Hey Ms. Green,

What organic vegan eggs, dairy, and meat have carnivores eating out of your hands?

—Lona

Eating a vegan diet is one of the single biggest ways to reduce your impact on the planet. And you don’t lose anything by cutting out all that meat! Adults only need 46 to 58 grams of protein a day, and that’s a recommended dietary allowance you can easily satisfy with a plant-based diet.

Don’t just take my word for it: See the USDA’s searchable databases for 

• How much protein you need based on your age, weight, and activity level
• How much protein and other nutrients are in different foods

You can also consult the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s starter kit. It includes tips for everyday people, athletes, pregnant people, and kids. Or check out Vegan Health’s detailed tips from scientific literature for every body type.

But I get it: Not everyone has a handy list of the most-protein-rich vegan foods (and if you think like me, you’re also wondering which of those foods are plastic-, gluten-, and soy-free and don’t have any traces of palm oil). 

Well now you do! Here are protein-rich and really tasty vegan eggs, dairy, and meat for your grocery list. 

Plastic-Free 

Dairy:

• Butter: Miyoko’s, made with coconut oil. Eat it a month before it expires.
• Yogurt: Culina. The plain yogurt tastes like farmer’s cheese.
• Cheese made of nuts: Let Thy Food, Alma Superfoods, Pimp My Salad parmesan
• Mayonnaise: Sir Kensington’s vegan AF (aquafaba) Fabanaise
• Sauces: Fabalish tzatziki, Maya Kaimal Indian sauces (vegan except for their butter korma)
• Dips: Let Thy Food spinach artichoke
• Dressing: Let Thy Food ranch
• Rice pudding: Petit Pot
• Ice cream: So Delicious (I avoid its oatmeal cookie flavor because it has palm oil), Coconut Bliss

Meat:

• Bacon: Pimp My Salad
• Jerky: Far West Fungi shiitake mushroom jerky from bulk bins
• Amy’s No Chicken Noodle Soup

Other groceries:

• Hummus: Obour Foods

Plastic-Free Delivery Options

You can order delivery in totes and containers that these stores will then pick up and reuse. When I asked, they said they’re working to allow customers to filter by vegan, organic, and palm-oil-free products, and they plan to work with their suppliers to ship in reusables. 

• Zero Shop serves individuals and businesses and delivers Farm Acres Beyond Meat vegan chili, Vega vegan protein powder, Annie’s goddess dressing, Late July blue corn tortilla chips, Beber almond milk, Petit Pot
• Infinity Goods delivers textured vegetable protein and more
• Loop: Haagen-Daz ice cream in stainless-steel containers and more

Plastic-Free But Not Organic 

• Cheese made of nuts: Notcho NoCheez, Siete Foods
• Sauce and spread: Seggiano artichoke garlic cream
• Sauce: Jar Goods vegan vodka sauce

Plastic-Free, Easy Do-It-Yourself Substitutes in Your Grocer’s Bulk Bins

• Black salt makes chickpeas taste like chicken eggs
• Easy egg substitutes for baking by Happy Herbivore, such as flax and psyllium
• Seed milk recipes by Lee From America that you don’t have to strain
• Baking ingredient guide by Meggan Leal
• Lapsang souchong black tea tastes like smoky meat, such as in recipes from Street Vegan
• Dried spirulina powder can taste like shrimp when added to savory dishes

Groceries in Glass But With a Plastic Cap and Seal 

• Beber (some have honey though)
• Follow Your Heart (non-GMO) ranch, Caesar, Thousand Island, and blue cheese
• Organicville Ranch

Groceries in Plastic That’s Compostable in City Facilities or Is Reusable if You Handwash It 

• Cheesecake: NabatiFoods, NoMaste

As consumers, we can demand more climate-friendly packaging and distribution for our food! Ask your favorite brand to make organic, plastic-, gluten-, soy-, and palm-oil-free vegan eggs, dairy, and meat and to use StopWaste’s UseReusables tips:

• Ask suppliers to ship in reusables, such as hand-held shipping containers, pallets that are lighter than wood, pallet wrap, bulk containers and dunnage.
• Shop from retailers and distributors that saved money switching to reusables.

Tag me @realMsGreen if you do that or with #BeAButterVegan if you join carnivores that converted to Miyoko’s plastic-free vegan butter.