Vegan transition week day 2: Shopping list

One of the biggest challenges in going vegan or vegetarian is knowing what to buy. For most of us, food shopping is something we do on automatic, only realizing that we've bought 4 packs of Oreos and no milk when we're bagging everything up. Even worse is shopping when you're hungry; all rationale goes out of the window and you buy a whole loaf of bread and crap hummus, only remembering about the toilet roll when you get home. We've all done it.

In your transition to vegan week, you might just have to pay a little bit more attention. Put down that cottage cheese and pick up the almond butter instead! And don't go near that whole roasted chicken!

To make things a little easier, here's a sample shopping list of my own. This is a great help when first restocking your kitchen for your new diet, but can also be used after that - you'll know what to add to it once you've got into your groove and have discovered that you simply cannot live without goji berries. In the mean time, let this be your shopping guide!

Vegan shopping list
Oils, butters, spreads and sweeteners:

Canola oil
Sesame oil
Peanut or sunflower oil
100% peanut butter
100% almond butter
Tahini
Miso paste
Agave nectar
Vegan margarine (if necessary)

Baking goods:

Unbleached sugar
Baking powder
Baking soda
Vanilla extract
Cocoa powder (make sure it's vegan)
Raw cacao
Ground flax
Unsweetened grated coconut
Molasses

Staples:

Whole wheat flour
Linguini
Spaghetti
Vegetable stock cubes
Mushroom stock cubes
Cornmeal
Fortified almond milk
Soba noodles
Rice noodles
Rolled oats
TVP
Tofu
Tomato puree
Rice paper
Capers

Grains, pulses and legumes:

Brown rice
Arborio rice
Cous cous
Quinoa
Kasha
Red lentils
Yellow split peas

Canned goods:

Coconut milk
Coconut cream
Chickpeas
Black beans
Kidney beans
Tomatoes

Fruits and vegetables:

Onions
Garlic
Sweet potatoes
Leeks
Zucchini
Carrots
Asparagus
Mushrooms
Bell peppers
Broccoli
Spinach
Kale
Bananas
Blueberries
Apples
Tangerines
Watermelon
Lemons
Limes
Fresh ginger

Nuts and seeds:

Sunflower seeds
Cashews
Walnuts
Almonds
Pecans

Herbs, spices and vinegars:

Paprika
Cinnamon
Ground ginger
Ground nutmeg
Cayenne pepper
Ground cumin
Ground coriander
Oregano
Black pepper
Soy sauce
Sweet chili sauce
Balsamic vinegar
Apple cider vinegar