When you first enter the world of veganism, it can be a little confusing, and although we would suggest you don’t fall into the trap of using alternatives all the time, they can be a fantastic way of transitioning.

There is still such a thing as processed foods, so you would want to watch the salt content in some of these foods, but without further ado, here are our top 5 recommendations.

Nutritional Yeast

A staple in a vegan diet is nutritional yeast, although don’t drop the whole pot on the floor! The name "nutritional yeast" sounds a bit clinical, but this vegan-friendly ingredient adds a cheesy flavour to everything! Our favourite is on spaghetti bolognaise as it acts as a parmesan.

You may hear this being referred to as "nootch." It's been in the spotlight in vegan cookbooks and vegetarian restaurants for a long time and for good reason: Fortified nutritional yeast provides a rare non-animal source of vitamin B12.¹ But even the most committed meat-eaters can appreciate the flavour. Some may call it “nature's Cheeto dust."

You can find this in many health food shops, but conventional supermarkets such as Sainsbury's and Asda sell it too.

 Beyond Meat 

“It's like magic” is a common response phrase when trying Beyond Meat Burgers. This company seems to have every meat eater unable to tell the difference.

Beyond Meat is a brand of plant-based "meat" products. Made from a combination of plant-based proteins and fats, Beyond Meat is available in grocery stores and on restaurant menus. It is cooked and served just like regular meat. It is made up of a combination of brown rice proteins, peas, fats such as coconut and canola, minerals including calcium and iron, along with natural flavourings and colours.

The combination of ingredients and how they are processed results in an authentically meaty texture, appearance, and flavour. As it is a special product, this tends to cost a little more than your average burger. We hope prices will lower over the next few years.

 Plant Pioneer Chicken 

Love your chicken? Look no further! These no chicken chunks are the best we have found. Not only is the texture similar, but they are also the lowest in salts in comparison to their competitors. They taste delicious.

You can find these in Sainsburys here

 THIS Isn't Bacon 

This might not be bacon, but it’s very tasty! Almost 25% protein (mainly made up of soya protein, with some pea protein thrown in for good measure), these Isn’t Bacon Plant-Based Rashers are arguably the best and most bacon-like of the products we’ve come across.

Not only that, but Isn’t Bacon Rasher have the lowest fat content of all at just 1.2g of fat per 100g. That’s about a tenth of the amount of fat contained in back bacon and about a twentieth of that found in conventional streaky bacon. That said, just as with the real thing, they are rather high in salt, although the added iron and vitamin B12 are certainly positives.

Oat Milk

It doesn’t curdle, and it creams up lovely in a latte! Oatly is our go to vegan milk alternative , but Oat milk in general wins the vegan milk game we believe.

Oat milk is a great non-dairy milk alternative. It is made from natural oats that have been blended with water. Oat milk can be used for teas, coffees, and cereals. Many have said it is the best oat milk because of the ingredients it is made from. It is made with more protein and fibre than other milk alternatives like soya or coconut milk. It is also lactose-free which makes it the perfect milk alternative as lactose-free milk is good for you and offers a suitable alternative. Lactose-free milk is good as it has the same nutritional value as cow’s milk and is high in protein.

So much more!

There as so many alternatives on the market, so give them a go, and let us know what you think.