Vegan food guide to get you through self-isolation

*While you’ll need to buy vegan food essentials, we urge you to be mindful of others and not to panic- or bulk-buy.

It’s a challenging time we are facing right now, but we can make it better by looking out for each other and choosing foods that are good for us, for the planet, and for animals. The world as we know it has changed, and because of this we need to learn our new normal. Many will feel a bit overwhelmed and anxious over all the changes. Having a good stocked pantry during this time may help ease your worries about food anyway!

Vegan Milk:

The benefit of plant milk amid the coronavirus pandemic is that there is a wide variety to choose from, and generally there is plenty on the shelves (not like cows milk) at this present time. If the shops are a bit low it is easy to make your own at home- almond milk or oat milk is really simple to make- all you need is a nut mylk bag and some oats or almonds. See recipe here.

Pasta/Rice/Oats etc:

Pasta and rice are so handy to have in the pantry along with other products like quinoa, oats, barley, buckwheat, couscous, bulgur & spelt. You can easily make a variety of simple dishes using these products as your base, adding some frozen veg, seasoning and sauce/herbs/spices.

Tofu:

It’s full of protein, it’s versatile and it can be frozen. You can sauté it, grill it, scramble it, bake it, marinate and blend it. Such a handy food to have as it can be used in a variety of meals (sweet and savoury) and is healthy! Choose the non GMO organic varieties if possible.

Nuts & Nut butters:

High in protein and healthy fats, nuts are a handy go to snack. Nut butters go great on sandwiches or can even be added to smoothies to give it a nutritional boost.

Legumes (pulses):

These are fantastic to have in the house as they are extremely versatile and are packed full of protein. They have a long shelf life. Chickpeas can be blended with garlic, lemon, water and water to make an instant delicious hummus, red lentils can be added to pasta dishes, green & brown lentils go great in many dishes particularly Shepards pie and in homemade soups. Black beans and kidney beans are great in Mexican dishes and all go great in rice dishes or in buddha bowls. Many of these can be bought dried or you can buy the canned foods. Legumes include:

• Split peas
• Canalini beans
• Kidney beans
• Baked beans (navy beans)
• Soybeans
• Black beans
• Chickpeas
• Four bean mix
• Lupin
• Red, green or brown lentils.

Frozen Foods:

It’s always good to have a few bags of frozen vegetables in your freezer incase the fresh veggies are hard to come by. Buy a few different combinations to ensure nutritional bang for your buck. Other things you can buy include vegan burgers and sausages,  oven chips, frozen pizzas, frozen berries and ice cream (if you eat this).

Dried Fruit:

Dried fruit is more concentrated in sugars so may not be suitable for those wanting to lose weight or control their blood sugar levels, but for the most part, dried fruit can be part of a healthy diet. Dates are very useful for baking raw treats, adding to smoothies or just eating on their own. Great snacks for active kids too and packed full of B6, potassium, fibre and carbohydrates. Prunes (source of iron) are also excellent along with dried apricots (source of calcium & Iron), dried figs (source of calcium)  raisins (source of iron) & cranberries (vitamin C).

High Fibre Cereals:

Foods like bran flakes or weetbix are handy staples to have for quick breakfast or a snack.

Wholegrain Bread:

It might be a good idea to have a couple of spare loaves of bread in the freezer so that you do not need to go to the shops every few days and further increase your risk of exposure, particularly if you are a big bread eater in your home.

Herbs and spices: 

You probably already have a nice stockpile of herbs and spices in your pantry but its always good to add more if running low. Turmeric, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, garam masala, cinnamon, nutmeg, chilli, ginger, cloves, basil, parsley, rosemary, oregano, and cardoon are some of our favourites. Herbs and spices will enhance the flavour of any dish (sweet/savoury) and also boosts your health as they fight inflammation as they are rich in phytochemicals. Though the fresh versions are best, the dried versions still provide health benefits.

Support Food Takeaway Vegan Businesses:

If you can afford it, support vegan businesses using their delivery service. Many vegan restaurants cook amazing food and now it’s available to be delivered to your door. Check out your local vegan restaurants and if they are delivering during this time.