Plant-Based Eating for Busy Professionals: Simple Food Swaps

Plant-based diets still get a bad rep these days. Many say it’s too difficult, that you can’t eat anything… Well, think about how we feel? We’re the ones on the diet and still find it difficult to make adjustments when we’re busy. 

For busy professionals, the idea of changing how you eat can sound like another chore on an already full to-do list. While we know many establishments have offered vegan-friendly options, and the rise of plant-based alternatives has made our lives a little easier, things can still get difficult when time is against us.

That’s why we thought of coming up with some tips to help seasoned or budding vegans! 

What Is Plant-Based Eating?

Plant-based eating is exactly what it sounds like - everyone one eats comes from plants! Think fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds… You get the idea.

Some are more flexible with their plant-based diets, allowing for some animal products like eggs, dairy, or even honey. These will be your vegetarians.

Some are stricter, opting out of all animal byproducts. Period. These will be your vegans. A vegan diet, in comparison, is admittedly harder since many ingredients aren’t outright vegan-friendly. An example would be table sugar, which is also known as refined white cane sugar. Did you know that it is often processed with bone char (aka charred animal bones)? 

At the end of the day, so as there’s no confusion, the phrase plant-based diet simply describes a way of eating where plants are the main event.

How to Start Eating Plant-Based With Simple Swaps

Let’s Start With Worker Fuel, Aka Coffee

• Swap dairy milk for oat milk in your latte. It froths well and has a neutral flavour. There are a large range of non-dairy milks like almond, soy, coconut, and cashew (to name a few). Better yet, for the true java joes, there are barista varieties of certain plant-based milks, which give you the versatility of dairy milk without the dairy.
• And, yes, black coffee itself is already plant-based. So, if you enjoy yours black, you needn’t worry about a thing.

Yoghurts, Cereals, and All Your Morning Faves

• Love a morning cereal? It’s the same as before - no need for dairy milk. Nut milks and other alternatives are easy swaps.
• Swap dairy yoghurt for plant-based yoghurt. Choose oat or coconut yoghurt and top with granola and seeds. It’s the same ritual, but with a different base.
• Swap bacon for smoked tempeh rashers. Marinate thin tempeh slices in soy sauce, maple syrup and smoked paprika, then pan fry. These are crispy and smoky without the meat.
• Love eggs? Plant-based options are way convenient. Fresh eggs usually need to be eaten before they go bad. Vegan eggs are pantry staples with a long shelf life. Simple and such a time saver for forgetful folks.

Lunch at Work? 

• Swap a deli meat sandwich for a grain bowl. Use cooked quinoa or brown rice, roasted veg, a tin of chickpeas, and a tahini dressing. These are excellent and travel well.
• Swap a ready meal for a jar salad. Layer cooked grains, roasted veg, greens and dressing. Shake and eat at your desk. You can stick to a fave or change up the recipe. It’s easy to mix it up.
• If you’ve access to a fridge at work, you can grab vegan-friendly deli slices and cheeses and stock up. Make a sandwich whenever you’ve forgotten your packed lunch or when you’re penny pinching. Just make sure no thieves take your groceries!

Dodge that Dinner Disaster

• Burgers: swap the beef patty for a black bean and quinoa patty. You can also opt for frozen patties like these. Serve with pickles and a yoghurt-style sauce.
• Curry: swap lamb for jackfruit (yes, jackfruit) or chickpeas. Jackfruit soaks up spices and gives a pulled texture. A full-veg curry is quite common in some parts of the world. 
• Kids begging for a pizza? Instead of takeaway, pop these in the oven and Bob’s your uncle.

We Strongly Recommend This for Plant-Based Eating

Spend one hour on a Sunday to cook a pot of grains, roast a tray of vegetables, and make a simple sauce (or have store-bought ones ready). Store in separate containers so you can mix and match. A tray roast can become a salad topping, a wrap filling, and a pasta sauce base across several meals. 

This meal prep method reduces decision fatigue and keeps meals interesting.

Check Out - Everything You Need to Know About Plant Based Protein

Plant-Based Diets Tailored to You

If you manage to increase plant meals to four or five days a week, that is a meaningful change. You don’t necessarily have to go all out once you decide you want to go on a plant-based diet. The key here is replacing, not removing.

PlantX knows how hard diets in general can be. That’s why we’ve collected all your plant-based necessities to make your shopping a little easier!