Feature Best vegan resources to inspire & inform your plant-based journey

Inspired to go plant-based? Check out these eye-opening vegan books, documentaries, and other essential resources to help get you started!

Whether you’re drawn to a plant-based lifestyle for its incredible range of health benefits, protecting animals and the planet, or simply the joy of experimenting with new flavours in the kitchen, welcome!

Just as there are countless reasons more of us are embracing plant-based food, there are now also heaps of awesome resources available to help you find your feet in all the whys and hows of a veggie lifestyle.

Browse the topics below to discover our top recommendations for books, documentaries, websites, podcasts, social media accounts, and more. You’ll find everything you could need to feel informed and empowered as you set out on your plant-based journey!

👉 Vegan basics to help you get started

👉 Plant-based health & nutrition (made simple)

👉 Tips for reaching your fitness goals on a vegan diet

👉 Easy vegan recipes, cookbooks & meal prep ideas

👉 Thought-provoking books & docos about our relationship with animals

👉 Proof that plant-based food is planet-friendly

Vegan basics to help you get started

🛒🌿 Easy vegan grocery list for beginners: Check out our simple, stress-free guide to help you nail your first vegan shopping list. Pick and choose what works for you!

🛒🌿 Your plant-based guide to navigating the supermarket: This virtual tour of the aisles shows you where to find all the best plant-based options at Coles, Woolworths, and other major supermarkets. Proof that vegan food is everywhere – as long as you know where to look! 

Plant-based health & nutrition (made simple)

📚🌿 The Proof is in the Plants by Simon Hill: Straight-talking nutritionist Simon Hill unpacks how a plant-based diet can help us live longer, healthier lives. With plenty of easy-to-implement tips, he shows how simple tweaks to your plate can help you lead a balanced, veg-powered lifestyle.

📚🌿 How Not to Die by Dr Michael Greger: With his signature wit, Dr. Greger breaks down (ahem, translates) hundreds of scientific studies to reveal how a whole-food, plant-based diet is the only way of eating proven to prevent – and even reverse – many of the leading causes of premature death.

📚🌿 Nourish: The Definitive Plant-based Nutrition Guide for Families by Dr Reshma Shah: In this practical, evidence-based guide for families looking to adopt a plant-based diet, Dr. Reshma Shah shares expert advice and simple strategies to bring health, joy, and connection to your dinner table – one nourishing meal at a time.

📚🌿 Fibre Fuelled by Dr Will Bulsiewicz: Packed with easy-to-follow science, practical tips, and gut-nourishing recipes, Fibre Fuelled is your gut’s new best friend! Read this one for a deep dive into the power of plant-based eating for better digestion, energy, and long-term health.

🎬🌿 Forks Over Knives: This film puts the idea of food as medicine to the test, exploring the extraordinary power plant-based food has to help prevent, manage, and even reverse many chronic diseases.

🖥️🌿 The Good Mood Food: Want to know how to naturally boost your mood with fresh Aussie produce like fruit, veg, and nuts? The Good Mood Food is here to show you how to eat brighter and feel better.

🖥️🌿 Doctors for Nutrition: Doctors for Nutrition is a non-profit on a mission to improve public health through the power of whole-food, plant-based nutrition. They empower doctors to use nutrition as a powerful tool for disease prevention, and offer the general public all the knowledge and resources they need to take control of their well-being.

🖥️🌿 Nutrition Facts: Exactly what it says on the tin! This site delivers the latest nutrition facts and health science news, always presented in easy-to-understand videos, blog posts, infographics, and podcasts. 

🖥️🌿 Dr. Gemma Newman: Known as the “Plant Power Doctor”, Dr. Gemma Newman is a UK-based GP who champions a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle as a way to prevent and treat chronic diseases. Her website is a treasure trove of nutrition advice and wellness tips.

🖥️🌿 Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: PCRM is an excellent source of information about the health benefits of a plant-based diet, as well as the risks associated with consuming animal products like meat and dairy. 

🎙️ The Exam Room Podcast by the Physicians Committee: Curious about all the ways plant-based eating can transform your health? This engaging podcast unpacks the science behind nutrition and disease prevention, featuring expert guests, inspiring stories, and practical everyday tips. 

Tips for reaching your fitness goals on a vegan diet

🎬🌿 The Game Changers: Follow an elite athlete on a quest to discover the optimal diet for peak performance and lasting health. This invigorating, eye-opening documentary digs deep into plant-based eating, challenging myths about protein, strength, and what it takes to thrive

📱🌿 The Plantpower Meal Planner: Rich Roll is a self-proclaimed couch potato turned ultramarathoner who turned his life around at age 40 by adopting a plant-based lifestyle – and now he’s helping others do the same. His meal planning tool offers delicious, plant-powered guidance to fuel your own transformation

📚🌿 The No Meat Athlete Cookbook by Matt Frazier: Brought to you by the founder of the No Meat Athlete movement, his vegan cookbook is packed with hearty plant-based recipes cooked up to help you perform better, recover faster, and feel amazing.

📚🌿 The Vegan Cookbook for Athletes by Anne-Marie Campbell: With over 100 nutritious recipes and three easy-to-follow meal plans, this cookbook is your go-to guide for boosting energy, endurance, and strength, all while keeping it 100% plant-based.

📚🌿 Be a Plant-Based Woman Warrior by Jane Esselstyn & Ann Crile Esselstyn: Written by a passionately plant-fit mother-daughter duo, this big-spirited cookbook is more than just recipes – it’s also a call to action for anyone who wants to feel full of vitality and in control of their health. 

📚🌿 The Vegan Athlete’s Cookbook by Anita Bean: Anita Bean is an award-winning (and aptly named) nutritionist focused on delivering healthy, tasty vegan recipes, each one loaded with all the nutrients you need to train, recover, and perform at your best. 

📚🌿 Plant-Based Sports Nutrition by D. Enette Larson-Meyer & Matt Ruscigno: This brilliant book teaches you exactly how to get the proper amounts of macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals from plant foods – all tailored to your own personal energy needs and fitness goals.

🖥️🌿 Best vegan protein sources: The ultimate list: From tofu, tempeh, and legumes to high-protein pasta, TVP, store-bought vegan meats, and more, this comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about getting enough plant-based protein. 

🖥️🌿 No Meat Athlete: On a mission to “provide world-class inspirational and educational experiences to support the growth and well-being of the plant-based athletic community”, No Meat Athlete delivers! Browse their website for meal plans, nutritional tips, workouts, and podcasts to fuel your journey.

🖥️🌿 Inspiring plant-powered athletes: More and more elite athletes are fuelling their performance with plant-based diets – and the results speak for themselves! Check out this blog post to meet some of the inspiring plant-powered champions leading the way.

Easy vegan recipes, cookbooks & meal prep ideas

📚🌿 Vegan cookbooks: From quick mid-week dinners and one-pot wonders to slow-cooking weekend feasts and decadent desserts, these fun and flavourful vegan cookbooks have got you covered.

📺🌿 Freshly Picked – Australia’s first 100% plant-based cooking show: Join Masterchef grand-finalist Simon Toohey as he whips up all kinds of veggie-packed deliciousness alongside an exciting line-up of guests. Each episode is packed with cooking tips, vibrant recipes, and plenty of plant-powered inspiration. You can stream all-new episodes for free on 10Play, or sink your teeth into past seasons on SBS On Demand. 

(And yep – VegKit might have had a little something to do with bringing this show to your screens!)

▶️🌿 Vegan YouTube channels: These talented chefs are using the power of YouTube to showcase the endless possibilities of plant-based cooking. Guaranteed to give you some easy, mouthwatering meal ideas!

📱🌿 Vegan foodies on TikTok: Bringing plant-based goodness to your FYP, we’ve rounded up the best vegan chefs cooking up delicious, bite-sized content on TikTok.  

📱🌿 Vegan chefs on Instagram: Turn your social media feed into a feast by following these amazing chefs on Instagram. Their easy vegan recipe ideas are nourishing, vibrant, and exactly the inspiration you need to start eating the plant-based rainbow!

Thought-provoking books & docos about our relationship with animals

📚🌿 Hungry Beautiful Animals by Matthew C. Halteman: The tagline for this delightfully wise and funny book – the joyful case for going vegan – says it all! Philosopher Matthew C. Halteman explores what underlies our attachments to animal products and offers a practical path to living abundantly without them. 

📚🌿 Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer: Part memoir and part investigative report, this book is an eye-opening examination of what it means to eat animals in an industrialised world. It’s a must-read for anyone who cares about using their consumer power and food choices to help shape a kinder future. 

📚🌿 Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows by Melanie Joy: Ever wondered why we think of some animals as ‘friends’, yet others as ‘food’? This is the book for you. Acclaimed social psychologist Melanie Joy offers a thoughtful take on how and why we ascribe certain ‘roles’ to animals in our society.

📚🌿 An Immense World by Ed Yong: Let science journalist Ed Yong take you on a tour of the senses, exploring the many fascinating ways in which our fellow animals experience, interact with, navigate and understand their world – and ours.

📚🌿 Esther the Wonder Pig by Steve Jenkins & Derek Walter: This delightful best-seller follows Steve and Derek’s real-life adventure from reluctant pig parents to passionate advocates for animals. It’s a heartwarming, funny, and utterly charming read!

🎬🌿 The End of Meat: This groundbreaking film reveals the hidden impact of the meat industry on our health and the environment, while posing the bold question: How could the world change if eating animals became a thing of the past?

🎬🌿 My Octopus Teacher: Moving and reflective, this documentary tells the remarkable true story of a wild octopus who forged an unexpected friendship with a filmmaker – and the lessons she taught him about empathy and the interconnectedness of life.

🎬🌿 Seaspiracy: This exposé presents a deep dive into the industrial fishing industry, focusing on the massive threat it poses to our vulnerable ocean ecosystems and the marine animals who call them home – a compelling call to protect our seas.

🎬🌿 Eating Animals: Natalie Portman and Jonathan Safran Foer present an eye-opening look at factory farming, highlighting how animals and our planet pay the ultimate price for “cheap” meat, eggs, and dairy. 

🎬🌿 73 Cows: This short but emotional doco follows a British cattle farmer as he grapples with the ethical implications of animal agriculture, becoming increasingly conflicted about sending cows to slaughter. (Spoiler alert: It’s a happy, hopeful ending for everyone!)

🎬🌿 Earthlings: Earthlings shines a much-needed light on the suffering and abuse animals endure every single day in the profit-driven food, clothing, pet, and entertainment industries. The real undercover footage shown throughout makes for difficult – but crucial – viewing.

🎬🌿 Dominion: This Australian documentary exposes the dark underbelly of modern animal agriculture and questions the morality of humans’ dominion over the animal kingdom. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s a powerful watch – one that may change the way you think about the use and abuse of animals in our society forever. 

Proof that plant-based food is planet-friendly

🖥️🌿 Oxford study finds that going vegan “massively cuts environmental damage”: In one of the most comprehensive analyses of dietary impacts to date, researchers at Oxford University found that a plant-based diet can reduce diet-related emissions, water pollution, and land use by an impressive 75%.

🖥️🌿 Sustainability deep-dive: How plant-based eating compares to the standard Western diet: Curious about the environmental benefits of plant-based eating? Spoiler alert: There’s a reason experts call it the most powerful way to protect the planet! This article breaks down how vegan meals compare to the typical Western diet – and why making the switch is a game changer for a sustainable future.

📚🌿 Regenesis by George Monbiot: This thought-provoking read challenges us to rethink everything, from farming to our role on this planet, offering a hopeful vision of a sustainable future in which we can both transform our food system and heal our connection to nature.

📚🌿 How Veganism Can Save Us by Emma Hakansson: Expertly balancing hard truths with empowering solutions, this compelling book by activist and award-winning author Emma Hakansson will open your eyes to the collective impact we have the power to make with our food choices – for animals, people, and the planet.

📚🌿 We Are the Weather by Jonathan Safran Foer: This book is an urgent, insightful, and personal look at the climate emergency – exploring how saving the planet “begins at breakfast”, with the everyday choices we make about the food on our plates.

🎬🌿 Eating Our Way to Extinction: By taking you on a cinematic journey through breathtaking natural landscapes around the world, this informative and empowering documentary will forever change the way you view the global food industry. 

🎬🌿 Cowspiracy: Cowspiracy tells the shocking yet surprisingly humorous journey of an aspiring environmentalist as he investigates the dire threat factory farming poses to our planet – and searches for a path to a more sustainable future. 

🎬🌿 Milked: Milked follows a young change-maker out to expose the whitewash of New Zealand’s “dairy land”, documenting all the ways in which the dairy industry deceives customers, negatively impacts human health, and harms the environment.

🎬🌿 A Life On Our Planet: Widely regarded as one of the most pivotal documentaries of our time, and for good reason. After all, there are few things more resonant than the iconic voice of the natural world, Sir David Attenborough, urging people to eat more plants to save the planet!

But wait, there’s more…

We’re lucky to live in an age with unprecedented access to expert advice, creative meal ideas, and endless information, meaning it’s never been easier to ensure you’re informed and inspired as you venture into the plant-based world.

And remember, we’re always here to help with any challenges or questions you might have along the way.

In fact, while you’re here, feel free to order a copy of our free Veg Starter Kit for an overview of… well, just about everything to do with living on the veg!