Tips for Tiptoeing into Plant-based Eating
This is a guest post by Population and Sustainability Media Specialist Kim Dinan
I became a vegetarian at the age of twelve, an unorthodox move for a midwestern middle schooler in the early 90s. I’ve maintained my vegetarian diet for nearly 30 years now. My husband was not a vegetarian when we met, but it’s a habit he adopted after so many years of meat-free eating at home. And now, our children are vegetarian, too.
Though the choice to remain vegetarian will be their own, so far, my five-year-old has shown no interest in eating meat, especially after I explained to her why I choose not to eat it. My motivation was, and still is, a respect for the sentience of animals. To put it simply, I don’t believe any animal should suffer and die so that I can eat, especially when there are so many other food options available to me. But it wasn’t until recently that I realized consuming other animal products, like dairy and eggs, not only had ethical implications but environmental ones, too.
Dairy cattle are responsible for 19% of the total global water footprint of animal agriculture and 3% of all greenhouse gas emissions. They’re also a driver of habitat loss and pesticide runoff. Industrial egg production is responsible for high levels of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions. To stop the extinction crisis, studies show Americans must reduce our consumption of all animal products — including eggs and dairy — by 50%.
Learning about the environmental devastation caused by the egg and dairy industry recently prompted me to take a good hard look at the food in my fridge. I’ve got two young kids at home, and they eat a lot of dairy products. Babybels, yogurt, eggs and cottage cheese are just a few of the staples that take up space in my refrigerator. Not to mention the mac and cheese, grilled cheese, pizza and other (now that I write it publicly) embarrassingly innutritious food my kids often demand.
While I’m not quite ready to completely give up dairy and eggs just yet, buying (and eating) 50% less feels do-able.
To help with that endeavor, I asked some plant-based eaters to share their tips and tricks for tiptoeing into a plant-based diet.
Where to find plant-based food
I live in the rural south and the nearest specialty food store is… not close, so one of my biggest concerns about ditching dairy was the availability of plant-based yogurt and cheese alternatives at my grocery store. I mentioned this to Stephanie Feldstein, a plant-based food expert here at the Center, who told me I’d probably be surprised by the options at my local grocery store, if I just knew where to look.
Lo and behold, she was right. I found shredded and sliced cheese alternatives on a refrigerated shelf in the produce section near the packaged salads and plant-based yogurt, sour cream and cream cheese in the dairy aisle.
I was surprised that those plant-based options had been under my nose the whole time, I’d just never noticed them before. When I expressed my curiosity about the availability of other plant-based options, Edward, a plant-based eater for over 40 years (!!), told me that he discovers new alternatives by plugging keywords like “vegan” into the search feature of delivery food apps like Instacart. “I’ve picked up a lot of new options this way,” he said. “So, it works.”
Cost
Another big concern of mine was the cost of plant-based food. “Because meat and dairy are heavily subsidized, they do tend to be cheaper,” Jennifer Molidor, senior food campaigner at the Center, told me. “But prices on plant-based alternatives have come way down.”
To get a sense of the difference in price, I added up what I normally spend on cheese, dairy and eggs during my weekly trip to the store ($46.63 if you’re wondering).
Then I added up what it cost me to replace all that with plant-based cheese and dairy alternatives. (I wasn’t quite ready to buy plant-based egg replacers, but I also didn’t want to buy a carton of factory-farmed eggs, so I traded some of my daughter’s hand-me-downs for eggs from a friend who keeps backyard chickens.) When I added up the total cost of my cheese, dairy and egg replacements, it cost me $52.81 and a bag of my daughter’s too-small clothes. Not bad. (Full disclosure: There were a few items, like cottage cheese, I skipped buying instead of purchasing the plant-based alternative.)
But would my kids notice?
Of course, my biggest concern of all was that I’d spend my grocery budget on plant-based food that my kids would refuse to eat. My plan to introduce this new food was similar to the approach I take on all new things my kids may not be thrilled about (shots at the doctor’s office, trips to the dentist, long car rides): Don’t mention it. In other words, I decided I’d just switch out some of their dairy foods for plant-based alternatives without making a big deal out of it.
My daughter usually eats yogurt as an after-school snack, so the first real taste test came on Monday when she got home from preschool. I’d been advised to buy coconut yogurt because it tastes the same as milk yogurt, and when I put a bowl down in front of her, she ate the entire thing without noticing a difference. The next day, I put a vegan cheddar slice on her hummus sandwich, and she didn’t say a word about that either.
I’m going to switch out the ice cream next — don’t tell my kids.
What’s Next?
Overall, my family foray into cheese and dairy alternatives has been positive and I plan to keep it up. We haven’t loved everything we’ve tried — one plant-based feta was so off the mark that we threw it out, and when a bear raided the trashcan that night, even it left the vegan cheese untouched. (We have since added a bear-proof lock to the trashcan, but I can’t tell if it’s the lock or the feta that scared the bear off for good.) We have, however, found some really solid replacements. But I realize that successfully swapping out a few products isn’t the same as committing to long-term change. So, I asked experienced plant-based eaters for some tips and tricks.
“My Instant Pot changed my entire approach to cooking,” Evan from Flagstaff, AZ told me. Luckily, I recently invested in an Instant Pot, so this tip is timely. Here’s a great list of plant-based Instant Pot recipes I tracked down. Evan also said he subscribed to a food subscription service for a while, which encouraged him to try new things and build his confidence with plant-based cooking.
Another tip from Kendra in Tucson, AZ, ensured me that I don’t have to give up on the tactile pleasure of dairy. “Cashews are a vegan’s best friend. They make things creamier, so I don’t miss milk and cheese,” she said. Kendra also recommended following social media hashtags like #veganrecipes and #plantbased to find great recipes and information.
I received some solid cooking tips, too. “When cooking and baking, I replace eggs with banana and avocado,” said Jennifer from California. Melissa, from Phoenix, raved about mushrooms. “I’ve explored new varieties (chanterelle, oyster, king oyster, seafood mushrooms) since becoming plant-based,” she said. “They make a great meat replacement and come in many flavors.”
Plant-based eaters also recommend the following books, podcasts, and documentaries.
Books
Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan, How Not to Die and How Not to Diet by Michael Greger, Oh She Glows website and cookbook by Angela Liddon and The No Meat Athlete Cookbook by Matt Frazier and Stepfanie Romine.
Documentaries
Forks Over Knives, Vegucated, What The Health, Food Matters, Game Changers, Eating Animals and Dominion.
Podcasts
Plant Proof, Our Hen House, Food for Thought, Meatless, The Exam Room, Ordinary Vegan, The Disclosure Podcast and The Rich Roll Podcast.
Plant-based recipes
Many of the plant-based eaters were nice enough to share their favorite recipes:
Mushroom risotto in the instant pot
Kale and brussels sprout Caesar slaw
Miso soba stir fry with greens and beans
Spaghetti squash burrito bowls
Another great source for plant-based recipes is the Center’s own Take Extinction Off Your Plate website, which has lots of resources for people curious about plant-based eating, including a long list of delicious plant-based recipes.
One final thought
There was one sentiment I heard over and over again from plant-based eaters, and it has helped me stay committed to making this shift in my diet. Jasmine in Mississippi summed it up best: “Figure out why you’re [eating plant-based] and stick to that,” she said. “After that, everything else is easy.”
Kim Dinan is a Senior Media Specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity and a fumbling yet improving plant-based cook.
