How to Eat Vegan Healthy Whole Foods for Beginners
If you want to learn how to eat vegan healthy whole foods as a beginner, then stick with me as I will do my best to help you navigate the plant world.
When it comes to eating vegan whole foods, it can be simple, easy, delicious and nutritious. You can make fancy complex meals, you can eat bananas, salads and broccoli. You can eat toast, pasta and rice. You could also eat junk vegan food, which doesn’t serve anybody long-term even if it is vegan. I’m here to celebrate and promote healthy whole foods to nourish the body.
It’s important to nourish the body with wholesome food, and eating plant foods rich in vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin C, fibre, iron, calcium, magnesium, and more will fill the body with healthy goodness. Of course, plant food is abundant in protein, carbohydrates and fats too!
Check out 7 Tips for a Healthy Vegan Pregnancy with a list of healthy vegan whole foods!
How do you eat healthy whole foods?
The best way to eat vegan healthy whole foods is to keep it simple. Start with eating fruits and vegetables.
If you already eat fresh fruits and vegetables, increase the amount at one meal daily. If you don’t eat much fresh produce, add one fruit to breakfast and a handful of vegetables at lunch and dinner.
Do not complicate the process of eating healthy whole foods. Start with a little, focus on one meal each day and find fruits and vegetables you enjoy eating.
What are examples of healthy whole foods?
For some ideas of healthy whole foods, read this post as I lay out the foundations of healthy wholesome plant-based foods.
Here are examples of some healthy whole foods:
- Bananas
- Apples
- Pear
- Oranges
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Mango
- ettuce
- Cucumber
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Spinach
- Kale
- Carrots
- Peppers
- Mushrooms
- Green beans
- Peas
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Oats
- Rice
- Quinoa
- Chickpeas
- Black beans
- Avocado
- Peanut butter
- Tahini
Is a whole food vegan diet healthy?
Yes! Eating whole foods is healthy for the body. Plant foods which are whole foods such as bananas, broccoli, cashews, oats and avocado, are packed with nutrients that provide great benefits to the body.
Be sure to eat enough plant foods so that your body is provided with the right amount of calories and nutrients to be satisfied, satiated and healthy.
Check out What should I eat?!’ The fully plant-based diet edition for ideas on what to eat, and Fruits and vegetables [Infographic] to help with eating a healthy whole food vegan diet.
How to Eat Vegan Healthy Whole Foods for Beginners
Here are 10 simple ways to eat vegan healthy whole foods for beginners. Do not complicate this, focus on one step at a time, get comfortable with the new habit you are creating, and then focus on another step.
The key to success is simplicity. Some of these tips may seem super simple, and others a bit overwhelming at first. Take it one day at a time, breathe and enjoy these new healthy habits you are adding to your life.
Tip 1: Try 1 new x every x
Experiment with trying new:
- foods
- types of foods (e.g. different types of apples)
- flavours
- recipes
- cuisine types
- cooking and food preparation types
This could be every day, every week, every two weeks, every month, etc. For example, try 1 new vegetable every 3 days and see how you get on from there, or try 1 new dinner recipe every week and build a roster of go-to dinners.
Tip 2: Go to the supermarket
Look around the supermarket and learn what fresh and cupboard food is available. See what kinds of fruits, vegetables, and grains are available. Get to know your local supermarket and go beyond convenience food and non-vegan foods.
Tip 3: Take a field trip
As well as the trip to the supermarket, explore other places to get food. Any place you can learn more about whole foods, see a variety of them, and learn more about how they’re produced. Perhaps a trip to the farmer’s market, a local grocer’s, a pick-your-own farm, etc.
Tip 4: Try cooking/food prep techniques
Create simple yet essential cooking or food preparation techniques for whole foods, then put each one into action to practice that technique. For example:
- use a slow cooker
- chop and store vegetables in bulk
- roast or grill vegetables
- steam vegetables
- make a salad dressing from scratch
Tip 5: Build a food budget
Perhaps you worry that “healthy eating” is expensive. As part of your exploring trip to the supermarket, look online at the supermarkets, and take a look at cheaper healthy whole food options, such as:
- fresh vegetables and fruits in season
- canned or frozen fruits and vegetables
- buying and cooking in bulk (e.g. whole grains, dried beans and lentils)
- shop at a different supermarket (Aldi and Lidl are excellent budget-friendly supermarkets with great fresh produce and plant-based staples)
Tip 6: Create a roster of go-to meals
Come up with a list of three to five simple meals made from whole, less-processed foods that you can make, or are willing to try making.
Good vegan beginner options include:
- salads with canned beans or lentils
- vegetable stir-fries
- simple vegetable stews
- beans or lentils with rice
- fruit and vegan yoghurt
- porridge topped with fruit and peanut butter
Start with a “core” roster of meals and build outwards from there.
Tip 7: Extra cooking education
Have handy resources on food prep, cooking and shopping to help support you through these vegan changes.
Find simple vegan cookbooks, how-to go vegan guides, YouTube videos with vegan bloggers, vegan blogs with recipes, etc.
Here are some great vegan recipe blogs:
Tip 8: Make it easy
You might feel that eating vegan healthy whole foods is difficult. It can be easy to eat this way with choices such as:
- fresh, easy-to-prep fruit (such as apples or berries)
- pre-cut fruit (such as pineapple or melon)
- pre-washed vegetables or salad greens
- ready-to-eat vegetables (baby carrots, celery stalks, mini cucumbers)
- frozen fruits and vegetables
- canned beans and lentils
- boiling up a pot of potatoes to have on hand
- whole grains done overnight in the slow cooker
Do not worry about perfection. You are learning how to eat vegan healthy whole foods, and if you’re a beginner, then that is enough already to be learning. Look for “just a little bit better”. A bag of pre-cut apples or carrots may not be organic freshly picked carrots or in-season/homegrown apples… but it beats chips from the takeaway or giving up and going back to non-vegan options. Progress, not perfection.
Tip 9: Get support
If you need extra support to get started, or to keep the momentum going, as you transition to eating vegan healthy whole foods, then I can help you with my vegan nutrition coaching services.
Ways I can help you:
- Power Hour – a one hour phone call to answer any questions you have, give you actionable steps and give any other specific appropriate tips to get you moving forward with your vegan journey
- 1:1 monthly coaching – a 3 month coaching programme to dive deeper into your vegan journey. During this time, we can cover areas such as meal planning, recipes, family-friendly meals, food shopping, food budgeting, food preparation, creating healthy lifestyle habits, exercise, sleep, rest, stress management, and anything else that will benefit you with your health and wellness.
- Membership – join the online membership for only £3 a month to get access to exclusive monthly videos where I share honest chats, nutrition advice, raising healthy children, food prep tips, natural remedies, my personal wellness, and more.
Tip 10: Progress, not perfection
Relax. Take the pressure off yourself. You do not need to have it all figured out in a day, week, month, year, or ever to be honest.
Do the best you can with the knowledge you have. Keep learning, growing, adapting, trying and making positive steps towards the goals you have.
Take faith-based action. Take action, no matter what it looks like. You will stumble, you will make mistakes, you will fail (and this goes for anything in life), but the point is to keep moving forward. Even when you mess up with your food choices, just brush it off as a learning experience and move on.
Progress, not perfection. Strive to do the best you can, but quit the perfect race.
Frequently Asked Questions
To Summarise How to Eat Vegan Healthy Whole Foods
Focus on eating vegan healthy whole foods. Make them a priority over other foods. This is not about creating a perfect diet, a perfect vegan diet, or perfect health.
This is about doing the best you can and incorporating healthy habits into your life so that you can thrive and feel your best possible as you learn, grow and adapt with wholesome plant foods.
If you need further help in eating vegan healthy whole foods I offer 1:1 online coaching, have a membership site and a vegan meal planner.
