Eating healthy as a vegan in Los Angeles
For Anja Grommons, a vegan dietician, a perfectly healthy meal doesn’t technically exist, but she preaches an 80:20 ratio when it comes to balancing healthy foods with treats.
“Perfect healthy meals don’t totally exist, but if they did they would be good for mental health too,” she says.
Her idea of a perfect healthy meal is a “veggie stir fry with a plethora of rainbow vegetables, brown rice, and calcium-fortified tofu,” but maybe also having a good vegan dessert after, you know, for mental health.
As a dietician, she thinks that both vegans and omnivores have bad relationships with food, and that we need to break diet culture “norms.” It’s all about balance for her.
However, she does have some health tips for new vegans. Her top two health tips are two incorporate fiber slowly, and do your supplement research. “While a well-planned vegan diet can supply most of our dietary needs, vegans may need to pay close attention to certain nutrients especially vitamin B12, Calcium, Iron, and omega 3 fatty acids,” she says.
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of a healthy eating plan includes a diet that “emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products.”
More specifically for vegans, the National Health Service suggests to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day, and base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates.
While there technically isn’t a perfect, totally healthy meal that exists, whole, plant foods are a good place to start. There also technically isn’t a restaurant that is 100% healthy, since it is usually up to the restaurant-goer and what they order on the menu. However, there are restaurants that make healthy eating a little easier because they emphasize vegetables, fruits, and whole grains while making them taste great. Here is a list of five vegan restaurants where you can get delicious, healthy food.
- SunCafe:
This is Anja’s favorite place to get healthy vegan food in LA. For me, I would have to say the same. My favorite thing about this place is that they use pretty natural vegan substitutes for cheese and meat. Their vegan cheese sauce is cashew based, and one of my favorite ways to bulk up a meal here is by adding their Sun-rizo, which is made up of ground nuts and spices. Everything here feels indulgent, but you can walk away feeling good about what you just ate. Also, another added bonus is that it has a great atmosphere. The patio seating is filled with plants and lights, and the inside is very homey.
2. Wild Living Foods:
This is another one of Anja’s favorites in LA. Just by looking at their menu, you can tell it is centered around plants. It’s all pretty wholesome. They have items like “zucchini bacon,” “coconut egg,” and “pepita chorizo.” Pretty much every ingredient listed has some sort of vegetable, fruit, or nut in the title. This place also has a “remedy bar” section on their menu, packed with nutrient-filled smoothies.
3. Cafe Gratitude
Another place that makes it easy AF to eat healthy. Their food is beautiful, and who doesn’t want to eat beautiful food? One of my favorite things on the menu are the basil pesto kelp noodles, which are actually a great low-calorie replacement for pasta. There’s nothing wrong with having pasta (remember, 80:20), but this is a great, lighter option. They also have a Mexican bowl with mushroom carnitas and cashew nacho cheese, which is one of the most satisfying options on the menu. When you go, don’t forget to order a juice or smoothie.
4. Sage Vegan Bistro
This is definitely the most indulgent place on this list, but it’s still pretty wholesome. We’ll say this leans more toward the 20% of Anja’s balanced eating ratio, but hey, food for your mental health is important too. First and foremost, you need to get the cauliflower wings if you go here. This is what they are known for, and there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t think about them. This place is great for balance because they have a plethora of healthy bowls packed with kale, quinoa, and beans, but you can also get jackfruit nachos and some soft pretzels. Even their dessert is pretty wholesome. They have raw cheesecake, banana splits with raw chocolate syrup, and apple cobbler with granola topping.
5. Plant Food + Wine
You guys. This food is next level. Not only is the food from this place healthy and wholesome, but it tastes AMAZING. Pictured above is their raw lasagne, which has tomato, marinara, pistachio pesto, and macadamia ricotta. This food is so light and wholesome, that I ordered about 5 dishes and didn’t feel disgustingly-full. I highly recommend their kimchi dumplings that come with ginger foam on top. Also, I couldn’t recommend this place enough if you are looking for an instagram-worthy spot. The outdoor seating has trees and plants, with beautiful lights strung up all around.
