Years ago, following a vegan diet was a whole lot harder than it is today, and luckily we live in the 21st century where technology has made it a whole lot easier to find and access different resources.
Here is a list of my top favorite go-to apps, websites, and resources:
1. Pinterest
Pinterest is your best friend, whether you’re new to the vegan lifestyle or you’re just doing research on the concept. Trust me, Pinterest will make your life 10x easier as it is literally its own search engine. Have an idea, but need some brainstorming ideas? Type it into Pinterest and it will accumulate a variety of different options (called pins) that you can browse through and save. Think of it as being like Google, but better. Find something that seems interesting, click the pin and it will show you a preview of it. If you like it, you can go directly to the site linked to it, or save it for easy access later. But wait, did I mention that you can save those pins in different customizable folders? Yep, you sure can, so instead of just saving a site in your bookmarks area (which is only accessible to the computer you’re on), you can save them into customizable folders (called boards) on Pinterest that can be accessed on any device that has access to the site. Cool, right? But wait there’s more. You can also browse through other people’s boards, and see the cool ideas and recipes that they have saved.
Essentially, Pinterest allows you to easily search through a bunch of different blogs for recipes and ideas way faster than it would for you to search up the idea on Google, not to mention the ease of saving those ideas and accessing them later practically any device.
By now I am assuming that most of you who are reading this probably already have a Pinterest, but if you don’t please go make one now, it will literally change your life.
Also if you are new to the Vegan lifestyle feel free to follow my board Easy Starter Recipes & Tips
2. SuperCook.com
If you’re trying to follow a tight budget, are zero-waste, or you just want to be eco-friendly and use up all the ingredients in your house before buying new ones. Then SuperCook.com is the place to go. This App/Website lets you enter in all the available ingredients that you currently have in your household and then gives you recipes based on what you entered in. So you don’t have to worry about finding a really cool recipe only to realize that you don’t have half of the ingredients, panic and then run to the store, or be upset that you can’t make it. It filters based on what you have and will tell you if the recipe calls for an ingredient you don’t have. Just make sure you select the vegan option on the filter screen when looking for recipes. Since we’re on the filter area, they have different filters to choose from which allows you to find recipes in the viewing method of your choice. So say that you are a visual person, you can filter recipes that have videos.
3. Social Nature
This is a great website to use if you want to try new products. Also, did I mention “free”? Yes, you can try these items for free, all you need to do is sign up, select a product you’d like to try, get approved, and they’ll send you a coupon to redeem the item at a store near you for free. The only catch is that you have to leave a review. Just explain how you felt about the product that you tried within two weeks of redeeming the coupon. Not a bad deal, right? Sometimes, they’ll even send you extra coupons. Social Nature is a great site if you are new to being vegan/plant-based and are not sure which items you are interested in. Think of it as a “try before you buy” site. Social Nature is also good, for trying new vegan items just hitting the market, as you can get a sneak peek at what a brand has to offer before fully committing to that brand.
4. Is it Vegan?
This is a great app if you are just starting out and are not familiar with all the weird ingredients on the back of the boxes in the grocery store. Let’s be honest, there are so many ingredients in our food with strange names that it’s nearly impossible to tell what they are and where they come from. Is it Vegan is a great app that will tell you whether or not the item that you are scanning is vegan. All you need to do, is download the app and get to scanning. And if for some strange reason the item isn’t registered in the app. All you need to do is a quick google search, though most items have a vegan tag somewhere on it. Just beware of some store made items, sometimes they say vegan, but still, contain non-vegan ingredients, so when in doubt, use the app.
5. Basket – Grocery Shopping
So this was recommended to me by a friend, so let’s all give her a big thanks. I haven’t really used the app myself yet, as I typically know where to get my food for a pretty good price. But this app is a great resource when it comes to buying groceries. You know that feeling when you’re grocery shopping and have to run to 3 or 4 shops just to find the cheaper item? Yep, well feel that feeling no more with the Basket app. This app is designed to lookup an item in your vicinity and tell you which stores sell it and what they are pricing the item for. So no more running between stores, as the app does literally most of the work for you.
6. Poshmark
This is an app/website that allows users to sell and buy clothing from each other and offer a variety of items for a steal. I myself found a pair of fairly new bangs for only $25, saving me $35. Yeah, I’m still amazed. Essentially the app allows users to sell new, used, and gently worn items to others at a price of their choosing. You can use the app to find some great vegan/zero-waste steals or you can declutter some of your life, by selling some of your items to others. It’s a win-win. Note: there are other apps out there similar to Poshmark, so find one that you like and you can start buying or selling today.
7. Happy Cow
I recently discovered this site/app recently. If you haven’t heard of it you need to check it out. This app tells you all (if not most) of the vegan shops near you. It also allows users to leave reviews about the places that have listings on their site. For instance, your friend wants to go to a restaurant that doesn’t seem to have any vegan options, you even look on their website but don’t really see any indication. But looking on Happy Cow, you see that the restaurant that your friend wants to go to does offer vegan options. So wait a minute? Does the restaurant have vegan options or not? We’ll fear not and look at the reviews left by the Happy Cow community, and see what other vegetarians and vegans have to say about the place. Though honestly, Happy Cow is a great resource to download when visiting different locations and shopping local.
8. CSA
Lastly, I would like to mention a CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture. This is a great way to get produce for an affordable price while also supporting local farmers in your area. Think of it like a local subscription box, that delivers you food. First see if your area has a CSA, if so sign up, surprising it’s very cheap for the amount of produce that you get. Depending on your CSA you’ll get a variety of fresh vegetables weekly. Where I purchased mine from, I was able to choose which items I wanted and swap out the items that I didn’t want, so check with your local CSA organizer and see what they offer.
