'What I Eat In A Week Following My 2007 Vegan Diet'

Nicole Whittle, known online as Vegan Beauty Girl, recently shared a YouTube video revisiting what it was like to be vegan in 2007. Whittle, a UK-based vegan content creator and sustainability advocate, has spent years documenting plant-based lifestyles, ethical shopping, and accessible vegan meals. In her latest video, she took on a challenge to eat like she did when she first went vegan nearly two decades ago – long before supermarkets were filled with plant-based alternatives and vegan menus were standard.

Whittle explained that back then, eating vegan required a lot of improvisation. “The 2007 vegan diet was about grit, resourcefulness, and just really putting together what you could,” she said. Instead of Beyond Burgers or oat milk lattes, the early days of veganism relied on health food store staples, “accidentally vegan” supermarket finds, and homemade meals.

Breakfast: granola, baked pears, and soy milk

For breakfast, Whittle prepared a bowl of granola with baked pears and soy milk. While oat milk is now a go-to for many, she explained that soy milk dominated the dairy-free space in 2007. “There were definitely so many more non-dairy milks available today,” she said, “but back in the day, I’d probably say it was soy, and also I’d say Alpro was probably the big leader.”

She also noted how her preference for black coffee was shaped by the lack of accessible dairy-free options. “I take my coffee black, and I’m very confident that’s because when I first went vegan, it was virtually impossible to find somewhere with soy milk,” she recalled.

Lunch: veggie burgers and pita with hummus

For lunch, Whittle recreated a classic early vegan meal: a vegetable-based burger in pita bread with hummus and roasted peppers. “These burgers are basically like flour, potato, sweetcorn, peas, onion, red pepper, carrot – you know, a very veggie burger,” she said. Before realistic meat alternatives existed, plant-based burgers were often grain- and vegetable-based.

Hummus was another staple, something she said she’d been eating for “the longest time.” In the absence of widespread vegan spreads, hummus was one of the few supermarket items that fit into a plant-based diet without modification.

Dinner: bangers and mash

For a comforting dinner, Whittle made a classic British dish – bangers and mash – using Linda McCartney sausages, which were around in 2007. She paired them with mashed potatoes made with non-dairy milk and butter, both of which were available at the time thanks to the dairy-free market.

She also used Bisto gravy, a product that had long been “accidentally vegan.” She noted that in her early vegan days, she originally bought the brand’s vegetable version, only to later learn the original was also plant-based. “When I first went vegan, we were buying the green one for ages because we just never would have assumed this one was,” she said.

Leek and potato soup

Another meal Whittle prepared was a simple leek and potato soup, inspired by her recent vegetable delivery box. She sautéed leeks in garlic olive oil, added chopped potatoes, and simmered everything with a vegetable stock cube. “I actually do not know if there were vegan stock cubes back in the day, but I’m going to assume there were either accidentally vegan ones or that you could get them in a health store,” she said.

Once blended, the soup turned thick and creamy, making it a filling option that fit the era’s resourceful cooking style.

Beans on toast: a British classic

One of the most nostalgic meals Whittle revisited was beans on toast. “When I first went vegan, my big resources were the PETA website and the Viva website, and I feel like one of them must have had on their homepage something saying, ‘Beans on toast is vegan, your world’s not going to change,’” she recalled.

She noted that this meal was a reassuring staple, proving that some familiar foods didn’t need to be altered. She also reflected on how early social media made her question whether she was “doing veganism wrong” when she started seeing more elaborate plant-based meals online.

Tofu stir-fry with orange soy sauce

For a quick and simple dinner, Whittle made a tofu stir-fry with an improvised orange soy sauce. “I have never made this sauce before,” she admitted, but explained that in 2007, many pre-made sauces weren’t labeled vegan or weren’t widely shared as plant-based options.

The result was a flavorful, citrusy dish that felt reminiscent of early vegan cooking – relying on whole foods and simple seasonings to create meals without the convenience of today’s pre-packaged options.

Juicing leftover produce

In an effort to reduce food waste, Whittle also made fresh juices using leftover produce from her fridge. “I feel like I kind of need to make some room in my fridge, so we’re going to take out some of the fruits and veg that are starting to look a bit weaker and we’re going to juice them,” she explained.

Her first juice included apples, carrots, pears, oranges, red cabbage, cucumber, and ginger. “Very sweet, very refreshing, very lovely,” she said after tasting it. She also made a blood orange, carrot, ginger, and red cabbage juice, emphasizing how fresh, homemade juices were a practical way to use up excess produce.

Find more of Nicole Whittle’s recipes and meal plans on her YouTube channel.