|

What I Eat in a Day as a Vegan (Plant-Based & Tasty)

Wondering what a vegan eats in a day? This post is all about what I eat in a day as a vegan! While not every day looks the same, hopefully this can offer some inspiration and guidance on how you can incorporate more vegan meals in your diet.

what i eat in a day as a vegan collage

While I certainly don’t eat the same thing every day, there are definitely meals I gravitate towards. If you’re looking to transition to a vegan diet and are worried you will only be eating salad…think again!

While there’s TONS of delicious packaged vegan foods out there, I try and focus on eating a plant-based diet filled with whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and seeds on a daily basis. So while I do consume some vegan processed foods, I try not to have them take up too much of my diet.

And trust me, there’s SO many delicious meals you can make without animal products that will leave you feeling satisfied. While eating a healthy diet is definitely important to me, it’s also important that I enjoy the food I’m eating.

But before we dive in, what do vegans not eat?

What I eat in a day as a vegan doesn’t include any of the following ingredients:

  • Meat
  • Fish
  • Eggs
  • Dairy Products
  • Other foods derived from animals (i.e honey, gelatin, etc)

P.S. If you’re looking to become vegan and cutting the above foods out of your diet doesn’t sound realistic, you can focus on incorporating more vegan recipes into your diet rather than taking away certain food groups.

WHAT I EAT IN A DAY (VEGAN)

Breakfast

I’m a firm believer that breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

Before I eat breakfast, I always fill a glass of water up and sip on it while I get ready for the day. If I have a fresh lemon on hand, I’ll usually add a squeeze of lemon juice to my water as well. Then, for breakfast I gravitate towards something filling, fiber-packed, and easy to make, such as oatmeal.

what a vegan eats for breakfast

Each weekday morning I usually make a serving of rolled oats on the stove and top it with fresh fruit like strawberries and blueberries, ground flaxseed and shredded coconut. While I change up my toppings from time to time I always add flaxseed for Omega-3 fatty acids .

To sweeten it up, I add half a banana while I’m cooking the oats – it adds the perfect sweetness and creaminess! I have a post here on all the best ways to sweeten oatmeal without adding sugar.

I also love to pair my oats with a protein smoothie so ensure I’m getting enough protein in at each meal. For all meals I try to make sure I have a good balance of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. I especially prioritize this at breakfast to make sure that I feel energized and ready to take on the day.

what i eat in a day for breakfast

For my protein smoothies I usually add unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or coconut water), the other half of my banana from my oatmeal, ginger, frozen blueberries, peanut butter/almond butter and plant-based protein powder. Sometimes I’ll also add in carrots or leafy greens if I’m looking for an extra nutrient boost!

After breakfast I also take my vitamin d3 and vitamin b12 supplement to make sure I’m meeting all my nutritional needs. While these aren’t the only supplements I take, they are the two that I take daily.

Other favorite breakfasts:

Snack

Depending on what time I eat lunch, I usually have a snack beforehand. For snacks I tend to have a serving of nuts and an apple, a slice of sourdough bread with nut butter, crackers and hummus, or Siete chips. I have a slight obsession with the Siete brand chips, they have pretty healthy ingredients and taste insanely good!

If I’m feeling a bit tired I’ll pair my snack with a cup of coffee or a plant-based energy drink.

Lunch

Next up is my second favorite meal of the day…lunch! For lunch I’m a big fan of sandwiches, salads, and stir fries. My go-to lunch sandwich is sourdough or seeded bread paired with vegan mayo or hummus, vegan cheese, pickled onions, lettuce, baked tofu, and avocado. Then I’ll usually pair it with either nuts, an apple, crackers and hummus, or whatever I didn’t just eat for a snack.

For stir fries, I usually throw together sauté veggies with a bit of olive oil or avocado oil, baked or air fried tofu, and brown rice paired with a sauce. This vegan cashew “chicken” is one of my favorite stir fries to make for lunch.

vegan cashew chicken for lunch

I usually use lunch for my ‘clean out the fridge’ meal, which means I basically add whatever needs to be used up to my stir fries, sandwiches, or salads.

Snack

I’m definitely a 1 to 2 snacks a day kind of person! If I don’t eat regularly I don’t feel my best, so I try to eat pretty consistently throughout the day. For my second snack, I pretty much always gravitate towards whatever snacks I’ve tested for the week…i.e. energy balls, muffins, even if it’s a dessert I’ll usually have it before dinner.

Or, my other favorite snack to have is a bowl of frozen blueberries, a bit of almond milk, and granola. I don’t know why, but it’s SO good.

Other favorite snacks:

Dinner

For dinner I try to make a vegetable heavy meal. I love having curries, stir fries (if I didn’t have one for lunch), veggie burgers, or buddha bowls. I usually pair these meals with brown rice, quinoa, couscous, or pasta. And, I also try to incorporate some type of bean, either black beans, white beans, or chickpeas.

vegan buddha bowl for dinner

If I’m having curry I often use chickpeas, sweet potato, broccoli, lite coconut milk, red curry paste, unsweetened yogurt, and a few other ingredients. I’m currently working on a curry recipe so once I have that ready to go, I’ll link it here!

Other favorite dinners:

Dessert

I’m a sweet treat a day kinda gal! However a lot of times I’ll have a sweet treat before dinner instead of after. If I do have dessert I usually have either a popsicle (I’ve been loving the Good Pop brand), homemade ice cream, or a bit of dark chocolate (especially with peanut or almond butter).

Webstory Cover

And that’s pretty much what I eat in a day as a vegan! As a reminder, what I eat changes each day, and this is just what a sample day of eating looks like for me. Some days I may eat more processed foods, others I may be eating out. And when I’m testing recipes? Well, it’s a bit all over the place then.

If you’re considering switching to a vegan diet (or already have) I encourage you to meet with a registered dietitian or nutritionist to make sure you are getting in all essential nutrients and eating the right foods to avoid any nutritional deficiencies. And, don’t forget, everyone’s diet is different based on their activity levels and dietary needs.

Let me know below if you have any staple meals you find yourself gravitating towards. I’d love to hear what you eat in a day – vegan or not!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *