Plant-Based Grocery List (+ Key Plant-Based Tips)
Whether you've been eating plant-based all your life or you're thinking about starting a plant-based diet, building a plant-based grocery list must begin somewhere. Use this as a guide for your next trips to the store.
Recent years have seen a rapid increase in "plant-based" eating. Whether it's for health, morality, or environmental reasons, this way of eating won't disappear soon. However, what does “plant-based” mean? The term has been consistently used interchangeably to mean a diet ranging from fully vegan to mostly plants, making its actual meaning murky and ambiguous. And it's important for your food choices to include all the nutrients necessary to sustain a balanced diet.
So let’s take a closer look at the components of a plant-based diet, with a grocery list to make your shopping question-free.
What is a Plant-Based Diet?
When it comes to “plant-based” eating, there is no official definition of the term. If you eat mostly fruits, vegetables, grains, and very rarely meat, you can claim to be a plant-based eater. You don’t have to follow a vegan or vegetarian eating pattern to give yourself this title.
Vegans vs. Vegetarians
While plant-based doesn’t mean that you are vegan or vegetarian, if you do fall into one of these categories you can still consider yourself a plant-based eater. Eating vegan or vegetarian is relatively straightforward. Vegetarians may consume products produced by animals, but not the animals themselves. In contrast, vegans don’t consume any animal products. For example, some products that are vegetarian-friendly would include things like eggs, milk, honey or cheese.
Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet
According to the CDC, most Americans don’t consume the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables. In fact, only 10% of Americans get enough of them. However, there are many wonderful health benefits to eating a diet composed mostly of plants including:
improved weight maintenance
improved heart health
reduced risk of chronic diseases
improved digestive health.
What Foods Do You Eat On A Plant-Based Diet?
Some may be surprised to hear that a plant-based diet offers a lot of flexibility. Fruits and vegetables are obviously included. However, many people forget that grains are also plants. Carb sources like quinoa, rice and pasta are friendly to a plant-based diet and should be included to diversify the type and sources of nutrients being consumed.
One important note is that being mindful of protein intake is very important when following this type of diet. Meat is typically replaced with other protein-rich plant sources like tofu, seitan, quinoa, beans, nuts or seeds, and sometimes fish.
In recent years, plant-based “meat” like Impossible burgers, vegan sausage and even vegan chicken tenders have been made more commercially available than ever before. Although it's okay to occasionally indulge in these meat analogs, it is advised by nutrition professionals to rely mostly on whole food plant sources for protein, rather than alternatives that may be overly processed.
How to Build a Plant-Based Kitchen Grocery List
So, what would a plant-based grocery list look like? The easiest way to get started with building a list is to break it down by food groups. Not only will this make navigating the store much less overwhelming when you arrive, but can help ensure you stay organized to ensure you’re coming home with everything you may need.
This list includes examples of foods for each category, so feel free to add some of your favorites to each section as you go along.
Fresh Produce
Fruits like berries, apples, avocados and oranges
Leafy greens like arugula, kale and spring mix
Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage
Starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, potatoes, butternut squash
Squash and zucchini
Onion
Garlic
Bell peppers
Carrots
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
*Don’t forget to include dried fruit as well. Look for options without added sugar or preservatives. Great options include raisins, apricots, prunes, dates, and figs.
Frozen Produce
Berries
Corn
Broccoli
Peas
Green beans
Asparagus
Edamame
Grains
Quinoa
Brown rice
Oats
Farro
Couscous
Whole-grain pasta
Whole-grain bread
Cereal
Crackers
Eggs and Dairy
Eggs
Greek yogurt
Kefir
Cottage cheese
Soy milk or cow’s milk
String cheese
Cheese cubes
Jarred, Canned, and Packaged Goods
Peanut butter and/or peanuts
Almond butter and/or almonds
Walnuts
Seeds such as chia seeds, ground flax seeds, hemp seeds, and sunflower seeds
Canned lentils
Canned black beans
Canned chickpeas
Canned corn
Soy/Meat Alternatives
Tofu
Seitan
Tempeh
Healthy Fats
Avocado
Almonds
Cashews
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Flaxseed
Chia seeds
Condiments, Dips, and Sauces
Olive oil
Tahini
Hummus
Honey
Balsamic vinegar
Miso
Soy sauce
Don’t forget to add your favorite herbs and spices as well, such as cumin, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and more.
Here are some items that may not make it into your cart every time, but provide special benefits such as improved gut health or additional protein:
Chickpea pasta
Kimchi
Kombucha
Spirulina
Nutritional yeast
Sprouted bread
A Note About Frozen and Canned Foods
It is important to keep in mind that frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are perfectly fine to eat. In fact, it’s a fantastic idea to keep them on hand when eating a plant-based diet. If you find yourself buying a lot of produce at once, you can expect much of it to go bad before you can get around to eating it. Not only does this cause food waste, but can be an expensive habit. So, having frozen and canned foods that will hold a lot longer can go a long way.
Final Thoughts for Plant-Based Eating
Eating a plant-based diet can come with a myriad of health benefits. However, it is vital to ensure you are getting all the nutrients your body needs, especially if the intent is to eliminate animal products completely. Heading to the grocery store armed with your plant-based grocery list is the way to go in setting yourself up for success.
