Hey earth muffins! In a recent post, I shared my tips on how to eat plant-based at a restaurant without just getting salad all the time. I love a good salad, but it is nice to have more options to choose from. For those of us on plant-based diets, it can be harder to eat at fast food places… But I’ve found that a few chains are super accomodating! ๐ Here are my favorite plant-based fast food options – let me know if you have others that aren’t on this list.
Taco Bell
In my opinion, Taco Bell is the holy grail when it comes to vegetarian options. They have a whole section of their menu called “Veggie Cravings” that is full of bean and potato options. My favorite Taco Bell hack is that you can order any of your favorite items and just replace the meat with black beans. Such a great way to reduce your meat consumption even if you aren’t on a plant-based diet! I typically go for the Black Bean Chalupa Supreme – it is so tasty! ๐ฎ
Hey earth muffins! Last month was Veganuary, where you were challenged to try a plant-based diet. Did anyone successfully complete the challenge?? As a vegetarian myself, it can sometimes be daunting to go out for dinner. Most menus still contain a majority of meat products, which limits plant-based options. However, I have learned that it is actually quite simple to eat plant-based when you go out to dinner. And you don’t just have to eat salads either! ๐ Here are my tips for eating at any restaurant if you are following some sort of plant-based diet.
Set yourself up for success.
If possible, do your research before you go out to eat! It is much better to know what you are getting yourself into instead of just showing up at a random restaurant and expecting it to be easy to find something to eat. A great tip for starting a plant-based diet is to try out the app Happy Cow. This app shows how “plant friendly” a place is, which can be helpful when deciding where to go out to eat. Once you do your research, select a restaurant that has more plant-based options than others!
Hey earth muffins! As I mentioned in my recent post how to start a plant-based diet, January is the month of Veganuary. I’m sure you all know that vegans are often criticized and made fun of for their eating habits… Being vegetarian, I have also had people question my decision to not eat meat. If you are participating in Veganuary this year, it is helpful to prepare yourself in advance on how to respond to vegan “haters”. Regardless if someone is just asking a question about your diet choice or being mean-spirited, these suggestions should all help you create the perfect reply to their comments.
Keep your diet choices to yourself!
It is honestly no one’s business that you are plant-based or vegan. So, keep it to yourself! I think a lot of vegans get in trouble for sharing too much about their diet all the time. This can get annoying, which can turns others off to the diet altogether. I know I am doing a good job at keeping it to myself when a coworker or friend says “Oh, I didn’t know you were vegetarian!”. ๐
Hey earth muffins! January is here, which means Veganuary starts! What is Veganuary, you might ask? It is a month-long challenge to push yourself to try a plant-based diet. If you aren’t sure what I mean by “plant-based”, check out this full guide on the different plant-based diets. ๐ As a vegetarian, I love the idea of this challengeโฆ But I also know that starting a plant-based diet can be overwhelming at first. To make it easier for any of you interested in participating in this challenge, here are my top 10 tips on how to start a plant-based diet this January. I adapted this list from the official Veganuary guide, so sign up to participate in the challenge to get even more helpful hints!
1. Focus on planning before you start!
Changing your diet is going to take some preparation. You canโt just decide that you are going to be vegan one day and expect to be successful. It is going to take some planning! Iโm a huge fan of journaling, so I suggest writing out a plan for yourself. Make lists for the grocery store (bonus, this prevents food waste too!), ideas for meals, and set goals to help ease yourself in. If you have a plan before you start, you increase the likelihood that you will stick to your new plant-based diet!
Hey earth muffins! A couple of years into my eco journey, I decided to stop eating meat during Plastic Free July. When I first made this decision, I wanted to see how it would affect my body and make me feel. After the one year mark, it was obvious that this was going to stick. July 2021 is the two year milestone – crazy to think all of that time has gone by! There are plenty of reasons why you should consider giving up meat as well; but, diet is an individual choice. And, there are many different plant-based diets out there to consider! For today’s post, I wanted to define some of the most popular plant-based diet options. Let’s jump right into it! ๐ฅ
A “Plant-Based” Diet
Surprisingly, there isn’t really one encompassing definition for a “plant-based” diet! If you consider yourself someone who follows a plant-based diet, your meals contain much more plant derived foods than things from animals. The food you eat is often less processed and a “whole food” compared to other diets. I like to think of “plant-based” as an umbrella term that encompasses all of the following terms under it. ๐ It definitely is more inclusive because it includes a spectrum of people from hardcore vegans to omnivores.
Vegetarian
The dictionary defines a vegetarian as someone who “does not eat meat, and sometimes other animal products, especially for moral, religious, or health reasons”. Never fear – you can still get plenty of protein even without meat and fish; there are plenty of non-meat protein options! It seems like this diet is a popular option for reasons outside of helping the environment… But there is lots of evidence that refusing to eat meat helps the planet!
Pescatarian
While I have called myself a vegetarian for the past two years, I really should have been calling myself a “pescatarian”. If you consider yourself this plant-based diet, you allow yourself to still eat fish. I originally decided to become a pescatarian because I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to quit all meats right away. Now that I have two years under my belt, I am slowly moving towards being a full-time vegetarian. The Seaspiracy documentary on Netflix really inspired me to limit my fish consumption as much as possible. It is a great (but sad) documentary I recommend you all watch!
Flexitarian/”Omnivore”
If you are also concerned about giving up meat cold turkey (pun intended), this might be the plant-based diet for you! A flexitarian is someone who centers their diet around plant derived foods, but will occasionally include meat as well. Another term for this is a “semi-vegetarian diet”. The meat and fishing industries are absolutely terrible for the planet, so many eco warriers believe that the vegetarian/vegan diet is the only way to go. But, every small change helps! If you want to eat meat a couple days each week, the flexitarian option is a great way to reduce your meat consumption. ๐
Vegan
Last but not least, the vegans! The strictest of the plant-based diets, a vegan abstains from consumption of any animal product. This includes things like eggs, milk, and even honey. Some vegans also take this past their diets and refuse animal products in everything from blankets to makeup products. While I haven’t considered a vegan diet yet, I’ve definitely had some delicious vegan food! It used to be much more difficult to be a vegan, but now there are many vegan options on the market. Definitely an awesome plant-based diet choice!
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Final Thoughts on Plant-Based Diets
If you want to reduce your impact on the planet in a meaningful way, then a plant-based diet might be for you! Whether you decide to be an omnivore or go all in as a vegan, the way you eat is an individual choice. Do what makes your body feel the best! Just like with any major change, keep tabs on yourself and monitor how you feel. It is important to keep all of your key nutrients and vitamins at good levels through eating healthy and/or taking supplements. From my experience, I’ve loved being on a plant-based diet; there are many great recipes to try (see my favorites here!)! What are your thoughts on plant-based diets?
