Cooking vegan without substitutes: Advantages, dogmatism and tips

Do you want to cook vegan without substitute products more often and are looking for helpful tips? Then you're guaranteed to find what you're looking for here! There are now many vegan substitute products, such as Meat substitute based on soy and peas or plant-based cheese made from roasted walnuts and coconut oil. These industrially produced foods certainly have their advantages. For example, they make the Change from meat eater to vegan much easier. But unfortunately, they often bring some disadvantages.

In this article, I present these points of criticism, as well as valuable tips for a conscious, plant-based diet free from processed products.

Here is a short table of contents for an overview:

1. Advantages
2. Dogmatism?
3. Tips
4. Closing words

Why eat vegan without substitute products?

The benefits of a vegan diet without substitute products are varied and numerous. Because a wholesome diet with unprocessed foods is not only good for you and your health, but also for the environment and your wallet. Here I present the main reasons why it is best to avoid vegan convenience foods in detail.

Notice: These arguments are fundamentally directed against the consumption of convenience foods - and not just against purely plant-based substitutes.

Healthier

If you cook plant-based without substitutes, you are eating more healthily than with vegan substitutes. Because foods that are as unprocessed as possible contain no chemicals, no flavor enhancers or aromas and only as much sugar as you like.

Substitute products continue to often have too High salt content and a poor ratio of Omega 3- and Omega 6 fatty acids. Abdominal pain, headaches, fatigue or skin blemishes often occur, as well as more serious nutrition-related diseases due to an unhealthy diet. Fresh food, on the other hand, often contains more Nutrients and are easier to digest.

Cheaper

Unprocessed foods are also pretty good for your wallet. You've probably already asked yourself the question "Why are vegan substitute products so expensive?". If you consciously eat without substitute products, you won't have this problem. Because cheap staples such as potatoes, pasta, couscous or pulses are much cheaper than vegan substitutes. They are even the cheapest foods in the supermarket. These staple foods therefore form the basis of healthy and sustainable vegan cuisine without substitute products.

Environmentally friendly

The environment will also thank you if you cook vegan without processed foods wherever possible, as this means that less packaging waste and you will feel much lighter regional supply. With substitute products, you often have no choice as to where the raw materials come from. If you buy fresh vegetables instead, you can consciously opt for a local variety.

Less processing also requires Less energy and thus saves resources, as frozen products in particular are real power guzzlers. A plant-based diet without substitute products is therefore a good basis for a truly healthy diet. Sustainable nutrition.

Educational

Another advantage, which many people find uncomfortable at first, is the opportunity to discover new things and to try out, because us People often find change very difficult. And admittedly: at first, plant-based cooking without substitute products also seems time-consuming. But the extra effort is worth it.

Over time you develop Fun cooking for yourself with fresh ingredients like Fruit and vegetables and the pleasure of a home-cooked meal surpasses any ready-made product. This makes your diet more varied, you get to know new foods and discover new taste creations.

Do we have to dogmatically avoid plant-based substitutes?

Of course not. After all, plant-based substitutes also have many advantages. Because these are often still healthier than the corresponding animal productsas they contain less saturated fatty acids, cholesterol, antibiotics and hormones. For many people, substitute products make it easier to Switching to a vegan diet and they bring back the old, familiar taste.

Sometimes you just have Fancy a bratwurst or a vegan barbecuebut I still don't want an animal to die for it. That's why I don't think you should eat a dogmatic vegan diet without substitute products, but can make an exception now and again if you fancy "vegan chicken" or a ready-made burger patty made from pea protein.

7 tips for a vegan diet without substitute products

Now you know the WHY - and you know that exceptions are of course okay. But how can you make it as easy as possible to keep processed foods out of your plant-based diet? Simply use the following tips for a healthy, vegan wholefood diet.

1. look for inspiration

With the right ideas, vegan cuisine without substitute products can be varied and tasty. For example, you can prepare a Cookbook look at new recipes or cook with friends and discover new ideas there. Also shopping in an Arabic or asian supermarket can become an adventure where you get to know new foods. Every now and then can also be a Restaurant visit broaden the horizon. With enough new ideas, plant-based cooking without processed foods will definitely not be boring.

Tip: For climate-friendly cooking, I recommend the cookbook pictured above Cooking for the climatethat Christoph and I have written for you. You can get it for example here*.

2. gratinated food

Whether you fancy vegetable lasagne, potato gratin or pizza - you need a good substitute for cheese for gratinating. My favorite variation is a Cashew Yeast Melt. Use a few cashews, soak them in water and then puree them with water, yeast flakes, olive oil and a pinch each of kala namak and black pepper. If you have a powerful blender, you can even save yourself the soaking time.

If you're in a hurry, you can make an almond paste with almond paste, yeast flakes, a little water and a pinch of salt or Kala Namak. Quick homemade cheese substitute prepare. So you're definitely ready and can bake your next vegan pizza or lasagne without any substitute products.

3. make vegetable patties yourself

Fritters are great if you ever need to make Desire for a really hearty meal have. They are a real enrichment for me in my wholesome, vegan kitchen. Vegetable patties always remind me of meatballs, which I used to really love. Luckily, you can easily make a plant-based alternative yourself.

To do this, cook millet, green spelt meal or lentils, for example, until the lentils are cooked and the water has evaporated. Then thicken the mixture with a little soy flour, chickpea flour or linseed flour, mix in some fried onion, spices and herbs of your choice and then shape the mixture into a patty. Vegetable patties. All you have to do is fry the vegetable patties in a pan until they are golden brown.

4. make delicious spreads yourself

After the Christmas season, together with my girlfriend, I made a "No Sugar Challenge" where, in addition to sugar, we also avoided other sweeteners such as coconut blossom sugar, maple syrup or agave syrup. We noticed how many spreads contain sugar or agave syrup.

However, you can easily make countless, versatile spreads yourself and sugar free make. Many of them even involve just three or four ingredients, which you chop in a blender until they turn into a thick paste. Here are some examples for you:

• Cashew bell pepper spread: 80 g cashews, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1 tsp smoked paprika, pinch of salt
• Tomato Hummus: 200 g chickpeas, 80 g tahini, 5-6 sun-dried tomatoes, some lemon juice
• Bean paste: 200 g black beans, 3 tbsp olive oil, pinch of chili, pinch of salt

5. find fresh alternatives to ready-made products

Many familiar ready-made products can be replaced quickly and easily. Pizza dough, for example, is easy to make yourself - you can also find many recipes for this on the Internet. Instead of pre-fried ready-made pommes, you can easily prepare potatoes, parsnips or beet in the oven. A lot of things are really easy to substitute. Just search the internet for how to make certain things yourself and you'll find lots of recipes and ideas that make it even easier to cook vegan without substitutes.

The flavor Umami is described as savory, spicy or meaty and is often associated with meat. You can also add umami to your dishes with plant-based foods such as dried tomatoes, mushrooms or miso.

6. cover protein needs vegan without substitute products

Seitan sausages and soy cutlets often cover a large part of the daily protein requirement of a vegan diet. Proteins are an important nutrient and ensure, among other things, a functioning Immune systemmuscle building and the formation of enzymes and hormones. Proteins also have a satiating effect, which is also an important factor in a balanced, healthy and satisfying diet. Because plant-based cooking without substitute products should also be tasty and satisfying.

Tip: Good Protein sources are for example Pulsesnuts and nut butters, seeds, whole grain products or sprouts.

7. satisfy cravings for sweets without vegan substitute products

When you have a craving for sweets, it's easy to reach for a chocolate bar or plant-based gummy bears. If you're looking for a healthier and more sustainable alternative to snacking, then "do it yourself" is once again the order of the day. Here are some ideas for healthy snacks:

Banana bread is an absolute classic for me in a healthy, vegan diet without substitute products. The sweet bread is a great way to satisfy the occasional craving for sweets.

You can also use your Chocolate nut cream very easy to make yourself. Take a few ground hazelnuts, dates, cocoa powder and some oat drink and puree all the ingredients in a blender. This way, you can easily eliminate palm oil and refined sugar from your diet.

Quick Jamquick jam, is a breakfast classic in my house. Grab some fruit of your choice, cut it into small pieces and boil it for about 15 minutes with a little water, a squeeze of lemon juice and a sweetener of your choice. You can also add spices such as cinnamon, cardamom or cloves.

Enjoy a vegan diet without substitute products

Cooking vegan without substitute products is not only healthier for you, but is also good for the environment and even your wallet. Less packaging waste, fewer additives, less sugar, but more nutrients, a targeted Health promotion and variety - that sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

It's important that you don't eat too dogmatically free of processed foods and suppress your needs, because then your emotional satisfaction will suffer. Feel free to reach for the soy sausage if you really feel like it.

I welcome comments, questions and criticism about this article on vegan cooking without substitute products!

All the best,

P.S.: If you are interested in healthy eating, you might also like the articles on vegan food supplement or Vitamin B12 interesting for you!