Unlock Massive Traffic: How to Start a Successful Plant-Based Diet Blog That Everyone Will Love

Diet is one of the most important pillars of a balanced and thriving lifestyle, and a whole foods plant-based diet has all the benefits that make it an optimal approach. Transitioning to a plant-based diet, especially when you’ve been eating the Standard Western diet, can seem daunting. The truth is, though, that with a little planning, moving to a whole foods plant-based or plant-forward eating style is not difficult at all. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of how to start and maintain a successful plant-based diet blog, covering everything from the basics of plant-based eating to advanced tips and resources.

What is a Plant-Based Diet?

A plant-based diet is a pretty generic term, interpreted many different ways. In its broadest definition, a plant-based diet is a diet built around a plate filled with mostly vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans. Plant-based or plant-forward eating patterns focus on foods primarily from plants. This includes not only fruits and vegetables but also nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans. It doesn't mean that you are vegetarian or vegan and never eat meat or dairy.

Researchers, dietitians, and other health care professionals widely agree that a plant-based diet offers powerful health benefits, including a lower risk for cancer and many other chronic diseases. AICR evidence shows that eating whole grains, vegetables, and other plant foods contributes to cancer protection. Choosing a diet that puts plant foods first also helps support a healthy weight - the most important lifestyle factor for reducing cancer risk, other than not smoking.

Defining Plant-Based Diets

Here are a few of the more common plant-based diets you may have come across. All can be cancer protective:

Flexitarian: Mostly plant foods, but can include dairy, eggs, fish, and occasionally meat.
Pescatarian: Mostly plant foods but can include dairy, eggs, and fish.
Vegetarian: Mostly plant foods but can include dairy and/or eggs.
Vegan: Only plant foods; no dairy, eggs, fish, seafood, poultry, meat, or other animal-derived foods.
AICR’s Cancer-Protective Diet: Mostly plant foods, can include dairy, eggs, fish, poultry, and moderate amounts of meat.
AICR’s Flexible, Colorful Plant-Based Diet: Almost 20 years ago, AICR defined and began promoting a plant-based diet for cancer prevention. At that time, the center of the plate typically contained a substantial portion of meat, so our New American Plate - filled with at least 2/3 plant foods, 1/3 or less animal foods - embodied a new, healthy, cancer-protective way to balance plant and animal foods.

One important principle to keep in mind for all of these options is to choose whole foods and foods with minimal processing and little added sugar and fat. A plate that regularly contains fried foods, sweets, and other highly processed foods with added sugar and fat - even if all plant foods - isn’t healthy. Think frozen fruit, vegetables, or cooked whole grains, canned beans, bags of shredded or chopped fresh vegetables, and fruit and nut snacks.

Read also: Delicious Plant Paradox Breakfasts

You can achieve a cancer-protective plate by following any of these healthful plant-based diets, from vegan to pescatarian to AICR’s New American Plate. As you embark on your new healthy eating adventure by using the New American Plate principles, choose what healthy plant-based diet works best for you. What matters most is to center your meals around plant foods and choose modest portions of animal foods. For weekly guidance on starting - or continuing - a plant-based diet, check out AICR’s resources on the New American Plate. For delicious and cancer-protective recipes, visit AICR’s Healthy Recipes page.

Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

A whole foods plant-based diet is naturally rich in micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, as well as healthy fats, plant-based protein, and unprocessed carbohydrates, making it appropriate at every stage of life. Plant-based diets offer all the necessary protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals for optimal health and are often higher in fiber and phytonutrients. Much nutrition research has examined plant-based eating patterns such as the Mediterranean diet and a vegetarian diet.

Plant-based diets lower heart disease risk when focused on whole foods.

Getting Started with a Plant-Based Diet

Here are some ideas to help get you started:

Start small: Begin by eliminating two animal-based foods and replacing them with a healthier alternative. On your next pasta night, switch out your traditional dairy alfredo sauce for a homemade cashew alfredo! Instead of a meat chili, switch to a completely plant-based bean chili.
Increase consumption: Increase consumption of whichever fruits and vegetables that you love or already have at home.
Try new foods: Try a few new plant-based foods every week.
Swap processed foods: Swap traditional processed meat-based foods such as pizza, pasta, hamburgers, nuggets, and sodas for plant-based alternatives. Instead of ordering a pizza, try making one at home with veggies, cashew sauce, or marinara, and adding some vegan cheese.
Cook at home: Cook at home more often rather than going to restaurants or start cooking a few meals a week if you haven’t done so before. Fast foods and restaurant foods are often full of salt, oils, and added sugars to enhance the flavors and preserve their shelf life; not to mention they can be pricey.
Meal Prep: Planning your meals and precooking what you can in advance will make your days easier because instead of cooking after a long day, you´ll only need to assemble your plant-based plate. It’s best to do meal prep during the days that you are less busy and cook whatever will keep best in advance, including legumes, vegetables, and whole grains. And don’t sweat making gourmet meals.

Plant-Based Swaps

Cow’s milk → plant milks such as oat, almond, or soy milk (I don’t recommend coconut milk for drinking as it is higher in saturated fat).
Cheese → nutritional yeast and cashews to make cream sauces for pastas, ricotta, sour cream, etc.

Addressing Challenges

Switching to a plant-based diet can be a powerful way to improve your health and positively impact the environment. However, like any dietary change, it comes with its own set of challenges. Understanding how to address these challenges can make the transition seamless and rewarding.

Read also: Nutritious Granola Recipes

Plant-based foods are lower in calories and rich in nutrients. Because they are lower in calories, larger volumes of foods are needed to sustain your energy throughout the day.

Plant-Based Breakfast Ideas

Breakfast doesn’t have to be boring. It can be nutritious and filling even if you’re eating a plant-based meal. Try this avocado toast to start your day! Creamy chia seed pudding makes a quick, nutritious plant-based breakfast or snack.

The Best Vegan Food Blogs to Follow

If you are looking for beautiful photography and engaging writing that makes eating vegan look amazingly good, this bunch hits all the marks. These vegan bloggers offer creativity and uniqueness in each piece of content they produce. If you are just starting to follow vegan blogs, the sheer number of choices may feel overwhelming. These are my top picks for the best vegan blogs to follow. This list is in no particular order. These bloggers are all equally impressive. I hope you’ll discover something new here or this will remind you to dive back into a blog on the list.

Olives for Dinner: It’s a space where I share comforting, umami-packed dishes, inventive vegan seafood-inspired recipes, and plant-based food guides. I focus on transforming familiar ingredients in unexpected ways, creating recipes designed to inspire both new and seasoned home cooks.
Rainbow Plant Life: Former attorney-turned-food-blogger Nisha has created a massive collection of gorgeous plant-based recipes as well as videos to teach and inspire over at Rainbow Plant Life. In addition to her amazing food, I love how easy and fun Nisha’s blog is to navigate. Check out her Instagram for more tips and personal stories. For amazing recipes, check out her cookbook, The Instant Pot Cookbook!
Vegan Richa: I’ve been following Richa Hingle’s blog for years. Her recipes are simple, foolproof, and full of flavor. Richa creates content at an amazing rate. There is always something new to discover and try out. The majority of her recipes are Indian dishes, but she also creates comfort food classics, desserts, and pizza. Plus, Richa is a super sweet person and has made cooking fun, easy, and flavorful for a very wide and massive audience.
Cinnamon Snail: Chef Adam Sobel infuses his dishes with a fresh, innovative, and vibrant touch. Renowned for his pioneering vegan food truck and New York eatery, Adam now channels his passion into his captivating site, Cinnamon Snail, which also offers online cooking classes. His site is packed with inventive and beautiful vegan recipes, each offering unique insights and bold flavors. Looking at his site gets me so excited about food and trying new recipes.
Nora Cooks: Nora’s blog tagline is “Simple, Tasty Affordable Vegan Recipes” and that sums up her body of work very well! Nora covers the basics like vegan butter, decadent desserts like vegan Boston cream pie, and comfort food like vegan mushroom stroganoff.
Happy Kitchen: I’ve been a huge fan of Constanze Reichardt‘s blog for years. I always do a double-take when I look at her creations. Her cakes are mind-blowing and her cookies and candies are so beautiful and perfect. I love that I can learn more about German desserts on her blog, and her writing is warm and funny. Be sure to check out her Baking Tips and Tricks … Constanze knows her stuff!
Healthy Happy Life: I adore Kathy Patalsky and her work. Her colorful photography is instantly recognizable and just feels joyful, fresh, and happy. I love that Kathy focuses on the health aspect of food, but also places an equal balance between self-compassion and love for animals. I come for the food but always leave with some extra positivity to take back out into my day.
Jessica in the Kitchen: Jessica’s blog tagline is “Pulled from the earth. Hot from the oven. Straight from the heart.” This sums up Jessica’s work perfectly. Whether she’s sharing a recipe for a 5-Ingredient Strawberry Crumble, this Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad, or this Vegan Chicken Pot Pie Casserole, I want to make everything and feel like I can, because it’s so simple but beautifully presented. I love going through Jessica’s recipes often to see what’s new, or just gawk at all of the food!
Gastroplant: I really love the way Thomas approaches and thinks about flavors, textures, and colors. He combines them in a way that feels respectful of the cuisine he’s inspired by while weaving some of his unique perspectives into it. His recipes are ones that you can enjoy planning and cooking for. Sometimes the act of prepping and cooking is just as satisfying as eating, and Gastroplant is the place to go to find recipes and ideas that allow you to have both!
The Viet Vegan: I really love Jazzmin’s work. When I head over to her beautiful site to gawk at her creations, I can tell how much she loves food and I’m so happy she shares it with us! Although her site is not overly huge at the moment, what she has achieved is quite stunning. There is a diverse array of noodles, sweets, and rice dishes, but where Jazz really shines is in her vegan sushi creations. Check out this dynamite roll and this spicy tofu crunch roll!
Liv Vegan Strong: Liv Vegan Strong is a celebration of plant-based comfort food made easy. Featuring dishes like vegan tuna crunch roll, buffalo cauliflower tacos, and iced blueberry latte-are all approachable, flavor-packed, and perfect for everyday cooking. Her photography is a mix of light and bright, deep and moody, capturing the beauty of plant-based ingredients in every shot.
Post Punk Kitchen: Her fun approach to cooking and deadpan sense of humor drew me into cooking and I stayed with it because her recipes were so good.
School Night Vegan: I love Richard Makin’s witty personality and writing, and the recipes he comes up with are so interesting and fun. He veganizes comfort food and does so in a way that is uniquely his own.
Vegan Yack Attack: Jackie Sobon of Vegan Yack Attack is a prolific recipe developer and shoots some of the most gorgeous photos I’ve ever seen. Jackie’s recipes combine simple and fresh ingredients to create healthy, flavorful, and colorful dishes. Her food feels warm and cozy, and super inviting.
My Goodness Kitchen: Ania is a prolific UK-based vegan blogger with a staggering, epic collection of plant-based recipes. From large plates to small plates and everything in between, there is truly something here for everyone. Want to learn to make vegan pantry staples? Done. Need plant-based salad and soup ideas? Ania’s got you covered. Oh, and Ania is such a kind and lovely person.
Ashley Hankins: Ashley Hankins grew up in a Filipino household that focused heavily on meat and eggs. Her recipes focus on recreating those textures and flavors she grew up with but use plant-based ingredients. I am drawn to Ashley’s work because I can tell she loves food so much in her beautiful and indulgent creations.
Making Thyme for Health: I love Amanda Logan’s beautifully designed site that’s easy and fun to navigate. In her recipes, she uses simple and wholesome ingredients to create gorgeous recipes.
The First Mess: I’ve been a fan of Laura Wright for a long time. The First Mess Cookbook is one of my favorites and the recipes on her site are stunning, cozy, and inviting.
Mississippi Vegan: Timothy Pakron of Mississippi Vegan creates beautiful food that reminds me of my southern roots. I grew up in South Carolina and Kentucky, and reading Timothy’s blog takes me back to the food and feelings I remember from the South. I love Timothy’s flair with garnish.
The Full Helping: I love the beautiful and wholesome food on The Full Helping and am drawn to Gena Hamshaw’s writing for its insight and gentle tone. It encourages compassion while her food provides nourishment which is such a supportive approach.

Key Elements of a Great Vegan Food Blog

A great vegan food blog isn’t just about recipes-it’s about the experience. The best ones combine:

Creative, well-tested recipes that are easy to follow.
Beautiful food photography that makes you want to cook.
A strong personal voice that keeps you coming back for more.

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