Vegan Grocery List: 100 Percent of What You Need

If you want to start your vegan journey and you are looking for food items which you should add to your grocery list to buy on this upcoming weekend. Then, you are at the right place. Becoming vegan or adapting veganism is not an easy task. It requires changes in your lifestyle, your food eating habits and list of food items you pick. 

Going to a shopping mart even with a rough idea of what or not to buy, you might get distracted by the alluring food items full of calories. It’s not that difficult to forget about the food items which you were supposed to buy when you see tasty items. That is why, it is necessary to keep a proper list of food items which you have to buy. Making a list on paper or on a smartphone is what you need to do. 

Finding a vegan speciality item in the store will be a new and exciting adventure for you. This means that we started to think about the environment, animal products and our well being. This is the time when we have started to grow and try something better than usual. 

Before you begin with Vegan Diet

To begin with a vegan diet one needs to clear the mind and make up a mental stability about what you can eat and what you need to avoid. It needs a very slow and steady transition. It requires a lot of food which you need to discard from your diet which might be your favourite ones. So it's better to go step by step and week by week.

Every week you need to work upon leaving one that particular food which you are fond of and which does not come into a vegan diet. Like eliminate eggs during your first week, then gradually increase your level to red meat, fish and other poultry food items from your diet. 

As you have grown up eating dairy products, eggs, chicken or fish so it is not going to be that easy. It will require a lot of patience. After eliminating a lot of food varieties first you need to substitute them with vegan products. It also has a lot of health benefits. 

Then move on to a processed vegan food list as it tastes good. Vegan foods are plant based foods or what we call a plant based based diet as it contains a lot of healthy fruits and vegetables.  

Lastly you will come up to that stage when you start having only homegrown fruits and vegetables which come under the pure vegan category.  do a lot of research before having food in the initial days, try to have their alternative. With time you will become habitual of eating a vegan diet and you won't even have any sort of cravings. 

Vegan Grocery List 

Every week you need to buy a new variety of food from different categories. This will give your tastebuds a new flavor every week and you won’t feel bored eating the same kind of food again and again. 

For example, in the first week you buy some starchy veggies like potato and sweet potato, leafy green vegetables like spinach and broccoli and fruits like bananas and apples. So, this way plan your weekly grocery items and also add some additional spices and supplements along. Now, let us look at the items which we can pick from superstore for a healthy vegan diet: 

Categories of Grocery List: 

1. Fruits
2. Vegetables
3. Legumes
4. Herbs and Spices
5. Dairy Alternatives
6. Pantry Items
7. Whole grains 
8. Soy Products
9. Seeds and Peanuts
10. Oil

Fruits are rich in fibre, fresh, nutritious, antioxidant and a great snack during breakfast or evenings. You can add fruits in desserts or eat normally if you don't have much cravings. All fruits are packed with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants you need to feel your best. You can even go for frozen fruits if you want. In Fact they have more nutrients than fresh fruits. Add fruits in your oatmeal, make shakes, smoothies or custards.

List of best FRESH FRUITS which you can add in your grocery list are :

• Banana
• Apple
• Kiwi
• Dates
• Watermelon
• Pomegranate
• Figs
• Berries: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries.
• Stone fruits: nectarines, plums, peaches, cherries.
• Citrus fruits: lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits, clementines, apricot.
• Melons: cantaloupe, honeydew.
• Tropical fruits: papaya, mango, dragonfruit, lychee, pineapple, passionfruit, durian, guava, jackfruit.

List of best FROZEN FRUITS which you can add in your grocery list are below. These frozen fruits are best for making smoothies, oatmeals, snacking and baking purposes.

• Frozen blueberries
• Frozen Strawberries
• Frozen Peaches
• Frozen Mango
• Frozen Cherries
• Frozen Pineapple
• Frozen Banana 

List of best DRIED FRUITS which you can add in your grocery list are: 

• Cherries
• Apricots
• Figs
• Mango
• Raisins
• Cranberries
• Dates
• Mulberries

Vegetables are a very essential part of your diet. They are rich in antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, fibre, enzymes, antioxidants and phytonutrients.Vegetables are necessary for the proper functionality and nutrient deficiencies. These come under the staple diet which we need to take everyday in our meal. 

List of best VEGETABLES which you can add in your grocery list are: 

• Leafy green Vegetables: Kale, spinach
• Cruciferous Veggies: cauliflower, broccoli,green cabbage
• Root vegetables: Carrots, sweet potato, potatoes
• Zucchini.
• Cucumber
• Beets
• Bell peppers
• Tomatoes of all varieties.
• Hot peppers of all varieties.
• Avocado
• Onions 
• Mushrooms of all varieties.
• Garlic
• Eggplant
• Ginger
• Green beans, green peas

You can also add some frozen vegetables in your grocery store list which might be handy and helpful for you while cooking. There are tiny items which a lot of items we forgot to buy. So, it’s better to keep such items in your refrigerator all the time. 

• Corn
• Green peas
• Brussels Sprouts
• Green beans

Legumes includes food items such as beans, lentils and soy. They are a great source of protein and contain a lot of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Legumes are rich in fibre and should be consumed on a daily basis. You can keep canned legumes in your stock for using it as quick and healthy snacks. 

List of best LEGUMES which you can add in your grocery list are: 

• Black eyed beans
• White kidney beans
• Kidney beans
• Green lentils
• Red lentils
• Navy beans

Soy products are a great source of proteins and other nutrients. You should at least eat soy products once in a week. Some of the great food items under soy products are: Tofu, Soy Protein and Soy Milk. 

Nuts and seeds are a great nourishing product. They are a rich source of dietary fat and proteins. They are rich in Vitamin E, Iron, Calcium, Omega 3 fatty acids, zinc, magnesium and more. Stock your kitchen with almonds, walnuts, cashews, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds. 

You can add them in your shakes, smoothies, oatmeals or just eat as snacks. Nuts are also added in chocolate and protein bars to make them much worthy and healthy. 

So, stock up your jars with :

• Nuts: walnuts, cashews, brazil nuts, pistachios, hazelnuts
• Seeds: sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds
• Nut butter: almond butter, cashew butter, peanut butter
• Seed butter: tahini, sunflower seed butter

Any kitchen is just incomplete without whole grains. Rice, Oats , Quinoa are the common grains present in every kitchen. Even meals are nothing without flour. Let’s look at the other essential grains which you must add in your grocery store list. 

• Oats
• Brown rice and other rice varieties
• Quinoa
• millet
• buckwheat
• barley
• Bakery: breads, buns, tortillas
• Pasta: brown rice pasta, quinoa pasta, whole wheat pasta
• Rice cakes
• Whole grain flours: quinoa flour, buckwheat flour, whole wheat flour

There are a lot of dairy alternatives in Vegan Diet such as :

• coconut yogurt
• almond or cashew yogurt
• cashew cheese
• dairy-free milk such as almond, oat, soy, rice, hemp, cashew or coconut
• vegan sour cream
• vegan cream cheese
• cheddar or mozzarella style shreds
• cheese slices
• chocolate soy or almond milk
• coconut creamer
• vegan ice cream

Dry and fresh herbs are very important to make your meal full of flavours. As you cannot eat sodium salt in a vegan diet, it is important to take sea salt in your diet. Sea salt is rich in minerals and an addition to your diet. Spices consist of inflammatory and antioxidant properties. So, fill your jars with natural herbs and spices. List is below:

• dried basil
• dried bay leaves
• chili powder
• red pepper flakes
• fresh chives
• fresh or dried cilantro (coriander)
• cloves
• cumin
• curry powder
• turmeric
• fresh garlic, garlic powder
• ground ginger
• Italian seasoning
• onion powder
• dried oregano
• dried rosemary
• dried parsley
• black pepper
• sea salt

There are various items which we use while baking or cooking to make food more delicious. Since, vegan diets cut down a lot of food items, there are some alternatives which need to be adapted.

SWEETENERS: If you like baking, you can use any of the sweeteners below for an unrefined option to refined white sugar.

• agave syrup
• coconut sugar
• maple syrup
• stevia
• organic cane sugar
• Dates

BAKING AND COOKING ITEMS

• baking powder
• baking soda
• cornstarch 
• pure vanilla extract
• shredded coconut

Oil is the most necessary item needed to cook food. Some of the healthy oils which you can use are :

• Coconut oil
• Flaxseed oil
• Sesame oil
• Olive oil
• Canola oil
• Vegan butter

Customize your Vegan Shopping List

Now, as you have got the whole list of what to buy and what not to buy. There are some alterations which you need to make according to your body type and goals. Here’s what you need to take care of: 

1. Allergies: If you are allergic to some food item avoid buying it.
2. Weight Loss or Gain: Intake whole foods for weight loss and rich foods for weight gain
3. High Protein: Introduce more legumes, seeds and mock meats made from tofu or seitan, possibly including some vegan protein powder

Cost Efficient Shopping List

It’s a common misconception that a vegan diet is expensive. It certainly can be expensive if you buy a lot of packaged vegan foods but if you stick to whole foods, it’s a very inexpensive way to eat.

Here are some of our tips for a budget-friendly vegan diet:

• Pick up items that are on sale, especially if they are dry, canned or frozen
• Go for seasonal produce
• Buy in larger quantities
• Cook some items from scratch
• Check out frozen fruit and veg
• Shop at farmer’s markets
• Freeze leftover produce to avoid food waste
• Plan your meals to use everything up
• Stick to your grocery list; no impulse buying
• Grow some of your own food
• Avoid eating out if you can