use coconut cream and cashew cream.

For Cheese alternatives, one can make soft crumbly cheese using cashews, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, or almonds.

Vegan Mayo made from ingredients like soy milk, aquafaba (chickpea brine), or vegetable oils is widely available.

Non-dairy Ice Cream can be made from coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, or cashew milk.

Maple syrup or date syrup can be used as substitutes for honey (some people believe that honey is a non-vegan food product. It varies from person to person).

As you see a lot of vegan food substitutes are there and a vegan can enjoy a variety of foods by using these substitutes while sticking to their dietary choices. All the substitutes are well-loaded with nutrients too. One must take care of certain things like, to get proper nutrients, protein, iron, calcium, and vitamin B12; he/she has to balance their diet accordingly otherwise it may have an adverse impact.

When you start to go vegan starting days may be a little bit hard as you are having a different diet instead of a regular one, but when you get adapted you will feel good and energetic.

Going for a vegan diet will help to overcome many chronic diseases as well as boost your immunity system. You can control aging signs as well as females get benefits in their mensuration cycle.

Being a vegan, undoubtedly you will have a lot of advantages over non-vegans.

Hope this blog seems informative to you….

Don’t forget to like and comment…!!!

Stay Fit Stay Vegan !!!