Ten tips for healthy vegan diets

Vegans eat fruits and veggies and a whole lot more.

There is lots of interesting information about vegan nutrition on the internet. But there isn’t really that much that you need to know in order to eat healthfully. Here are some quick and easy guidelines for planning a balanced vegan diet.

• Build your menu on a foundation of whole plant foods. Eat plenty of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds.

• Protein is easy—choose 5 or more servings per day of protein-rich foods like legumes, nuts, seeds, and soyfoods. A serving is ½ cup cooked beans,
2 tablespoons nut butter or chopped nuts, 1 cup soymilk, or 1 ounce of a meat analog.

• Have a serving of a vitamin C-rich food at every meal. Choose melons, citrus fruits, pineapple, strawberries, kiwifruit, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, or potatoes. These foods give iron absorption a boost.

• Eat lots of brightly colored vegetables—leafy greens, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots and dark squashes.

• Fortified soymilk and fruit juices are great sources of well-absorbed calcium. You can also get this nutrient from firm tofu made with calcium sulfate, leafy greens like collards, kale and bok choy, and from cooked dried beans.

• Choose meat analogs, soymilk or nutritional yeast that is fortified with vitamin B12 (check the label), or take a supplement.

• Everybody—omnivore or vegan—needs to supplement with vitamin D. Get it from fortified soymilk or a vitamin pill.

• Fish oil supplements are all the rage among omnivores, but vegans can choose a more sustainable option to get omega-3 fats. Go straight to the source by using supplements of DHA from algae. Here are a few brands.

• High fat foods like nuts and seeds provide healthful fatty acids and good nutrition. They are especially great for boosting zinc intake. It’s fine to use vegetable oils in moderation, too.

• Everybody should have a few treats now and then. If your diet is mostly healthful whole plant foods, there is nothing wrong with a little snack of chocolate or potato chips.

Need a little more detail? Check these articles for more information about vegan nutrition:
 

Getting Enough Iron From Plant Foods

Vitamin D for Vegans

Where do Vegans Get Their Protein?

Meeting Calcium Needs On A Vegan Diet

Best Websites For Vegan Nutrition Information