7-Day Vegan Diet Plan (Beginners and Weight Loss)

7-Day Vegan Diet Plan | Shopping List | 1-Week Meal Plan | Weight Loss Plan | Foods To Eat/Avoid | Pros and cons

The vegan diet has gained immense popularity in recent years, and for a good reason. 

Several health benefits have been linked to this diet. Improved cardiac health, blood sugar management, and weight loss are just a few of the potential benefits.

However, it’s important to ensure you get all the nutrients your body needs when you are on a vegan diet. This 7-day vegan diet plan can help you do just that.

7-day vegan diet plan

A poorly planned vegan diet can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Here is a vegan meal plan that is both nutritious and satisfying.

Monday

• Breakfast: Pineapple, ginger, and walnut oatmeal
• Lunch: Black bean burrito bowl
• Snacks: Veggie smoothies and a fresh fruit
• Dinner: Butternut squash risotto with leeks and spinach

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Coconut yogurt with chia seeds and fresh berries
• Lunch: Roasted broccoli pasta salad with hemp pesto
• Snacks: Baked veggie chips
• Dinner: Baked cauliflower rice bowl

Wednesday

• Breakfast: Baked farro with tomato and herbs
• Lunch: Vegan sushi bowl with ginger marinated tofu
• Snacks: Fruit salad and almonds
• Dinner: Mushroom lentil loaf with cauliflower

Thursday

• Breakfast: Vegan yogurt and fruit tart
• Lunch: Jalapeño chickpea salad sandwich
• Snacks: Roasted pumpkin seeds, frozen grapes with almond butter
• Dinner: Coconut-creamed corn and grains

Friday

• Breakfast: Breakfast skillet with zucchini, tomatoes, and broccoli
• Lunch: Cinnamon peanut butter quinoa bowl
• Snacks: Rice cake and avocado
• Dinner: Vegan cacio e pepe pasta

Saturday

• Breakfast: Avacado toast and apple juice
• Lunch: Roasted rainbow vegetable bowl
• Snacks: Vegan protein shakes and walnuts
• Dinner: Stir-fried veggie rice bowl with coconut curry

Sunday

• Breakfast: Banana bread with peanut butter
• Lunch: Sweet potato and black bean veggie burger with potato fries
• Snacks: Guacamole and crackers
• Dinner: Vegetable paella with brown rice, tomatoes, bell peppers, and chickpeas

Shopping list for vegan meals

Moving to a plant-based diet can be daunting. It’s important to have all the necessary ingredients at home to make the transition smooth. Here is a grocery list of vegan staples to help you get started.

Fresh produce

• Fruits: Apples, avocados, blueberries, blackberries, bananas, grapes, kiwis, lemons, mangoes, oranges, pomegranates, peaches, pears, pineapples, raspberries, strawberries, etc.
• Vegetables: Asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, carrots, corn, cauliflower, garlic, green beans, ginger, kale, onions, okra, potatoes, peas, tomatoes, zucchini, etc.

Protein foods

• Nuts: Almonds, Cashews, peanuts, pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc.
• Seeds: Flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds, etc.
• Soy products: Tempeh, tofu, etc.
• Legumes: Dry beans, chickpeas, dry peas, hummus, lentils, peanuts.
• Protein supplements: Pea protein powder, hemp protein, brown rice protein.

Grains and spices

• Grains: Barley, buckwheat, brown rice, millet,  farro, oats, quinoa, sorghum, and teff.
• Spices: Chilli powder, cinnamon, cumin, garlic powder, ground ginger, nutritional yeast, paprika, pepper, pepper powder, thyme, and turmeric.

Bread and pasta

• Bread: Ezekiel bread, zucchini bread, and whole wheat bread.
• Pasta: Whole wheat pasta and brown rice pasta.

Condiments, spices, and sweeteners

• Sweeteners: Coconut sugar, dates, maple syrup, molasses, monk fruit, stevia.
• Condiments: Salt, tomato ketchup, mustard sauce, mustard oil, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, vinegar, etc.

Dairy alternative foods

• Alternatives to milk: Almond milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, oat milk, rice milk, soy milk, etc.
• Alternatives to yogurt: Coconut yogurt, cashew yogurt, almond yogurt, soy yogurt, etc.
• Alternatives to cheese: Vegan parmesan cheese, shredded cheese, etc.
• Alternatives to butter: Peanut butter, almond butter, etc.

1-week sample vegan meal plan for beginners

If you are a beginner just starting to turn vegan and choose plant-based foods, this sample meal plan will give you an idea of what a healthy vegan diet looks like.

Here is a beginner-friendly vegan diet plan that is easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients.

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Whole-wheat bread with peanut butter and banana	Veggies and hummus sandwich	Chickpeas and quinoa bowl
Tuesday	Blueberry baked oatmeal	Thai vegetable stir fry with brown rice	Greek grilled vegetable bowl with chickpeas
Wednesday	Oatmeal with berries and apples	Quinoa avocado salad	Butternut squash with coconut lentil
Thursday	Peanut butter and chia pudding	Vegan pesto pasta	Vegetable bowl with peanut sauce
Friday	Mushroom bacon toast	Tofu kale power bowl	Vegan bread pizza with vegan cheese
Saturday	Avocado toast tofu	Baked vegan mac and cheese bowl	Hummus bowl with stir-fried veggies
Sunday	Oatmeal cookies	Cauliflower tacos	Rice with vegan chickpea curry

1-week sample vegan diet plan for weight loss

Vegan diet itself is not a weight-loss diet. However, since a vegan diet cuts down animal products, it is considered a low-calorie diet. A vegan diet is also generally high in fiber, which helps with satiety and weight control.

Additionally, according to a study ^[1]PubMed: Comparative effectiveness of plant-based diets for weight loss: a randomized controlled trial of five different diets on the comparative effectiveness of plant-based diets for weight loss, a vegan diet was more effective than other diets for weight loss.

However, a vegan diet is not a foolproof method for weight loss, and one can still gain weight on a vegan diet if one makes unhealthy food choices. So the key to weight loss with a vegan diet is to ensure that you consume healthy, nutrient-rich, and low-calorie vegan foods.

Here is a vegan diet meal plan with low-calorie foods to help you lose weight. 

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Snacks	Dinner	Total no. of calories
Monday	Peanut butter coconut toast (222 kcal)	Vegan tofu scramble and corn soup   (470 kcal)	Roasted edamame  (150 kcal)	Whole wheat noodles with pesto sauce  (384 kcal)	1226 kcal
Tuesday	2 Vegan pancakes (296 kcal)	Baked beans bowl  (336 kcal)	Popped popcorn and almonds  (346 kcal)	Quinoa bowl with stir fried vegetables  (339 kcal)	1317 kcal
Wednesday	Avocado toast  (293 kcal)	Green salad with edamame beets  (325 kcal)	1/4th cup pistachios nuts  (160 kcal)	Cashew nuts roast with peas, potatoes  (437 kcal)	1215 kcal
Thursday	Vegan banana matcha smoothie  (243 kcal)	Quinoa bowl with bell pepper  (305 kcal)	Peanut butter on whole-wheat bread (385 kcal)	Whole wheat noodles with peas and pesto sauce  (354 kcal)	1287 kcal
Friday	Chia seed pudding (204 kcal)	Veggie and hummus sandwich  (392 kcal)	Plantain chips with sunflower seeds  (227 kcal)	Mushroom Risotto (385 kcal)	1208 kcal
Saturday	Chickpea flour pancakes  (353 kcal)	Black bean quesadilla  (297 kcal)	1 bell pepper with guacamole (208 kcal)	Vegan poke bowl (418 kcal)	1276 kcal
Sunday	Blackberry muffins and fresh berries (282 kcal)	Mexican salad bowl (416 kcal)	Chia pudding with peanut butter (333 kcal)	Corn tortillas with pinto beans and avocado (443 kcal)	1474 kcal

Foods to eat and avoid on a vegan diet

There are plenty of naturally vegan plant foods. The easiest way to stick to a vegan diet is to fill your plate with nutritious foods like vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes. Here is a list of foods you should eat and avoid on a vegan diet.

Foods to eat	Foods to avoid
Fruits and vegetables	Meat and poultry
Whole grains	Fish and other sea foods
Beans and lentils	Eggs and dairy
Olive oil, coconut oil, mustard oil	Honey, carmine, gelatin
Salt, pepper, vinegar, and herbs	Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D3 supplements, since they are extracted from fish

Pros and cons of following vegan meal plans

There are many reasons to go on a vegan diet. Some vegans do it for ethical reasons, believing it is wrong to harm or kill animals for food or other purposes. Others choose veganism for environmental reasons.

No matter why an individual goes vegan, one must be aware of a vegan diet’s health benefits and potential risks.

Pros

1. Aids in weight loss: As you eliminate eating animal products which are generally high in saturated fat and calories, a vegan diet can help you shed pounds.
2. Lower chance of developing chronic diseases: According to studies, ^[2]PubMed: Health effects of vegan diets vegan diets are low in saturated fat and cholesterol but higher in fiber and antioxidants. They help reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Cons

1. Nutritional deficiencies: According to studies, ^[3]PubMed: Serum concentrations of vitamin B12 and folate in British male omnivores, vegetarians and vegans: results from a cross-sectional analysis of the EPIC-Oxford cohort study a poorly planned vegan diet can lead to defects in certain nutrients, such as vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids. However, these deficiencies can be easily avoided by taking plant-based proteins or eating fortified foods.
2. Joint pains: Collagen is a protein found in animal products and is necessary for the health of our joints. Therefore, according to BMC medicine, ^[4]BMC Medicine: Vegetarian and vegan diets and risks of total and site-specific fractures: results from the prospective EPIC-Oxford study some people following a vegan diet may experience joint pains.

Conclusion 

A vegan diet can yield a number of health benefits, including a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. By gradually introducing more plant-based foods into your diet, you can transition into the vegan diet in a way that works best for you.

Follow the 7-day vegan diet plan charted above to jumpstart your journey. Remember to listen to your body as you make these changes. If you’re feeling depleted or run down, make sure to seek out additional support through supplementation or doctor’s visits.