One of the keys to succeeding in a healthy diet, especially a plant-based diet, is to stock up on food at home and have options of healthy meals and snacks ready. So you're not tempted to order in or fill yourself up with junk food. Below is a list of what I usually have in my kitchen. It varies depending on the season (always try to buy local and in season!) Eating a plant-based diet can be cheap! As long as you avoid ready made packaged items, then you're good. Being healthy doesn't mean that you should buy those "human made" bars, boxes, or super powders. Keep it at whole foods and keep it simple. Always read the ingredients list, and see what’s in your food.

Plant-Based Grocery List

Grains:

  • Rice (brown, wild, black)

  • Quinoa

  • Rolled oats

  • Steel cut oats

  • Buckwheat groats

  • Amaranth

  • Barley

  • Bulgur

  • Corn

  • Millet

Grain Products:

  • Whole grain pasta

  • Noodles (soba or rice noodles)

  • Whole grain pita bread and sourdough bread - try to get bread made with natural yeast!

Flours:

  • Sprouted spelt flour

  • Whole wheat flour

  • Quinoa flour

  • Buckwheat flour

Veggies: 

  • Potatoes

  • Sweet potatoes

  • Cucumbers

  • Bell peppers

  • Tomatoes

  • Broccoli

  • Cauliflower

  • Beets

  • Lettuce

  • Spinach

  • Arugula

  • Carrots

  • Zucchini

  • Squash

  • Cabbage

  • Eggplant

  • Mushrooms

  • Onions and garlic

Fruits: 

  • Bananas

  • Dates

  • Oranges

  • Strawberries

  • Apples

  • Fresh or frozen berries

  • Cherries

  • Mangos

  • Apricots

  • Peaches

  • Figs

  • Melons

  • Papaya

  • Pineapple

  • Coconut

  • Avocado

Legumes:

  • Lentils (Red split or green)

  • Black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, etc

  • Chickpeas

  • Fava beans

  • Peas

  • Edamame

  • Extra-firm tofu

  • Silken Tofu (for dessert, smoothies, dips, and soups)

  • Tempeh (found in Indonesian supermarkets)

Condiments:

  • Sea salt & black pepper

  • Cumin, turmeric, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, chili pepper, oregano, dried coriander, basil, dill, and rosemary

  • Tomato paste

  • Mustard

  • Coconut aminos (similar to soy sauce but far more delicious and far lower in sodium)

  • Hot sauce

  • Curry powder or paste

  • Garam Masala

  • Dried fruits

  • Coconut sugar

  • Date sugar

  • Date molasses or maple syrup

  • Pomegranate molasses

  • Raw cacao powder

  • Carob powder

  • Vanilla bean or pure extract

  • Nutritional yeast

  • Agar agar (sub for gelatine)

  • Applesauce (1/4 cup subs for 1 egg)

Nuts, seeds, & butter:

  • Almonds

  • Peanuts

  • Pecans

  • Walnuts

  • Pistachio

  • Cashews (great for sauces or vegan cheese)

  • Sunflower seeds

  • Sunflower seed butter

  • Peanut, almond, cashew butter

  • Sesame seeds

  • Tahini

  • Pumpkin seeds or butter

  • Chia seeds

  • Flaxseeds

*To sub for an egg, mix 1 tbsp (chia or ground flax seeds) with 3 tbsps of water, let it set for 15 minutes.

Plant Milk:

*An easy way to make plant milk is by mixing one table spoon of almond butter or any nut butter with some water until it turns to a mylk!

Where to find?

Health stores or online health stores such as iherb.com

Really pay attention to the fruits and vegetables you're buying! Hold each one of them, look at it, and smell it! And please, only eat your fruits when they're ripe x

If you live in Riyadh, then read below:

Fruits and organic veggies: Qassim groves, alhialah, L’Organic, The Organic Store, and there are a few traditional farmers markets around the city on Saturdays that sell organic vegetables and dates if in season.

Organic dates: AlOraini Premium Dates , Qassim groves, or from Al-Qassim itself.

Other: Aldirah market, Tamimi, Danube, Lulu supermarkets, and Carrefour. Click here for a full guide to Riyadh