Make the switch to a plant-based diet easier with this {free} Whole Plant Food Substitutions For Beginners printable. It includes simple whole food swaps and substitutions so you can continue to enjoy your favorite recipes while living a healthier life!
Plant-based eating means your diet will consist mainly of whole foods from plant sources but you will still be able to eat small amounts of animal products, including meat, fish, eggs, and dairy.
Whether you are doing this on your own or trying to follow Forks Over Knives, this cheatsheet will help you as a beginner just making the transition.
I consider it a healthier way of eating since it allows us to focus more on fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, and legumes and cut back on refined oils, meat, and other animal products which are often highly processed.
During the transition, you may find yourself struggling to recreate your favorite recipes using plant-based ingredients which is why I made this free Whole Plant Food Substitutions for Beginners printable!
🍎 Why It Works
Easy Replacement of Old Favorites | We now have a richness of healthy ingredients at our disposal perfect for replacing the not-so-healthy ones in various types of recipes. You just have to know where to start, and this free printable is all you need as a beginner in plant-based eating.
Common Ingredients | The substitutions cheat sheet includes plant-based alternatives for some of the most common ingredients you will find in recipes, including eggs, cheese, oil, milk, and meat.
🫒 How This Works
Step One: Find the first ingredient in your original recipe that needs to be substituted.
Step Two: Locate the ingredient in the first column of the printable.
Step Three: From the available substitutions choose the one that best fits your recipe.
Step Four: Repeat the steps above for all the ingredients in the original recipe that need replacing.
🥑 Whole Plant Food Substitutions for Beginners
There’s always a healthier, plant-based ingredient you can use, even for your family recipes. Here is a list with healthier, plant-based substitutions for common foods so you don’t need to give up on recipes you love:
Pasta – Spaghetti squash, bulgur, whole grains, spiralized carrot, spiralized zucchini
Dairy Milk – Soy milk, oat milk, rice milk, almond milk
Yogurt, Mayo, Sour Cream – Plain soy yogurt, plain almond yogurt
Cheese – Nutritional yeast, tofu, cauliflower & potato-based dips and sauces
Eggs (for baking) – Applesauce, mashed banana, crumbled tofu
Butter (for baking) – Pumpkin puree
Butter (for cooking) – Vegetable broth
All meats – Beans, lentils, tempeh, tofu, mushrooms, sliced eggplant
Oil (for baking) – Applesauce, mashed banana, pumpkin puree
Oil (for cooking) – Vegetable broth, vinegar, soy sauce, water
Sugar, Honey, Syrups – Whole fruit, dry fruit, stevia, erythritol, cinnamon
Soda, Juices, Alcohol – Infused water, sparkling water, tea
Bread & Crackers – Wheat berries, brown rice, baked potatoes, sliced veggies, sweet potato toast
Ice Cream – Fruit sorbets, banana ice cream, frozen grapes, frozen fruit slices
Pasta
Pasta is typically not the kind of food you’d want in a whole foods diet but we have some great alternatives to it. Spaghetti squash, spiralized veggies, cabbage noodles are just some of the options on the list and you will find even more after a quick online search.
The options in our printable are among the most commonly used so as a beginner you can definitely stick to those.
Dairy Milk
As delicious as it may taste, dairy milk is still an animal-based food so it should be at least on your “every now and then” list. Luckily, substituting dairy milk is probably the easiest switch you’ll have to make.
There are various plant-based types of milk on the market such as soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, and coconut milk. You may need to do a bit of experimenting at first, but finding a favorite is worth it!
Yogurt, Mayo, & Sour Cream
Yogurt, mayo, & sour cream are used in many recipes and as a general replacement, plain soy yogurt and plain almond yogurt make excellent choices. Plant-based alternatives to mayo can be a bit tricky if the recipe calls for some fat in which case you can replace it with pureed avocado, or olive oil.
If you’re just using mayo for making sandwiches, opt for some mustard or tomato sauce instead.
Cheese
Cutting back on cheese can be difficult if you’re a true fan like me. There is some good news though. You can replace it with nutritional yeast, tofu, cauliflower & potato-based dips, and sauces when cooking.
Even more, there are some pretty exciting new types of vegan cheese available in stores so I encourage you to try at least a few. You might be surprised in a good way!
Eggs
For baking, eggs can be tricky to replace so be very careful about which substitution you choose, depending on your recipe. Another thing most people seem to miss is eating the actual eggs and I’m definitely one of them. Tofu works like a charm for scrambles and omelets. Adding small amounts of turmeric and salt will make the taste and color closer to the real thing.
Butter
Assuming you’re trying to reduce the fats in your diet, you can easily substitute butter for baking with pumpkin puree, and vegetable broth for cooking. When fat can’t be skipped you can use a healthy virgin oil such as olive oil, or coconut oil in your recipe.
Meat
Reducing your meat intake can require some time getting used to and it’s a good idea to start replacing it at least every now and then. You’ll be able to continue making recipes you know and love and even while they won’t be exactly the same, I can assure you they will be just as delicious.
You’ll find plenty of ready-made vegan and vegetarian meat substitutes but those are still processed and usually not that healthy. If you’d like to stick to unprocessed whole foods, consider bean, lentils, tofu, tempeh, mushrooms, and sliced eggplant as alternatives to meat.
Oil
If the recipe calls for oil and giving it up completely would affect the end result significantly, you can just make sure you use a healthy, unprocessed one like olive oil, sesame oil, and coconut oil.
Those trying to cut back on fats can replace it with pumpkin puree, applesauce, or mashed banana for baking, or vegetable broth, vinegar, soy sauce, or plain water for cooking.
Sugar, Honey & Syrups
Make your homemade sweets, desserts, and even your morning coffee healthier by skipping traditional sweeteners like sugar, honey, and syrups, and replacing them with natural plant-based sweeteners such as whole fruit, dry fruit (dates make a great option), stevia, erythritol, or even a pinch of cinnamon.
Soda, Juices, Alcohol
The Western Diet has us programmed to crave all kinds of sugary drinks and alcohol which comes in many shapes and sizes. Fruit juices are typically as high in sugar as their processed counterparts and drinking them on a regular basis is obviously not a good idea.
Alcohol is known to dehydrate so going for a natural, healthy drink such as infused water, sparkling water, or tea will have the opposite effect and give your body the water it craves.
Bread & Crackers
For some people giving up bread and other salty, carby treats such as crackers is next to impossible. I recommend at least occasionally you skip it completely or replace it with any of the options available in the printable.
Ice Cream
You can make sugar-free ice cream at home using bananas, avocados, and other whole ingredients. Fruit sorbets make another delicious option, or even frozen grapes and fruit slices to keep it on the lower side of calories.
🥕 Whole Plant Food Recipes
Embarking on a plant-based diet will require you to cook most of your meals at home. That’s great because homecooked meals are the best kind!
Even as a beginner, there are still simple, healthy, and delicious recipes you can make at home with ease. Here are some of our favorite easy plant-based recipes from the blog:
Breakfast
Healthy Oatmeal Waffles Recipe (Meal Prep Breakfast)
Oven Roasted Portobello Mushroom Pizza
Lunch & Dinner
Roasted Beets And Carrots Recipe
Plant-Based Food Tips For Beginners
Starting a plant-based diet can feel intimidating for someone who didn’t have any prior dietary restrictions or limitations. I recommend you avoid going through a drastic change and use the plant-based food tips below to start.
A great way of transitioning to a plant-based diet is to simply start eating more vegetables. Make sure at least half of your plate is full of veggies for lunch and dinner. This is a pretty easy way to start!
You should also consider bringing back Meatless Mondays. Of course, no need to be so strict. Choose any day of the week to cook a vegetarian meal and see if you can eventually progress to two days a week. Use the monthly calendars to keep track of your days.
Speaking of meat, if you already got so far (which is great!) now would be the perfect time to eat smaller amounts. If it helps, consider meat a garnish and build your meal with that in mind.
A plant-based diet should include mostly healthy, unrefined plant-derived oils, and occasionally small quantities of natural animal fats. Avoiding processed and refined oils is not difficult since we have so many good options to choose from such as olive oil, nuts, and nut butter, avocado, and seeds.
I consider breakfast to be optional especially for those who engage in regular fasting and eat within a reduced time window. Nevertheless, if you are a breakfast eater, focus on whole grains, fresh fruit, nuts, and seed for your first meal of the day. It will make you feel more energized and stave off hunger for longer.
Having a sweet tooth will make your transition a bit more difficult but it’s still doable! Refrain from buying anything sugary and shopping on an empty stomach since that’s when we are most tempted to make unhealthy food choices. Instead, make sure you always have fresh fruit in your house and go for that when your cravings kick in.
Last, but not least I highly recommend you consider meal planning. Meal planning and prepping can be life-changing, really! Especially, when you are consciously trying to eat healthier. Having your main meals set up for the whole week will make it so much easier to avoid temptations.
Grab Your Copy Here
Making substitutions for common foods is really a breeze with our {free} Whole Plant Food Substitutions for Beginners printable! To grab the printable, enter your email in the address form below and it will arrive in your inbox shortly.
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