FAQ
What is Well Vegan?
- What is Well Vegan?
- How many people is the weekly meal plan designed for?
- Will I lose weight eating a plant-based diet?
Following the Well Vegan Plan
- Can I cancel any time?
- When will I receive my first meal plan and grocery list?
- What is a Flex Day?
- What do the week numbers mean? I just started, shouldn’t it be week #1?
- I really don’t like a food that’s on the menu this week, can I change it?
- All you’re doing is listing recipes and a shopping list. Can’t I just do that?
What is Well Vegan
Q: What is Well Vegan?
A: We started Well Vegan as a resource for the vegan and non-vegan community. We support a plant-based lifestyle, but if you’re transitioning or can only dedicate a few days a week to eating vegan, you can still take advantage of the resources on the site. We’re all about making plant based convenient, accessible and enjoyable. With a catalog of great vegan recipes, we provide a meal plan for the week, and even better, a shopping list of all the ingredients you’ll need. All you have to do is bring it with you to the store. For all you busy folks out there, we’re here to put vegan on cruise control.
We hope you find the recipes as tasty as we do. Our goal is to make eating vegan easier, so more people will make the switch. If you ever have suggestions about what you would like to see included, please holler.
Q: How many people is the weekly meal plan designed for?
A: The plan is designed for two people, which are based on average folks. You may want to adjust the quantities to your specific needs.
Q: Will I lose weight eating a plant-based diet?
A: If you want to lose weight, a plant-based diet will probably help, but keep in mind that weight loss is dependent on caloric intake. If you’re eating more than your body needs, you’ll still gain weight. That said, a plant-based diet eliminates cholesterol and most saturated fats, greatly reducing your risk of heat disease, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Your diet will be centered around whole, fresh foods and not nearly as much processed or refined foods.
Following the Well Vegan Plan
Q: Can I cancel any time?
A: Yes, cancel at any time. Just log into your account, choose “Subscription” from the sidebar, and then “Cancel Subscription.” Done, but we’ll miss you.
Q: When will I receive my first meal plan and grocery list?
A: As soon as you sign up, you can sign in and access your “Dashboard.” There you’ll find the past two week’s meal plans and shopping lists. You can always access meal plans and shopping lists here, but we’ll email the new list for the week every Thursday night.
Q: What is a Flex Day?
A: The flex day in the meal plan and flex shopping list allow you to take a day off from the plan. It comes in handy if you’re traveling or enjoying a dinner out with friends.
Q: What do the week numbers mean? I just started, shouldn’t it be week #1?
A: The weeks are numbered beginning the first week in January.
Q: I really don’t like a food that’s on the menu this week, can I change it?
A: Sure thing. If it’s as simple as a single ingredient, for example substituting pinto beans for black beans, super easy. If it’s a deal breaker for the recipe, check out the recipe section on the site or a previous week’s meal plan and find something you’re into. Just make sure to add what you need to your shopping list and get rid of what you don’t need. Both the meal plan and shopping list items are numbered, so it should be a breeze.
Q: All you’re doing is listing recipes and a shopping list. Can’t I just do that?
A: You sure can and if you enjoy doing it we hope you will. We spend a great deal of time putting the meal plans, recipes, and shopping lists together. We see the value in convenience and hope it will help out a lot of folks without much cooking experience—and especially vegan cooking experience.
41 Comments
Samantha
About how much would I be spending each week on groceries?
Well Vegan
Great question! It really depends on whether you’re buying organic or conventional products. Or whether or not you buy in bulk. On average, we spend about $100 per week to feed two adults and one little person. I do a considerable amount of my shopping at Trader Joe’s and our local farmer’s market. I only hit up the Whole Foods for the things I can’t find elsewhere or their bulk items are very reasonably priced (and I do buy A LOT in bulk). Usually the first few weeks will be more expensive than the following weeks because you’ll be stocking up on staples that you won’t have to buy for a while (or all at the same time) again. You also save a considerable amount not buying all the milk based foods or meat. Hope that helps!
corri
Do you offer vegan recipes that are also gluten free?
Well Vegan
We have been working on putting together some resources for gluten-free and soy-free vegan diets. All the recipes should soon be searchable, by the terms “gluten-free” or “soy-free.” I’ll be sure to send you an email once all the recipes are tagged and searchable by those terms. Thanks for asking!
Bee
I would like to be updated when there is a gluten-free option too. I can eat soy, but try to avoid gluten. Thanks!
Well Vegan
Will do, thanks Bee!
Linda
Do your receipes provide carboydrates totals…being a type one diabetic; I need to know for insulin dosing. Thx
Well Vegan
Hi Linda, The recipes don’t yet include nutritional information, but it’s coming soon!
Hannah
Does it cost anything to sign up? I noticed that it says a free 14 day trial but does it cost anything after that?
Well Vegan
After the trial period expires, it’s $9.99 per month. We hope that Well Vegan’s shopping lists and meal plans will save you enough time and avoid wasted food in your refrigerator at the end of the week to more than compensate for the expense. We’re here to put your vegan diet on cruise control.
Geetha
Wow – I have been looking for something like this. we are a family of 5 – with two very busy overworked parents. we are all vegetarians, and the children are now shunning eggs and cheese – this could really come in handy because inevitably, i do not want to spend one whole day on the weekends with my nose buried in vegan cookbooks, then compiling a shopping list, then grocery shopping. and then, what? i still have to cook…lol.
I noticed we have to submit our credit card info to try a 14-day trial – is there anyway a trial could be done without the cc info? Thanks and great work. The recipes are the best I have seen for a vegan meal plan.
CP
The meal plans listed are for a family of 4- any plans in the near future for a option to pick for just a family of 2?
Well Vegan
@CP – The meal plans are designed for 2 people. Many of the recipes in the plan make 4 servings and leftovers are often eaten at lunch or incorporated into other meals. If you find there’s more food than you need for the week, I recommend using the Flex Day shopping list and menu. The Flex Day allows you to take a day off from the plan or catch up on leftovers. It also comes in handy if you’re traveling or enjoying a dinner out with friends.
Well Vegan
@ Geetha – Here’s a link to our resources section, where you’ll find a sample week you can try out without the cc info. Enjoy
http://wellvegan.com/resources/sample-menu-and-meal-plan
mimii
I want to eat vegan to lose weight AND to eat healthier is this the way to go??
Shante
Do I need a food processor? Do you have a suggestion for any other kitchen appliances that i may need?
Well Vegan
@ Shante – A food processor would be ideal, but a blender can also get the job done most of the time. Here’s a list of some other good things to have around the kitchen. Kitchen Equipment
Well Vegan
@ mimii – In general, vegans tend to be trim. Most processed/junk food isn’t vegan and we aren’t consuming high fat dairy or meat products, so that definitely works in our favor. In general, I’ve found that a vegan diet is great for maintain my weight mostly because I have to be more mindful about everything I put in my mouth. I’m more diligent about reading labels and thinking about what I’m consuming. That mindfulness of food, coupled with moderate exercise works best for me.
Connie
I’ve just signed up. I did the trial week and LOVED the recipes!!! I cannot wait to get these weekly!
I do not have time to spend 5 hours (how long it takes me lol) every week on meal planning and when I don’t meal plan we eat out! Which is neither healthy nor cost effective. We spend $80 on the trial week and it’s lasted us over a week so I think that’s a pretty good deal!
Luann
How would you determine your calorie intake??
Well Vegan
We’re working on adding nutritional value to all the recipes on the site. In the meantime, I recommend using http://www.livestrong.com or there are tons of good apps.
Aleta
I am allergic to bananas. I noticed a lot of recipes that have bananas in it. What can I use to substitute?
Well Vegan
Maybe applesauce… Depends on the recipe though.
Katherine
I’ve noticed other meal plans tend to re-use recipes the following weeks. Are all the recipes in the meal plans always new?
Well Vegan
@Katherine – We try to add 1-2 new recipes each week, but many are reused. We’ve found that most folks find it kinda hectic to be making all new recipes each week. We do try to space it out though, so recipes are only repeated once every 4-5 weeks or so.
Christine
Hi! I have a family of five, three kids from 6-10 yrs. Would I just double the shopping and recipes?
Well Vegan
Yeah, that generally works well. Another method that people like is to buy extra lunch foods for the week. Most of the dinner recipes serve 4 adults and lunches often consist of leftovers. So, if you just make some extra PB&J sandwiches for the kids and some salads for yourselves you’ll be in good shape. Just depends on your kids and their lunch situation, but please report back and let us know what works for your family. We’re always looking for new solutions!
Rebecca
What font is this that you’re using on the site ?
Well Vegan
Skolar
elena
Hi
there is a recipe that calls for rice milk (blueberry quinoa muffins) can I substitute with almond milk?
Well Vegan
Sure thing. Any nondairy milk will work.
Jessica
We are trying to do as much plant based and whole food as possible. Will these plans fit that well? You can do vegan but still be adding lots of refined and processed foods… We just want to avoid that
Well Vegan
@Jessica We try to keep processed foods to a minimum. Really depends on you definition of “processed.” I know some folks try to avoid even minimally processed foods, like tofu and tempeh. We definitely use a lot of those and an occasional Gardein fake chicken or something like that.
Susan
Hi – is it okay to substitute almond milk, or hemp milk for soy milk? Thanks!
Well Vegan
@Susan: Yes! Almost always.
Anne
Hi Well Vegan! I just started this program and I love it! I was freaking out every week with the planning and when I couldn’t be perfect, I’d just give up. To have it laid out for me like this is so helpful and easy and, most importantly, allows me to keep eating a vegan diet without the stress. I really appreciate this service.
I wanted to ask how you plan the meals for the week. How do you know that you’re including enough vegetables or calcium sources and things like that? It appears to be a well-rounded diet, but I’m not a nutritionist, so I wondered if I should just go by the plan or if I should try to add in other supplements or food sources.
Thanks!
Well Vegan
@Anne – We do strive for a well rounded diet. We review the nutritional information from the recipes included for the week — mostly with protein, fat and calories in mind. And depending on your age, etc. needs vary, so make sure you’re getting what you need. There are supplements that are recommended for all vegans and we have a quick summary of all things nutrition over here: http://wellvegan.com/resources/vegan-nutrition.Let me know if you have any other questions!
Busy Bea
Is it possible to amend this plan to cook for one? Any tips on making this program work for a single busy professional type lady without wasting a ton of food and $?
Well Vegan
@Busy Bea – I recommend by starting with the flex-list (which eliminates a day’s worth of meals) and go from there. Some people prefer to make smaller portions and have more variety. Others opts to get rid of a few evening meals and eat more leftovers. The shopping lists include the meal number for the corresponding ingredient. It’s fairly simple to go through a list and eliminate all the ingredients for a specific meal. Does that help? We have a sample week online you can check out.
Sample Menu and Meal Plan
Fallon
I know I can find the current week’s meal plan/grocery list/recipes on the dashboard, but how can I access other weeks? For example, the weeks that use a lot of fake meat, I’d have to sub out 3 meals, so it makes the lists more hassle than helpful, so I’d like to be able to find the ones that have meals I’d eat for the whole week. Thank you!
Well Vegan
@Fallon – Subscribers only have access to two weeks of meal plans at a time. There’s also an additional week you can check out on our Sample Menu and Meal Plan Page. If it’s something specific, like fake meat you’re looking to avoid, try substituting instead of cutting the whole recipe. Baked tofu is always a good stand-in. And if there’s a week you particularly enjoy, keep it handy for weeks you’re not so in to. Hope that helps!