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Vegan
Vegan Food - What Should I Eat?
October 15 2008
 Eating a wide variety of foods is the key to having a healthy, balanced diet and so for those of us that may be interested in following a vegan way of eating, could we be missing out on essential nutrients?
Well, good news!! Having a healthy, nutritious vegan diet is easier now than it has ever been, and as well as an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, prepared vegan foods are becoming far easier to source.
Most plant proteins have a low content of one or more of the essential amino acids needed by the body and so try to include sprouted seeds, tofu, hempseed and 'grains' such as quinoa (pronounced ‘keen-wa’) in your diet.
By eating a variety of plant proteins, you can optimise your protein intake. The body is happy to use amino acids from vegetables, cereals, pulses, nuts and seeds. In addition, the Vegan Society recommends that those following a vegan diet take dietary supplements for Vitamins B12 and D as well as calcium, (although my Health Visitor told me not to worry about my son as he ate so much broccoli!).
What to eat every day
Here is a quick overview of what you should aim to eat every day, (from the Vegan Society):
• 2 to 4 servings of vegetables, plus 2 to 3 servings of vegetables from the 'green leafy' sub-group
• 6 to 10 servings of bread, pasta, rice and fortified cereals
• 2 to 3 servings of beans, pulses and protein foods
• 1 to 2 servings of nuts and seeds
• 2 to 3 teaspoons of oils and fats
• 1 to 2 servings of fruits, plus 1 to 2 servings from the dried fruits sub-group
• 3 servings from the fortified non-dairy sub-group (such as soya milk)
• 8 glasses of water daily (more if very active)
• Recent studies may indicate that growing children may need additional supplements in their diet to allow normal growth of body and mind and avoid tooth decay (see Detox Your World article)
Supplements (for adults)
• Vitamin B12 - 2.4 micrograms daily
• Vitamin D - 5 micrograms daily
• Calcium - 600 milligrams daily
The sub-groups of green leafy vegetables and dried fruits are emphasised because they have a particular role to play. Green leafy vegetables are particularly rich plant sources of calcium and dried fruits contain iron
Whenever possible, buy dried fruit that is free from sulphur dioxide, which is used to preserve the fruit, as this is a known irritant, particularly for people suffering with asthma.
Nuts and seeds are a particularly rich source of iron, zinc and essential fatty acids. Almonds are particularly nutritious, 100g contain 16.9g protein, 4.2mg iron, 250mg calcium, 20mg vitamin E, 3.1mg zinc and 0.92mg vitamin B2. (sourced from The Vegetarian sociey)
Beans and pulses will provide protein, iron, zinc and calcium.
Fortified soya, almond, rice or oat 'milks' are included in the non-dairy group. (Although check this out with your GP if you have any history of thyroid problems in the family)
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