The vegan diet contains plant-based foods, with no animal products of any kind. This includes vegetables, grains fruits as well as foods made from plant-products. However, you can still ensure you get a balanced vegan diet without compromising on the vital nutrients your body needs to be healthy. Although you should be able to get the majority of these vitamins and minerals from natural sources, you may find that you can benefit from supplements to make sure you’re getting all that you need.
If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, you need to make sure you’re getting enough vitamin B12 and D to help child development. Children require plenty of energy for good development and growth, so make sure that you’re getting enough of this in your diet – a high fibre but low fat diet may not be enough of a source of calories. Some great high energy foods to include are bananas, nuts and seeds, dried fruit and flapjacks.
Protein
Protein helps the body grow and develop, and is made up of building blocks known as amino acids. To make sure you’re getting enough, try to include on source of protein with every meal. Pulses, soya products and nuts are all great additions to your diet.
Calcium and vitamin D
The body needs calcium to build strong teeth and bones, and non-vegans can get most of this from dairy products such as cheese, yoghurt and milk. If you are vegan, however, you can get calcium from calcium-set tofu, fortified soya milk, pulses and dried fruit such as raisins and prunes. Vitamin D is mainly absorbed by the body from natural sunlight, but margarine and fortified breakfast cereals are also great sources.
Iron
Iron enables the body to produce red blood cells and is predominantly sourced from meat – it’s for this reason that vegans and vegetarians are often lacking in iron. There are plant-based sources though, such as pulses, dark green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli, nuts and dried fruits. Try to drink a glass of orange juice with iron-rich produce to help the body absorb it.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 helps the body to maintain a healthy nervous system and is found naturally in foods from animal sources – vegans can source it from fortified breakfast cereals and soya milk, as well as yeast extract.
Zinc
Zinc levels in non-vegans and vegans are similar, but plant-based sources aren’t as well absorbed by the body so vegans can sometimes be lacking. You can top up your daily amount by eating beans, lentils and yeast extract.
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