Difference Between a Vegan Diet and a Whole Food Plant Based Diet + the Best Plant Based Mac and Cheese, Hands Down
By Molly Patrick
Jul 8, 2014,
The difference between vegan and whole food plant based diet (WFPB) is that a WFPB diet does not include processed food in any form, including oil and refined sugar.
If you follow a vegan diet, then vegan cookies, vegan ice cream, vegan potato chips, and vegan candy bars are A-Okay. When following a whole food plant based diet, those foods are avoided.
“Whole Food Plant Based Diet” is a term coined by Dr. T. Colin Campbell.
Dr. Campbell has written numerous New York Times best-selling books, including The China Study and Whole – Rethinking the Science of Nutrition, and has been at the forefront of nutrition research since the 1970’s. (Before my ass was even a concept.)
His research has been vital for understanding the relationship between food and disease. I urge anyone interested in nutrition and/or health (the two are much more connected than you may realize) to check out his work – he’s the real deal.
According to Dr. Campbell, a diet filled with a variety of whole fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds is the most effective way of preventing, treating, and in some cases, even reversing the most common ailments today, including certain types of cancers, heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and obesity.
There are lots of reasons why this knowledge isn’t making its way into government policies and health care reform, but the main reason is that big profits don’t come from whole plant foods. Big profits come from pharmaceuticals (the very thing you’ll need if you avoid whole plant foods).
Since the government isn’t pushing healthy food as a way to prevent illness and disease, this must be a grassroots change; one individual at a time, one plate of healthy food at a time.
Maybe it starts with one person cutting out soda and turns into their entire family cutting out junk food completely.
Maybe one person’s choice to cut out meat for a month turns into starting an organic garden in their backyard and that turns into green juices aplenty.
Or maybe the change to a whole food plant based diet is a tiny one.
It doesn’t have to be a drastic all-or-nothing approach. It can be the decision to read The China Study or watch Forks over Knives. Or maybe sign up for our weekly plant based Meal Plans.
My point is, everyone is on a different journey with food and health – and that’s okay.
Everyone has to start somewhere.
I wanted to showcase the main difference between vegan and a whole food plant based diet since we get asked a lot.
There are times that I indulge in a greasy Chinese meal – it happens! I am FAR from perfect. But when it does happen, I wake up the next morning and get back on track with a huge green juice for breakfast, miso soup for lunch, and lemony chickpea salad for dinner. It’s not about perfection. It’s about taking baby steps to a healthy lifestyle that will stick.
I created Clean Food Dirty Girl because I want everyone armed with the information that Dr. Campbell (and others like him) have put out into the world. Because when we’re armed with knowledge we can make the very best choices for ourselves and our families. And when we have support, it’s even easier. That’s why our private Facebook group is the best group out there. Whether you’re Vegan or just starting on your whole food plant based diet, we’re here for you.
I will leave you with a recipe that proves that eating truly healthy does not have to be bland or boring. This plant based mac and cheese recipe is the mother of all plant based mac and cheese recipes.
If you prefer to make this in your Instant Pot, check out my 5-minute Instant Pot version here.
Enjoy EVERY mother-loving bite!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped russet potato 240g
- 1 cup chopped carrot 130g
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion 65g
- 1 tablespoon chopped turmeric or 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 10g
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- 2 1/2 cups water, divided 590ml
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 10 minutes 75g
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast 40g
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Gluten free pasta brown rice or quinoa pasta are my faves
Instructions
- Place the potato, carrot, onion, turmeric and garlic in a medium-sized pot, cover with 2 cups of water and simmer for 20 minutes, with the lid on.
- After 20 minutes, add the veggies (and the remaining liquid in the pot) to your blender.
- Drain the cashews (discard the water) and add the cashews to the blender, along with the nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, salt and the additional 1/2 cup of water.
- Blend until the sauce is creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Cook however much pasta you want, according to the directions on the box and then strain and rinse with cold water to stop it from cooking. Return to the pot.
- Turn the heat to very low and pour as much Cheesy Sauce over the pasta as you like.
- Add black pepper and salt to taste.
Notes
We hope we cleared up the difference between vegan and whole food plant based diets. In summary, both diets do not contain animal products. A WFPB diet goes a step further and excludes all oil and overly processed foods.
Take the next step with our plant based Meal Plans
We create Meal Plans and recipes are perfect for Vegans or people simply trying to eat more plants. With over 250 Meal Plans and thousands of delicious, whole-food recipes – you’re bound to find something you like. So after you devour the Mac and Cheese, join Plant Fueled Life.
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Forks over Knives definitely changed the way my husband and I eat. We are not there yet by any means, but we eat so much healthier than we used to. Our biggest problem is sugar; we both really like sugar. lol. But we steadily eat healthier and healthier. =)
Thanks for this post! I am really passionate about helping people make better food choices. WFPB and vegan aren’t for everyone, but even cutting out soda and most of your processed foods makes a difference. I believe in the power of menu planning; many people eat processed, convenient things because they don’t plan ahead.
Devra Pomeroy – Agree with all of it! Thank you for posting.
watch ” That Sugar film” amazing good film on sugar
Forks Over Knives started my husband and I on our path to better eating as well. While we still ate meat, we took a hard look at everything we were eating. We made veggies more of a priority than something to round out a plate. And I know we are so much better for it.
And since watching “Vegucated” right after New Years, I haven’t knowingly eaten meat (yeah, BBQ chips have chicken in the seasoning. The jerks.) Now, the Forks Over Knives cookbook as well as Dr Neal Barnard’s books are my go-to quick reference guides for ideas. (Behind the super-duper awesome Bold Vegan website, of course!)
so awesome! Thank you for sharing. Dr Barnard is awesome, he wrote the foreword for our second cookbook, Food for the Body and Soul.
Have you read Whole? It is A-the-Mazing. xo
So awesome! Thank you for sharing. Neal Barnard is awesome, he wrote the foreword for our second cookbook, Food for the Body and Soul. Have you read Whole? It is A-the-Mazing.
xo Molly
I read “The China Study” and tried a vegan diet for several months.
What a fantastic read! Glad you stopped by!
Looks fantastic!! I want to make them now do you think I could sub almond milk for coconut and get the same results
If that’s what you have, I say go for it! Is it plain flavor?
My daughter and I watched the “Forks Over Knives” documentary after breakfast one morning, and decided to go Plant-Based. That was over a year ago. I recently read “The China Study” and was so
WOW-ed! The China Study Cookbook is wonderful, better than any other plant-based cookbook I have used this year.
Right on! Cheers to Forks Over Knives. Such an important documentary (and cookbook!)
Where can I find The China Study Cookbook?
Thanks
You can find it on Amazon or at most book stores 🙂
Molly
Love this recepie, can’t wait to try it at home!
Just one question: is this nutritional yeast the same as we use to cook bread or cakes? I’m from Brazil and I don’t know where to find this… Do you know what is its propose to the recepie or what can I use as a substitute?
Thanks ☺️
Hi Carol,
Nutritional yeast is not the same as yeast for bread. Nutritional yeast has a cheesy flavor and it’s either yellow powder or yellow flakes. You can find it at most health food stores, but I don’t know if you can get it in Brazil. If you can’t find it, just skip it. It will still taste great!
Keep me posted. xo
Thanks Molly, you are very kind!!
I’ll look for it on the local natural/veggy markets and hopefully people will know where I can find it!
Thanks again!
Best wishes from Brazil
I’m sure you could order on line too
I never use nutritional yeast, and it is wonderful without it. I have leftovers in my fridge right now!!
Carol,me disseram que nutritional yeast seria nosso levedo de cerveja.Eu já achei em supermercados em Brasília
Wonderful article and recipe. I was sceptical (about the recipe, specifically the potato and carrot) but thought at least it would be an easy dinner. Wrong! Delicious.
Awesome! So glad you liked it. xooxoxoxoxo
Although my kids didn’t like the “queso” with pasta they love it for quesadillas. I can’t get them off the pan fast enough. I’m so glad to have found this recipe. Thank you!
This tastes exactly like pureed carrots over pasta. Which isn’t bad…but it doesn’t taste anything like real cheese.
I was just about to ask about that. What are common things that could go wrong when making this that would effect the flavor. Is it really supposed to taste like cheese or traditional mac n cheese? Because I didn’t achieve that at all. If it’s not supposed to really taste like cheese and just be a good alternative, I’m thinking that misconception completely blew my taste for it now because I can’t seem to adjust and like it. And I really wanted to like it…Help!
Jillian – just like tofu will never be a boiled egg, cheesy sauce will never replace kraft to your taste buds. I would recommend as you continue down your wfpb journey to revisit this recipe down the road. The first time I made it (maybe 1 month into eating wfpb) I hated it! Now this recipe is a staple in my house – even the kiddos love it. As you eat more whole plant foods you will find your tastes change.
This. Is. Delicious!
Thank you! So glad you liked it!
My son is allergic to cashews and I keep running into them for vegan recipes especially where cheese would normally be, any chance you could use a different nut?
Hi Anna, You can try walnuts. I haven’t tried this, but I think it would work well. You wouldn’t have to soak the walnuts. Also, here’s another recipe for a cashew-less mac and cheese.
https://cleanfooddirtygirl.com/creamy-vegan-mac-and-cheese/
I regularly sub raw unsalted sunflower seeds for cashews.
Hi! Upon discovering that we were out of cashews, in the middle of the recipe, I substituted a can of great northern beans. (Drained and rinsed.) Absolutely delicious! Even the (very sceptical) nonvegans enjoyed.
the pasta would be considered processed food, though, right?
Yup. Brown rice pasta would still be considered processed. It is healthier than regular white pasta, but if you don’t eat any pasta, try the sauce over cooked quinoa and veggies 🙂
Can’t wait to try and have watched forks over knives, so yes I have heard of him!
Hi Denise – bounce back over here after you try and let me know what you think! So glad you know about Dr. Campbell! xo
Just asking – does it have to be coconut milk, or can you use some other, like soy milk?
Hi Jute – Coconut milk makes it really really creamy, but you could easily swap it out for another non-dairy milk. Just make sure that whatever you’re using isn’t sweetened 🙂
I’m confused. This recipe does not call for coconut milk. Is it supposed to?
Hi Brittany, I totally get the confusion. I have two Mac and Cheese recipes on my blog. This one does not call for coconut milk.
https://cleanfooddirtygirl.com/creamy-vegan-mac-and-cheese/
If you click on the link above – THAT one calls for coconut milk.
Let me know how it turns out!
xo
Molly
I made this to bring to a party and everyone, vegan or otherwise, loved it. I made one small change, I added a dash of lemon juice and apple cider vinegar which gave it a nice tang like sharp cheddar.
Awesome! Thanks for coming back and sharing! XO
Hi, Molly! I’m not a vegan, but I AM, not only a lifelong cheese addict, but a lifelong mac and cheese addict. I’d eat the stuff for every meal if I could get away with it. I’m making an effort to eat in a healthier way, more plants and less meat and dairy, and I thought I’d try out your vegan mac and cheese recipe for my lunch and see what it was like. Holy cow, it’s YUMMY! I think the sauce looks and tastes similar to processed cheese sauce, which kind of cracks me up. Thanks for such a great recipe, I’ll definitely be trying more of the recipes on your site!
Hi Becky – Yayayayaay!! Thanks for the awesome feedback! It is funny how processed the texture and taste is, but it’s actually really healthy. I crave this ALL the time and make it often. You can also use the sauce on baked potatoes, cauliflower, other types of veggies, etc..
Have you signed up for my Saturday emails? I send out recipes every Saturday. Sign up here if you want in! https://cleanfooddirtygirl.com/signup/
Made this sauce tonight; it is magical on a rice bowl w/broccoli.
I now have a creamy vat of sauce to get me through the week w/minimal cooking drama.
Merci
Yay! You are most welcome – enjoy every bite!
xo
Molly
Can the sauce be frozen with good result for future use? Say with three months?
Hi Mama! Yes – freeze away!
xo
Molly
Just watched forks over knives. Excited to get started. This will be a great way to get the kids on board!
Hey Teresa!
I’m so excited for you! This recipe has definitely been kid tested and approved. Have you hopped on board for my Saturday emails. I send out weekly recipes, tips and info. You can join us here for free 🙂
https://cleanfooddirtygirl.com/signup/
Just tried this tonight and it was very good and not hard to whip up. While I don’t think it tastes like cheese, I do think it was really tasty. My 4 year old son even liked it! I did add a little mustard to it. It made about 2 or more cups of additional sauce. I think I am going to add some hot sauce or green chilies to that to spice it up for nachos.
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know.
I love your idea to spice it up 😉
xo
Molly
Hello there!
Do you know of an alternative for the cashews? My son is nut allergic and I’d really like to try this fabulous recipe!
Hey Lesley –
Couple of things. You could try about 1/2 cup of organic tofu. That would make the sauce super creamy (this is essentially what the cashews do), or you could add about 3/4 cup of cauliflower with the veggies and just leave out the cashews. If your son is okay with soy, I would suggest trying the tofu idea because it will give it a really nice texture.
Let me know what you decide and how it worked!
xo
Molly
I sub raw unsalted sunflower seeds all the time. Or sometimes I use a can of cannelini beans.
It would be helpful to have easy print options for the recipes.
Hey Angela – thank you for letting me know your interest in this feature. We used to have this option but we took it off when we made some updated to our website. We are on it and I will let you know when we have it installed 🙂
xo
Molly
Hi Angela,
The print page option has been installed. Look below the main title on the left side of the page where is says Print, Export or Email this page 🙂
This looks great can’t wait to try it, but can I use turmeric powder in place of fresh turmeric?
Yes you can! Just use 1 teaspoon instead of 1 tablespoon 🙂
Let me know how it turns out.
xo
Molly
Hi Molly ~ The mac&cheez was delish & I’ve learned a lesson about weights vs. measures. Living in Europe, I even have a kitchen scale but old habits die hard. So, being one to play fast and loose with ingredients unless serious baking alchemy is going on, I should have weighed the vegetables rather than giving the measuring cup a cursory glance. This batch was a bit … vegetal, more vichyssoise than cheezy/creamy. But as I said, delish! so next time I drag out the scale & see how it comes out; cruciferous vegetable season is coming & I don’t like cauliflower to begin with. Thanks for the recipes, ideas, and most of all the encouragement! It’s so much easier to keep being good when someone is out there saying “You don’t have to be perfect.” ~molly
Hi Molly,
Mac & Cheese with cashews is delicious, I will be trying many of your recipes. Also, made your cashew cheese recipe, used it as a dip for corn chips and put it on my salad, put some in the mac & cheese, very yummy.
Any ideas on how to get over liking salt so much? I am better about sugar, I use stevia, it probably isn’t good for a person either.
Thank You for the delicious recipes.
Hey there! So glad you’re enjoying my recipes 🙂
The best way to cut out salt is the same way you cut out sugar, to not eat it.
Use lots of herbs and spices and only a tiny amount of salt. It will take a couple weeks to get used to it, but your taste buds will adjust.
As far as anyone knows, stevia is actually okay 🙂
xo
Molly
Thank you for a great recipe! Already made it twice! Omnivore bf approved!
If anyone was wondering, using sunflower seeds in a place of cashews works great! (It is a useful swap for tight budgets)
This is awesome!
Thanks for posting.
xo
Molly
Do you have any suggestions besides cashews for that cheesy taste\consistancy? My daughter is allergic to cashews but I would love to try this recipe!
Hey Elle –
Yup! Follow the exact measurements and steps but use sunflower seeds instead of cashews 🙂
Keep me posted.
xo
Molly
hi Molly, what kind/shape of pasta is pictured in this photo? thx!
Hi Kristie –
I believe this is quinoa pasta by Ancient Grain.
Any whole grain pasta works well.
Have fun!
Molly
I was amazed at how delicious this was and it uses all healthy ingredients. Plus it made so much sauce. Beyond grateful!!!
Hi Sharon –
I’m so glad you liked it!
xo
Molly
My niece requested I bring this spinach artichoke dip to her daughters’ bday party this Sunday which I make every year when we get together during the winter holidays. It is majorly dairy laden, and I really do not feel right about making it. Because I didn’t want to be “difficult” I said I would bring this quinoa, corn, and avocado salad as well as the dip if that would be a help and she said, “awesome”. However after making this “cheese” sauce this week I wonder if I should make a batch of it and bring it with things to dip in it instead of the dip she requested. She would totally understand. Any ideas along those lines would be appreciated. She is not planning a meal, just picky type stuff. Thanks for any ideas.
Hi Sharon –
I would make this and call it a day. Trust me, it will be a hit with everyone!
https://cleanfooddirtygirl.com/were-all-going-to-die-someday-pass-the-tequila-7-layer-plant-based-nacho-dip/
Molly,
Thanks for the vegan nachos above. It was well received by those who tried it. (Unfortunately I arrived a little late to the party and I think most had eaten already.) It was beyond easy to put together. I would maybe add more tomatoes and possibly some jalapenos. Thanks so much again for the quick reply and suggestion. Looking forward to making it for my kids when they visit next weekend!
Hey Sharon –
So glad it was a hit – thank you for letting me know!
Have you joined our private Facebook group yet?
If you’re on Facebook, it’s the best private group out there.
Here’s the link to join:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cleanfooddirtygirl
xo
Molly
Hi Molly,
I didn’t realize you responded until I went back in the last few days to look for this recipe….five months later….phew, time flies!
Yes I did join the facebook group, but I haven’t been on fb much. Hopefully I can make it more of my routine in 2017. Thanks again for this yummy, fun nacho dip recipe.
I”m hoping to make your veggie fajitas tomorrow night.
You’re the best!
Have a healthy and happy new year!
All the best,
Sharon
Thank you so much for leaving these comments posted and available. They answer so many questions and just help me be even more excited about this way of eating. The biggest problem is where to go next!
Seriously, thank you for hope!
Hi Margie!
You should definitely join our private Facebook group.
Hope to see you over there!
xo
Molly
Thanks for your recipe. My children love so much!
Love you,xxx
Anna
So glad to hear that Anna. What a great mom you are feeding your kiddos wfpb! Keep it up!
This looks great! However, the walnut parm link is broken. I’d love to try it. ^_^
Hi Nuu,
Here’s a link to the Walnut Parm recipe.
Karen
Team Dirty Girl
Hi there
Your link to the mc’n cheese sauce with coconut milk instead of cashews doesn’t seem to exist any longer…. I just keep getting redirected to this page. That other recipe is my family’s favourite and now I can’t find it 🙁 Is there any way you can just copy-paste it directly into your reply? Thanks!
Would anyone happen to know the nutritional information on this ?
Hi Debbie,
We don’t provide the nutrient information for recipes, Molly talks about why here. You can definitely enter the recipe into any nutrient tracker (Cronometer is a popular free one) to calculate the macro and micronutrient details of the entire batch of sauce and then break it down into serving sizes, I would estimate 4 to 6 servings per batch (it’s about 6 cups worth in the recipe), depending on how much sauce you like. Not that this would not include the pasta or whatever food you want to serve it over.
Karen
Team Dirty Girl
Made this with white beans instead of nuts due to an allergy in our house…….amazing!! I love to mix it sometimes with salsa and eat with chips. THANK YOU!!!!
That’s so awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Aanda!
Next time, I’ll try white beans too! Because one of us has a cashew difficulty going on, I co-opted some of my almond-milk-making soaked almonds for this sauce – in place of the cashews. Very nice. wow. This is a very rich and intensely flavored sauce. And the recipe makes hella’ tons!!! I have a full quart of this now. YUM!!! And thank you!! 🙂
One of the funniest questions I have been asked.
“How long can a person live without eating meat”? My response, I have not eaten meat for the majority of my life, (I am 69 years old). Some people have never eaten meat.
Bright day Molly and Luanne.
The link to the mac and cheese sauce with coconut milk instead of cashews keeps redirecting me to this page. Would it be possible to get the recipe for this? My son has a nut allergy and I would like to try this a couple of different ways to see which one he likes better. Gently pulling him along on our WFPB WOE. Thank you very much!
Hi LaFonda,
Email us and I’ll help you 🙂
xo
Molly
[email protected]
First — I love, love, LOV E your blog, and am so happy to have discovered your work! My question is this: So many of your wonderful recipes contain nutritional yeast, which I used to love, but have recently developed a seriously itchy allergy to. Any suggestions for a substitution? Thank you for your response, and for all of your wonderful work!
Hi Adrienne, Thanks for the love for Molly and CFDG, we so appreciate you stopping by and are glad you found us! Nutritional yeast is a distinct flavor as you know. Our substitution guide (check out the Packaged Ingredients tab) has a few suggestions you might try. ~Karen
This has become my go-to mac and cheese recipe. I love how creamy the sauce is. While the flavor is obviously different from traditional mac and cheese, it’s still delicious. Both of my kids have seconds every time I make it.
This was delicious and so easy to make! Would definitely recommend 🙂
Thanks for the recipe love, Frances!
Hello Dirties! I was wondering if anyone has made the cheese sauce recipe in the instant pot? I don’t know why that wouldn’t work, do you?
Hi Laurie – This could be made in an Instant Pot. We haven’t tested this specific recipe but check out this recipe and this similar one for a gauge of time. ~Karen
Added pepper to boost the turmeric anti-inflammatory effect.
New to your site! Love the vibe!
Just made this with Yukon golds as I didn’t have russets
Tastes great. Will pour it on chickpea pasta tonight.
Thanks for your work in the WFPB arena
Diane
Yay! We’re so glad you found us.