Though we strongly believe that veganism doesn’t have to be complicated, there are some foods that vegans have to be careful about. We’ve discussed in the past the sneaky ingredients that end up in popular snacks, and one of the most common sneaky ingredients is gelatin.
Gelatin is used in foods as a thickener, and it often appears in sweets like marshmallows and gummy candy. But gelatin also appears in things you may not expect, like cakes and pies, vitamins, and even non-edible things like skincare products and cosmetics. What exactly makes gelatin not vegan? Is there such a thing as vegan gelatin? Below, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about gelatin.
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Basil is one of the most unassuming foods. Ubiquitous but always able to elevate a dish, basil is so much more than just a garnish. This brightly flavoured green is good in just about every dish—even desserts. But in addition to its delicious flavour profile, basil is actually very good for you, too. Boasting a number of health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, basil is easy to fold into your daily diet.
Want to know why we’re such fans? Here are some of the many health benefits of basil. 
Though we were warned against eating it in the past, chocolate’s reputation is now improving. Of course, we don’t mean all types of chocolate; candy bars that contain chocolate would likely harm your health more than improve it. No, we’re talking about dark chocolate. Alongside things like red wine and berries, many have touted the benefits of dark chocolate. But just how good is dark chocolate for you? Do the benefits of dark chocolate outweigh the potential drawbacks?
Below, we’ll explore some of the best reasons as to why you should be picking up a piece of dark chocolate, and why you might want to incorporate it into your diet for the long run.  People commit to veganism for a whole assortment of reasons. For some, it’s for better health. For others, it’s to shape a more liveable, sustainable future. One great side effect, no matter the reason for veganism, is weight loss. Veganism often means more vegetables and high fibre foods, things that are usually the basis of diets that aim to promote weight loss.
But what does a healthy vegan diet look like? After all, junk food vegans exist; vegans can eat foods that are technically completely free of animal products, but these foods can still be highly processed and high in things like salt and preservatives. Curving junk food and focusing on whole foods have proven to correlate with weight loss. What’s that exactly? Below, we’ll dissect what it means to eat a healthy vegan diet that will coincidentally help you shed some unwanted pounds.  Vancouver has quickly become a force to be reckoned with when it comes to fine dining. Now, we don’t mean fine dining as in lit candles, fancy waiters, and white linens (we have that, too). We’re simply referring to food that is just undeniably good: well made and absolutely delicious.
Nutritional yeast is no longer a niche product that only hippies use. Also known as “nooch” (you know, the first syllable of “nutritional”), is a superfood that not only packs a punch in flavour, but also in versatility and nutrients.
For vegetarians and vegans, it is a common substitute for ingredients in dishes that would provide that cheesy, unctuous flavour, but its uses are not limited to being just a cheese replacement. Nutritional yeast carries a deep umami flavour, so in addition to being a crucial ingredient to vegan macaroni and cheese, it’s also great for amping dishes like scrambled “eggs.” In addition to its versatility, though, what makes nutritional yeast a staple in the cupboards of vegetarians and vegans? Here, we delve into why it is such a beloved ingredient and how it went from niche to delicious nooch. 
At times of joy and at times of stress, there’s chocolate. It is always there for you and it always makes things better. Come special occasions and holidays, people will show up with a box of chocolates. And if we are being honest, there is really nothing like it.
Unfortunately, though, most mainstream chocolate brands are not at a place where they carry vegan-friendly varieties of their most popular offerings. No, there are no vegan Kit-Kats or Bounty Bar, but that’s not the end of the road for chocolate lovers who are also vegan.
“I think I could be a vegan… but I could never give up cheese,” says the skeptic. You’ve probably heard someone say this before, and on some level, you understand. Unctuous, bold, herbaceous, and pungent, a good hunk of cheese really is bliss. Sure, vegan cheese exists, but it’s always had a bad reputation, known to be plasticky, void of flavour, and rubbery in all the worst ways.
Luckily, there are a number of new vegan cheese brands that will have even the most enthusiastic cheese aficionado fooled. Made with ingenious plant-based ingredients, vegan cheeses not only have the right texture, but are also delicious.
So what is vegan cheese anyway? Here’s everything you need to know about vegan cheese.
Look, we get why salads get a bad rap. Salads you get at restaurants often make use of sad, boring, limp vegetables, and they often commit the greatest culinary sin of all: underseasoning. Bad salads can make healthy eating hard.
A salad is only as good as its dressing, and a good salad dressing should enhance the vegetables it coats. Though all grocery stores offer pre-made salad dressings, there’s such a large variety of them that can make choosing the right one overwhelming, especially if you’re vegan. Many rich, creamy dressings, for example, are generally not vegan-friendly because they typically contain eggs and/or powdered milk. Other times, those sneaky ingredients that aren’t vegan friendly may appear in a salad dressing that’s seemingly fine for vegans; be sure to read the label before purchasing!
And if you can’t find a vegan salad dressing? Make your own! The key is balance. But what else do you need to make a really good vegan salad dressing? How do you build the perfect vegan salad dressing every time? Below, we dip into some of our favourite vegan salad dressing recipes. We hope you find one that you like! WHY I WENT VEGAN: HEAD FOODIE NATALIE DISCUSSES HER DECISION TO SWITCH TO A PLANT-BASED DIET11/1/2021  Natalie, head of lettuce at Planted Meals Vegan was never a “thing” when I grew up. It was a foreign concept to me since I didn’t know anyone who was vegan and my parents would never consider a vegetarian, let alone vegan, diet. Vegetables were always important in our household and meals were never complete without something green, but meat still was king. Once when I was about 7 or 8, my sister and I decided we’d go vegetarian. We didn’t even last until dinner when my mom put out some of her classic Chinese-style meatballs.
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