vegan

Looking for a 'meat' alternative never works for healthy eating. It's fine to consume those things from time to time, but it's not a nutritional choice.

1. Learn what real nutrition is. Go to myplate.gov for an overview. Many countries have this, don't just use the US one.
2. 'Protein' is not the end all, be all of life. Protein is in all foods except oils. No matter what you eat, it has some protein in it, so don't obsess about it. Your body needs all the other things as well, like carbs, fruit & veg, salts, sugars & fats. Your body works in tandem to absorb, process & store the nutrients. You need nutrients, just like a car needs gas, oil, etc in order to function.
3. Supplements. Avoid them unless a doctor says you are horribly low. B12 is an essential one, take this, but avoid those 2500mg tablets, it's too much. B vitamins in general are quite important, everything else is pointless. Do chose fortified foods, it really can help when you don't eat nutritionally all the time. No one is perfect, we are all Human.
4. Calories mean nothing unless you are not getting enough. Only count calories if you are lacking. There are vegan bodybuilders who are quite healthy. I personally only pay attention to the sugar & salt content of foods, nothing else. Also, read the labels on foods you purchase and know what those ingredients are.
5. When you change the level of nutritional foods that you consume, your taste buds will also change. Processed fatty, sugary, salty foods will not taste as good and you will be shocked how good things taste that you thought were 'nasty'. I personally love tofu, like addicted to it, prepared many different ways. Also try preparing foods differently, frying, vs steaming vs boiling vs roasting vs grilling, to see what tastes best.
6. Variety. You need a wide range of foods to eat. It's fine if you don't do that daily. Think of it as a game. "How many different things can I eat this month?" And choose a food based on it's nutritional content. The less processed it is, the better. I also like to play, "What can I make with this [enter food name here]?" And no, you do not need to eat 'organic' everything to be healthy. Buy what you can afford, don't go bankrupt and starve.
7. And lastly. Beans, rice & some spice. The entire planet has survived off this variation for as long as these foods have been around. If you just want to eat something and get nutrition. Make some rice (I cannot live without my rice cooker), open a can of whole beans (black is my jam) and drain them. Heat up the beans, put some rice in a bowl with them, add some spices (buy in the bulk section to get small amounts), and eat. You can add anything you want to that, chopped onion (raw, I like red), a chopped up roma tomato, steamed broccoli, maybe mix some fresh spinach (avoid baby, it wilts too fast). Whatever. But just beans & rice will get you through. . The more you experiment, the easier it gets. Vegan or vegetarian is the best way to be healthy. I choose plant based diets because I actually like to eat that way, I have no other reason to do it, that's just me. Eat tasty food! Good luck to you.