The College Vegan

Instead of meat it’s a plant. Top 5 best plant based meats.

The worst part of being vegan is not being able to eat meat like everyone else. Although many people don’t miss the actual meat they do miss the taste. The best way to do that is with a plant based meat substitute. Through my experience I have tried different plant based options that I have loved and hated. Here are my top 5 favorite plant based meat replacers!

Light Life Plant Based Deli Turkey

When I ate meat one of my favorite items to gave for lunch was a turkey sub something simple and easy to make when being in college. Since going to a plant based diet I have missed the convenience that comes a long with a good sandwich. When I first saw this product in my local Price Chopper I was interested because I didn’t know what the taste and texture would be but after trying it i was pleasantly surprised. Other than turkey they also had available Bologna and Ham but i’m not the biggest fan of either of those so I decided not to try them but im sure they would taste just as similar to the real things as the turkey was.

2. Beyond Meat Plant Based Burgers

Over the summers my family cooks a lot on the grill and since becoming a vegetarain almost 10 years ago finding the best veggie burger was always tough. Although there are many options out in the world there was never an option that actually looked, tasted and felt like a real burger when you bit into it. After trying the beyond burger my outlook on plant based burgers has completely changed. It looks and tastes just like the real thing. By far one of my favorite meals to have during the summer!

3. Beyond Meat Beef Crumbles

One of my favorite dinners to make is tacos, burritos and quesadillas. On a school night the Beyond Meat Beef crumbles are one of the easiest and quickest options for me. Takes under 5 minutes to make and is absolutely amazing. I used to get the Morning Star Farms Veggie Crumbles but after trying the Beyond Meat option it became my new favorite plant based ground beef. The meat is already seasoned but i usually had a little seasonings of my own to add a little extra kick. My favorite way to eat them is in a small tortilla with some lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream (the brand I use is WayFare Dairy Free Sour Cream. Tastes the most like the real thing), and some fresh limes.

4. Cauliflower Buffalo Wings

One of my favorite vegan food bloggers on youtube is Julien Solomita. He uploads vegan and gluten free meals that he has never eaten or tried to make for himself before. One video that he made was titled Making wings but instead of the chicken bone its a cauliflower and that concept made me laugh but was also made me very curious to how it tasted. I’ve seen other Plant based buffalo wing recipes in the past but never one quite like this. After watching the video it made me want to try it for myself. After trying it was pleasantly surprised in now good it actually was. If you’d like to check that video out heres the link to the video.

5. Upton’s Jackfruit Pulled Pork

I know sounds kinda weird. A pulled pork sandwich made out of jackfruit?? what?? Sounds so strange but once you try it you’ll be surprised how similar and delicious it actually is. The texture is extremely similar to the texture of pork would be. The way that Upton’s does it makes it almost unrecognizable to the real thing. Throw this is the crock pot for an hour and you’re good to go with some easy vegan pulled pork sandwiches.

What being Vegan means to me.

Although newly vegan, not eating animals in general isn’t something new to me. I’ve been a vegetarian since 6^th grade or the age of 11. It has always been something very hard for me to adjust to. Anytime I went to someone’s house, I always had to bring my own type of food because usually there weren’t any meatless options for me to consume.

My whole family still eats meat and has never not eaten meat so I have always felt like an outcast even within my own home. Since I’ve been struggling with this issue for 10 years now, I have created a sense of ownership to the meatless eating style.

I am proud to call myself a vegan.

Although this may seem strange to some people, being vegan means that you stand for something more than just the health benefits. Being vegan entails complete disregard to any type of animal product no matter the form.

Including eggs, milk, leather and even jello (no gelatin is not vegan unfortunately).

There is a very small percentage of us in the United States. Only 2 percent of the population is vegetarian and of that 2 percent, only .5 percent are vegan which is a very small amount. But even that small amount can make a difference. People who are vegan and that support veganism are starting to create a buzz on how the meat industry works and how bad it is for our environment.

As someone who tries to be as eco-friendly as possible and desires to see our earth improve from here, it makes me feel like I’m making a difference by eating a plant based diet.

What being vegan means to me is that I’m just the beginning of what the possibilities are for the vegan world. With my help as well as your comments and personal testimonies, we will help to educate the world around us. We will strive to get more people to cut down on their meat intake or even convert them to the plant based life themselves.

The more we educate the people around us and bring awareness to the ever so present issue of the planet, the better the future generation is going to be.

What makes plant based diets eco-friendly and better for our bodies?

Feelings of uneasiness fill my body as I think of the use of animal derived products.

I always struggled with one internal battle and that was eating meat.

My parents always yelled at me to drink milk as my siblings and I pounded down a glass with dinner. “It’s going to make you big and strong” my mother would say on countless occasions. How much truth is behind this though? The fact of the matter is that the truth is this is just an old wive’s tale. Milk from cows is no different than human breast milk. Cow’s milk is meant for calves as breast milk is meant for babies. Give a delicious dairy substitute a shot such as oat milk. There won’t be any nutrients your body is missing out on and you’ll be missing out on this animal genocide we’ve put our blinders on towards.

I never knew the horrors these poor, defenseless animals endured in order for us to get products we don’t need until I watched the documentary What Came Before. The documentary exposed the nightmares of factory farming and starred American television personality, Steve-O. Throughout the short 11 minute documentary, it felt like I had my hands over my eyes for an hour as the innocent animals were slaughtered.

“But that documentary only shows one slaughterhouse and not all of them. Maybe mine is fine.”

Ah, the classic line when someone doesn’t feel like facing the truth on a topic. You’re right, maybe the one your meat comes from might operate a bit more humanely. The fact of the matter though is that these horrific slaughterings still operate on a daily basis. Nothing will erase the images and trauma I experienced after watching that. I still get flashbacks as I sit there stunned, numb, and dazed. How could I have been so oblivious those years prior to watching that documentary? Feelings of disgust towards society swallow me on a daily basis wondering why people are still so oblivious to animal cruelty.

“I don’t want to watch that documentary. I don’t want to see that.” I know, I know. It’s so much easier to be oblivious to the health risks of meat consumption and animal cruelty.

When you search for family recipes online, you’re flooded with all of these options that 9 times out of 10, all have one thing in common. The star of the dish is meat. Long term consumption of red meat and other processed meats can be associated with cardiovascular disease, mortality, diabetes, and colorectal cancer.(1) Now you may be saying, “well what do I do if I’m having fast food for dinner?” As quick as you can say that, is as quick as fast food chains are starting to add vegan options. Try putting on a blindfold and having a whopper, then an impossible burger. After the first bite, you’ll realize the process of your food being made, doesn’t have to begin with slaughtering.