5 Ways to Go Vegan While Working an Office Job

Trying to lose weight? Developing an interest in the ethics of the food trade Getting emotional about baby farm animals? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, you may be a vegan, or thinking of becoming one…

Whilst not a relevant article to many, the below is for those of you trying to pursue veganism as a young professional working in an office. With your numbers growing daily, it felt like the right time to lay down the advice I’ve developed over the years.

Keep non-dairy milk at work

Green tea is such a great alternative to coffee – it contains just enough caffeine to boost you but not enough to give you the jitters, it’s cheap, delicious and rich in antioxidants. Black coffee is a winner too. But there comes a time in every vegan’s life when your hot beverage just needs a creamy kick. Do yourself a favour and keep non-dairy milk in the work fridge – the time for it will come before you know it.

Know your nut milks

There is a certain difficulty to making the perfect vegan coffee or tea. If you’re leaving it black, no problem, but a curdling non-dairy milk is the bane of many a vegan’s tea break. Here’s a tip: soya milk curdles more frequently than most nut milks. Try coconut. Here’s another tip: add a pinch of bicarbonate of soda to your coffee before adding milk as this regulates the coffee’s acid, helping the non-dairy milk not to curdle. Some non-dairy milks come with acidity regulator which also helps.

Cook in advance

Cooking in advance is the most important aspect of maintaining any kind of economical, healthy vegan lifestyle. I find it helps to structure your week if possible. Say you will cook on Monday and again on Thursday to ensure you fit your shopping, and other weekly tasks, in around that. Cook enough for dinner on the night and a couple of lunches. Make life easy for yourself by cooking one-pot meals like stew, soup, chilli, risotto or stir fry.

Nakd bars and nuts

If you fail to secure yourself some proper vegan nosh, Nakd bars are a really delicious, healthy vegan snack which will tide you over till you’re able to eat a meal. It’s basically compacted fruit so it has all the sugary goodness of sweets without the OD of refined sugar. Real fruit and nuts are even better as snacks – if you haven’t had time to cook.

Accessorise your meal deal

When life leaves you with no time to cook, the next cheapest option is a supermarket meal. Eating out is great and encouraged in moderation but for the most part, if you haven’t brought your own lunch to work, lunch will probably be from your local shop.

However, you don’t have to stick to Tesco’s 3-dish range of vegan lunches – jazz them up with dressings, toppings and sides that you keep in the fridge. Great ‘meal deal accessories’ that suit many meals are kimchi, Sriracha, French dressing, peri peri salt, croutons and hummus.

Keeping sides like falafel, sauerkraut and vegan cheese slices in the fridge can often beat the boring out of a supermarket lunch. Keeping it basic? Just make sure you top up your work fridge supply of ketchup or vegan mayo.

if you are trying to go vegan while working your office job, there are a whole load of ways you can simplify it. As you grow as a vegan, you’ll find yourself refining your working week towards veganism, and your diet will get closer and closer to being second nature.

Cristina studied English Literature and Hispanic Studies at Queen Mary University of London and now works as a writer and photographer. Catch her on Twitter, LinkedIn and her website.

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