*This post may contain affiliate links in which case I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Please know that I would never recommend anything that I don’t actually believe in and that this is just a nice way to help keep the blog running. Also to note, I am not a doctor or a nutritionist. I speak only on the things that I have incorporated in my life throughout my 20+ years of veganism.*
Veganism is taking off like wildfire! At least that’s how it feels to me. For the longest time I was honestly the only vegan I knew. Now I know 100s of vegans and I’m meeting more and more every single day.
With veganism gaining so much popularity there has been an increase in vegan food products which is amazing for convenience but it also adds a lot of processed foods to our diet. If you don’t care about that and just want to eat your Beyond Meat Vegan Cheese Burgers in peace, then you do you boo, I am here for it.
But… if you want to be vegan and you also care about your health & what you’re putting into your body, then this post is for you!
Tbh, the term “Junk Food Vegan” did not exist over 20 years ago. When we wanted junk food, we had to either make it ourselves (still not that bad because it wasn’t processed) or we had to resort to the “accidentally vegan” items like Doritos Sweet Chilli Heat or Oreos, etc.
Again, this is not a post to shame junk food vegans because they are doing so much for the animals & the planet and that’s what matters. But, if you want to also take care of you while doing all of that other stuff, then here are some of my best tips for being a healthy vegan.
Tip #1: Cookbooks
I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a ton of healthy recipes & resources at your disposal. We all know that eating healthy salads is great for about a week right? But then after awhile we get that need to switch things up. That’s where having this resource will be crucial in your health journey.
1. Kimberly Snyder – Kimberly Snyder is an incredible vegan nutritionist. She believes that beauty & health are made from the inside out. If your body is constantly focused on digesting hard to breakdown foods then it cannot focus on other areas of repair.
She has multiple cookbooks and I have read & own all of them. They are filled with not only nutritious & healthy recipes but also so many tips for mental health and wellness. In fact, I have her Glowing Green Smoothie every single day. Checkout my Healthiest Vegan Smoothie article for not only her recipe but my version as well.
2. Blue Zones Kitchen – If you have not heard of the Blue Zones yet then I feel sorry for you (I kid 🤪). But seriously, the Blue Zones are areas in the world with the most amount of living centenarians. There is something about the diet & the lifestyle of these areas that allows for the healthiest & longest living people.
And… as you can guess it, they are all vegan (WFPB) or mainly vegan. Meaning, they do not eat a lot of meat or dairy & usually reserve that for very special occasions. I have a full review on this book which you can checkout here.
I strongly encourage you to checkout the Longevity Plan. It was an amazing book that taught me a lot about healthy eating & healthy living.
3. Veganomicon & Vegan: The Cookbook – The Veganomicon has been around for over 10 years & it is filled with a ton of amazing vegan tips along with amazing recipes.
Vegan The Cookbook is similar to The Veganomicon in that it has a ton of tips & a great glossary that helps explain the process of certain vegan substitutes. This cookbook also has nearly 500 recipes from all over the globe. A definite must for any healthy vegan kitchen.
There are obviously so many more healthy vegan cookbooks out there. So you can definitely explore & shop around. I would even recommend checking out second hand stores for some great deals.
Before we move on to the next tip I wanted to include the Mastering Diabetes book. This book is great for everyone, not exclusive to those managing Diabetes. There are so many amazing food pairing tips that will get you in your best form in no time!
Tip #2: Blogs
There are so many amazing vegan blogs out there & they are filled with free recipes and resources. If you haven’t had a chance to browse my blog, I have a bunch of recipes & so many tips for living a healthy vegan life. Obviously I have unhealthy recipes too because what is life without a few treats here and there, am I right? 🤪
1. Oh She Glows – Angela is a NY Times best selling cookbook author & of course I could have included her cookbooks in tip #1 but… she has so many free recipes on her website that I thought I’d help save y’all some cash.
2. Vegan Richa – Richa is an incredible food photographer, recipe developer, & blogger. Her recipes are mouthwatering to look at and delicious to taste. Inspired by her Indian upbringing she really has a healthy recipe for every palette.
3. Rainbow Plant Life – Nisha was a lawyer who’s love of food turned her career around. Now she creates incredible recipes for all health conscious food lovers to create. She also has her own cookbook & a popular YouTube cooking channel.
Tip #3: Movement
I don’t care what anyone says, movement is one of the main pillars of a long healthy life.
“Sedentary lifestyles increase all causes of mortality, double the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity, and increase the risks of colon cancer, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, lipid disorders, depression and anxiety.” (The list actually goes on and on. )
WHO
While this tip isn’t necessarily a vegan exclusive tip, it is an important health tip nonetheless and I had to include it here.
Now I’m not saying you have to have a 2 hour workout every single day but you should make sure that you are doing some types of movement every single day. Whether that be stretching, walking, weight lifting, or running, our bodies & our organs need movement in order to function properly.
1. Yoga – I love yoga and I love that there are levels for literally everyone to enjoy. My uncle actually teaches seniors at his local gym & there are also different types of chair yogas for people with mobility issues.
I also love that there are endless free resources for us to use in the comfort of our own homes just on Youtube!
My absolute fav yogi on Youtube is Yoga With Adriene. I have been following her online classes for many years now & what I love about her classes is that they are truly for everyone. She doesn’t believe in super intense sessions and believes that we should be gentle with our bodies.
Then there is Boho Beautiful. Boho Beautiful creates some of the most beautiful yoga flows with incredible scenic backdrops. Run by a husband & wife duo, they travel the world & really promote a holistic lifestyle. They also make some of my most favourite Yin Yoga sessions.
Lastly, but certainly not least, Arianna Elizabeth creates the most soothing & tranquil flows. Almost all of her videos are beginner friendly which is awesome! An advanced yogi can do all yogas and make it their own but a beginner yogi would definitely struggle trying to do an advanced class. So that’s a big reason why I love Arianna’s classes too.
2. Les Mills – I’m a big fan of Les Mills. I used to have a gym subscription that offered Les Mills classes but when the pandemic hit I cancelled my gym membership in favour of working out at home. So instead I got a Les Mills subscription & a stationary bike and now I can’t justify missing the gym bc the gym is here haha. Also to note, I bought a bike & the subscription & it’s way cheaper than Peloton. If you’re in the market I highly suggest this option instead,
Les Mills also offers a ton of other workouts, not just Spin. They have yoga classes, weight lifting, dance, aerobics, isolation workouts, and the list goes on.
3. Walks – If you are able to go for a daily walk, I highly encourage you to. Not only will you be giving your body the movement that it craves, but you will also enjoy the benefits of mother nature. Being in nature is a huge component in helping people with mental health issues, anxiety, and more.
My 60+ year old mother goes on 10K walks every single day. After her battle with cancer last year she decided that she really wanted to start going on long walks in nature for the mental & physical therapy.
And this brings me to my last tip of the post…
Tip #4: Meditation
I wanted to include meditation in this article because I truly believe that having a healthy mind will enable you to make better choices for yourself. I know that when I’m depressed or feeling anxious, I don’t always make the best food choices. But when I am taking care of the way my mind works, I care about myself more overall.
There are a ton of great meditation services out there. You can even do guided meditations on Youtube now. The resources are truly endless.
Let me know if you have any other tips to add to this post. What are your go-to vegan healthy choices? I love learning from you all too.
Easter is approaching quick, be sure to checkout my How To Celebrate A Vegan Easter in 2022 article.
These are excellent tips! Vegans can call into unhealthy eating habits by consuming too much sugar and processed foods. Great reminder to keep eating clean! And I’m fascinated with the Blue Zones. Actually working on a post about longevity practices.
SAME! I would love to visit the Blue Zones and just really immerse in their lifestyles. If you haven’t read The Longevity Plan you will really enjoy it. I remember reading it while on vacation & when I finished it, sitting on the beach, I started crying because I felt like there was just so much important info to digest from it. Needless to say, it really moved me.
Great tips for us non-vegans as well.
These are all great tips. Thanks for sharing the great recipe links. It’s nice to know what to make for our vegan friends when they come over!
I loved your tips- while not vegan myself, I have been following a vegetarian way of eating for a few years now and I love the way I feel: energized and healthy. I would not change my decision to stop eating animal meat. I am the only vegetarian in my family, group of friends, and workplace (wow), but I’ve learned how to adapt and make it work by reading up on cookbooks, blogs, and topic-related books. So much great info out there! Thanks for sharing this list of ideas for going vegan for the long run- I need to add meditation to my list!
Aw good for you!
Before I went vegan I was vegetarian for awhile. It was definitely an easier way to transition, especially back in the day. And I can totally relate to being the only veggie/vegan. For the longest time I was the only vegan I knew haha. But fortunately I got my mom to transition & my husband so I’m no longer alone in it.
Lots of good advice! As I’ve gotten older, my lactose intolerance got worse and I started eating only vegan cheese. It’s helped so much with GI issues!
Oh I love to hear that you found GI comfort from it. So many ppl don’t realize that they’re lactose intolerant bc it’s such a normalized food/feeling.
Loved this blog. It has a wealth information all in one place. I am going to check out the books. I need a vegan cookbook ASAP. I have tried yoga but I am not consistent. Working on it.
You’ll get there. Baby steps are greater than no steps at all!
These are wonderful tips! Because you’re right, being a healthy vegan is about so much more than avoiding animal products in your food. There are SO many delicious vegan foods… that are processed. LOL! And while they make life easier at mealtime, I’ve noticed weight gain after eating them more than I used to. (Thank you pandemic for increasing my emotional eating lol!) But you’re right, walking, meditation, and yoga are crucial parts of being healthy. And I still haven’t used a vegan cookbook. But your list sounds awesome. I also follow other vegan bloggers, but not the ones you listed, other than Rainbow Plant Life, so I’m excited to check these other ones out. Also, my grandmother is 94. And did you know I just found out she’s been mostly vegetarian her entire life? She loves See’s Candies too much to give up dairy apparently lol. But still, how amazing is it that I just learned that she hardly eats meat! Thanks for sharing all this wonderful info!
Your grandmother sounds awesome! I love pioneers & the OGs who really helped pave the way. Especially back then when it was even more taboo than nowadays.
Honestly, the processed vegan food I ate during the pandemic was the types of foods I wouldn’t normally have ALL OF THE TIME! But you’re so right, it totally increased the emotional eating. Like I never ate waffles/pancakes growing up, and while those aren’t the worst things to eat, I still ate them far too often haha. It feels great to start getting back on track though!
Omg yes! I eat them too often lol! I definitely want them to exist because I think it’s a great way to transition into veganism. It’s comforting to know that there’s still vegan chicken nuggets you can pop in the oven for the kiddos or a vegan burger that you can easily grill at your meat loving friend’s barbecue. So thank God for them! But like all processed foods, I need to limit them lol.
I agree! I love that these products are there bc they really do cater to the nonvegans who are super reluctant to give up meat. This allows them to have very familiar tasting/texture of foods so it doesn’t seem like such a drastic change.
Great vegan advice!
Great advice for anyone who wants to be a little more healthy
Some of the books and blogs are great resources – I don’t know if I could ever be truly vegan! Certainly agree with better food choices and increased activity (I just started mediation with an app!) I’ll come out ahead! Small steps!
You’re doing great! Meditation apps were my go-to all pandemic and they really did help keep me grounded.
There are so many ways to take care of ourselves – eating well, moving, meditating… all wonderful things that I think that none of us can get enough of. Such simple ways to perform self-care. I looked through the “Oh She Glows” website – and I found a recipe for Zucchini Bread Oatmeal. How amazing does that sound! I have all the ingredients, and I’m going to try this out for breakfast tomorrow.
Oh my goodness that bread sounds so good! Her site is awesome. You got me drooling already haha!
These are great tips. I get a kick out of Oreos being vegan. I believe it they are Kosher as well.
Isn’t it funny? There are a few “accidentally vegan” grocery items & they really do come in clutch sometimes
I had no idea Oreos were vegan until recently. I was shook! Haha. Yoga With Adrienne is my favorite
Oreos were such a great treat back in the day. I don’t eat them as much now bc there are soooooo many other options, but they were definitely clutch. Isn’t Adrienne so awesome! Love her vibe so much.
I never thought to look at blogs for vegan recipes. What a great idea. I used to do Yoga and meditation. I benefitted from them both when I did them. I need to start doing them again to enjoy the peace I get from them.
I have kind of fallen off the meditation schedule myself. Which exactly, definitely need to get back to it bc they really do help eh?
And honestly, as much as I love my physical cookbooks, the amount of free resources on blogs nowadays is endless!