What Do Vegans Eat for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner Daily?

Sometimes, you may find yourself wondering what vegans eat and what they avoid. The next question that comes to mind is how they get the important nutrients required for the body’s healthy functioning and what meals they eat throughout the day. If you are curious about what vegans eat or are considering giving it a try, you have come to the right place. We will help you determine if this way of eating is right for you. In this guide, we will discuss what do vegans eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We will also look at the sources of nutrition for vegans to help you decide on a healthy vegan meal plan suited to your needs. 

What Do Vegans Eat If They Don’t Eat Meat?

According to Statista, around 4% of the US population was inclined towards veganism in 2023. Their reasons for opting for a plant-based diet may vary. Some did this because they didn’t want to harm animals. In contrast, others wanted to reduce their risks of developing certain conditions. If you think a plant-based diet is restrictive, well, then you are wrong! The vegan diet provides a multitude of varieties and is centered on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and seeds. 

Vegetable oils, such as sunflower oil, olive oil, and more, are all part of a vegan diet, making it easy for vegans to eat or cook with them. Easy meals for vegans may include stews, soups, curries, grain salads, and sandwiches. Vegans don’t need to skip dessert, either. They can indulge in recipes like whole-grain cookies and ice cream. Many vegan meals are kid-friendly, too, like pasta and potato chips. They also have a variety of fast food options. However, they won’t be nourishing when you base your diet around them. Let’s now delve into what do vegans eat and what they avoid. 

What Do Vegans Avoid? 

Vegans do not consume meat, dairy products, or animal food. They do not eat lamb, chicken, pork, beef, or red meat. They also don’t eat duck, chicken or other poultry animal. Since fish are living creatures, vegans don’t consume seafood, including fish, crabs, clams, shellfish, or mussels. 

Other meals avoided by vegans include cheese, butter, eggs, cream, milk, ice cream, and other dairy products, as they are all derived from animals. They also don’t eat mayonnaise and honey. Instead, they find alternatives to such products, such as eating maple syrup or molasses instead of honey or consuming ice cream based on alternative milk. Tofu is a great substitute for almost any animal-based food, ranging from scrambled tofu to tofurkey. 

What Do Vegans Eat for Breakfast?

Many delicious and healthy breakfast options are available for vegans, such as peanut butter and raspberry chia crepes or chai porridge with caramelized apples. Sometimes, vegans use plant-based bacon products or eat scrambled tofu instead of scrambled eggs for a classic breakfast. There are also plenty of simple, quick, and lazy breakfast options for vegans, like vegan cereals with cashew/almond/soy or coconut milk, cereals, waffles, oatmeal, fruit, and coffee, or a piece of white bread with peanut butter.

What Do Vegans Eat for Lunch?

There are plenty of vegan options for lunch, depending on what you like. If you prefer to consume carbs during the day, you can try a protein-loaded chickpea salad sandwich or a mushroom shawarma wrap. If you want something lighter, you can choose from many salad options, such as Caesar salad or a quick, delicious smoothie. You can also opt for tofu, beans, lentils, and quinoa, which offer about 10 grams of protein.

What Do Vegans Eat for Dinner?

Like breakfast and lunch, many delicious options suit your cooking preferences and favorite food. Whether you want to make something within 15 minutes, prepare food without lighting the oven, or create a feast to impress your friends and family, there are thousands of vegan dinner options for you to try. You can make a tasty veggie burger, root vegetable stew, or Thai red curry. Consider weeknight pasta or try a vegan cookout.  

For more insights, check out our related posts: “Vegan Cookbooks 2024.”

Sources of Nutrition for Vegans 

A well-planned plant-based diet will give you all the nutrients your body requires. However, since the sources of nutrition for vegans are limited as compared to vegetarians and non-vegetarians, it may be harder to determine a healthy vegan meal plan. Including variety in your daily meals is the simplest way to get everything you need. Incorporate a little of everything in your meal- including whole grains, fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans, whole grains, and plant-based dairy products. Also, ensure that you are consuming nutrient-rich food items to prevent deficiency of vitamins and minerals. Given below are the foods that are high in nutrients and help you fill in the gaps:

• Vegan sources of calcium- Calcium-fortified plant milk and orange juice, blackstrap molasses, tofu treated with calcium or nigari, soy yogurt, collard greens, tempeh, and turnip greens.
• Vegan sources of iron- Dark leafy greens, beans, rice, pasta, soybeans, and fortified breads and cereals.
• Vegan sources of omega-3 fatty acids- Seaweed, algae, edamame (soybeans), flaxseeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts.
• Vegan sources of vitamin B12- Fortified plant milk, cereals, breads, and meat alternatives; nutritional yeast
• Vegan sources of vitamin D- Plant milk, orange juice, fortified cereals, and bread are vegan sources.

Continue your journey by reading a similar blog here: “Vegan Diet for Beginners.”

Conclusion

Now that you know what do vegans eat and how easy & delicious a vegan diet is, why don’t you give it a try? If removing all animal-based products feels overwhelming, you can try a less strict, gradual approach. You can start by slowly cutting all poultry and dairy products and increasing the fruits and veggies you eat. You can discuss choosing the right healthy vegan meal plan suitable for your needs and body type with your doctor or nutritionist. It’s crucial to seek help from a licensed healthcare professional if you have a health condition or are pregnant or breastfeeding to get the right amounts of nutrients to fulfill your body’s needs.