Foods to avoid when on a vegan diet

There was a time when making the switch from an average western omnivorous diet to a vegan diet seemed like the toughest decision to make. However, this is no longer the case, as the number of people making this switch is at an all-time high, with more people wanting to enjoy the various health benefits a plant-based diet offers the body.

Another major factor prompting this switch is that people now realize that starting a vegan diet is much easier than previously thought, regardless of the time spent eating a different way. All you need to do and know is the ins and outs of non-vegan foods to avoid.

Once you’ve figured that out, you can start a new journey, embracing a vegan diet. To help with that, highlighted below are foods to avoid when on a vegan diet.

Foods vegans can’t eat

Generally, the rules of a vegan diet exclude eating any animal-based food or product, no matter the type or form, while opting for plant-based food instead. Nevertheless, let’s highlight the foods a vegan can’t eat:

Meat: As one would expect, meat which includes any animal flesh like beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and more, can’t be eaten by a vegan and should be avoided. It isn’t important if the meat or animal used for the meat was farmed or hunted. What is pertinent is that, when on a vegan diet, you should avoid all forms of animal flesh. On a vegan diet, you should opt for meat substitutes like bean burgers, tempeh, seitan, soy chorizo, mock chicken, and more.

Animal By-Product: This includes food products derived from dead animals, such as animal fat, bone marrow, lard, etc. Products of this nature are not suitable for vegans. Rather, substitutes like vegan butter should be used. You can search for vegan food near me to find out places with plant-based meals.

Seafood: Fish, shrimp, lobster, and other seafood are under the umbrella of living animals, like other land creatures. Therefore, foods that include tuna, salmon, or any other type of fish or shellfish should be excluded by a vegan, and substitutes like sweet potato shrimp, fishless fillets, and vegan crab cake should be included.

Dairy Products: A tough one to avoid is dairy products, as they are contained in various products. Hence, to avoid products like milk, cheese, butter, cream, and sour cream, carefully read the labels of products you’re taking off the aisle, to ensure what you are buying is entirely plant-based. Entirely plant-based products would contain substitutes like vegan butter, cashew cheese, nutritional yeast and coconut milk, yogurt, and ice cream.

Eggs: farming chickens to lay eggs for human use is an aspect of the exploitation of animals, which vegans shouldn’t support. This makes eggs a no go for vegans, irrespective of the eggs being from a lovely local farm or a mass-producing factory chicken farm. Vegans should avoid eggs and egg-based products like marshmallows and mayonnaise. Rather, substitutes like scrambled tofu should be embraced.

The aforementioned foods, as well as honey, honey-based products, gelatin, and additives, should be exclusively avoided by anyone on a vegan diet.