Your Vegan Food Pyramid

The Vegan Food Pyramid shows you the basic vegan food groups.

When most of us first go vegan, we sort of wing it because we usually have ZERO clue what we're doing. Sound familiar? It happened to me too. Things went along just fine for a while, but then I started to realize I was getting sort of tired. Like, a lot!

So when I began to study the vegan diet more closely, and used the Vegan Food Pyramid to guide me, it really helped to clear things up. For instance, I was not eating ANY beans/legumes, which is a major source of energy for vegans. Mucho importante!

So the Pyramid points you in the right direction, taking the guesswork out of which foods you should eat in order to get the proper nutrition you need.

Learn more about this Vegetarian Food Pyramid, what the USDA has to say about the vegan diet, serving sizes, and so much more.

There's a wealth of information here that will help jump start your vegan diet and cooking adventure.

Sassy, I don't have time to read through all your jabbering.
Take me straight to the Vegan Food Pyramid, pronto!

Ready? Let's get started...

---

First, The Traditional USDA Guidelines

Let's chat it up about our United States Department of Agriculture dietary guidelines. If you have been following the USDA dietary guidelines your entire life, it is certainly understandable, because most of us have as well. It is natural to look to others who might know more about the topic of nutrition than we do.

But just because the USDA makes the proclamation of what we should eat, does that mean these food groups are, in fact, what you should be eating on a daily basis?

---

Don't you love humanity? We continue to learn and grow and evolve. And one thing that becomes very obvious in reviewing the changes that have come down the pike from our dear ol' USDA is that as a society we work with what we know at the time. The USDA has changed their tune quite a bit over the past 70 years.

And whether you are vegan, vegetarian, or non-vegetarian, you need to take control and educate yourself as much as you can about the food you put in your mouth and its effect on your health and wellness.

Why?

Because we are always learning new facts about food and nutrition, and it is very important to not get "stuck" in a food rut that may have been based on something you learned when you were a kid...

For instance, as you can see by the first poster above, the USDA started out by recommending "Beyond the Basic 7, eat anything you want!"

And now, according to the USDA 2010 Dietary Guidelines put out by the USDA and the HSS, they say "Americans eat too many calories and too much solid fat, added sugars, refined grains, and sodium. Americans also consume too little potassium; dietary fiber; calcium; vitamin D; unsaturated fatty acids from oils, nuts, and seafood; and other important nutrients.

All I know for sure is the majority of people in the U.S. have been taking the advice of the USDA for over 60 years, and continue to fill their diets with meat, dairy, and eggs. And the majority of people here in the U.S. have problems with obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and a host of other diseases and health challenges. Coincidence?

Perhaps those on the USDA Dietary Guidelines Committee have something to do with it...

Many people who have major health challenges and diseases and decide to "go vegan" and follow the Vegetarian Food Pyramid have actually been able to heal themselves through diet.

Am I saying the vegan diet is the answer to every problem we have?

Ummmmm, actually, yes.

(That was a joke. Sort of.)

But the facts really speak pretty loudly, don't you think?

So the vegan diet is here to stay, no doubt about it, and it is gaining even more momentum as time goes by. In other words, you are in very good company. :)

---

The Vegan Food Pyramid

Enter the Vegan Food Guide Pyramid. The pyramid may look somewhat familiar. It is very similar to the one that has been designed for non-vegans. But the cool thing about the Vegetarian Food Pyramid is that all the animal foods found in the original pyramid have been replaced with plant foods that contain key nutrients that are very similar to those found in animal products -- without a smidge of cholesterol, of course. ;O)

As you can see, some of the food groups have a range of servings. If you're of small stature or are trying to lose weight, opt for the smaller end of the servings. If you're of a larger stature, are trying to gain weight, or have a muscular build, opt for the larger end of the servings.

Yes, it's THAT easy to eat a balanced vegan diet that provides the nutrition you need.

There's just one teensy tiny thing...

It CAN BE discouraging looking at charts like this. How could any one person eat THIS MUCH FOOD on a daily basis?

But somewhere along the way I came across three very important pieces of the puzzle...

1. The recommendations for the foods in the Vegan Food Pyramid are not necessarily DAILY recommendations, but the foods you should strive to eat each and every week.

So don't go crazy trying to eat exactly the amounts called for in the Vegan Food Pyramid on a daily basis. Use it as a general guide so you understand the food groups you are basically striving for weekly.

One thing you will notice pretty quickly is that there is no room for CRAP food. You only have so much room in your tummy, and if you want to be a healthy vegan, then you simply must save the room for your veggies, beans, whole grains, fruit, nuts, seeds, and healthy fats. Go ahead and have the occasional junk food, but do so sparingly. Just be smart -- this food is building and running your body!

2. Many foods in the Vegan Food Pyramid can be included in more than one food group.

• For instance, the Vegan Food Pyramid's Fortified Soymilk and Alternates grouping takes the place of the non-vegan pyramid's Dairy Food Group (read: calcium) -- both food groups focus on calcium-rich foods.
• A serving of calcium-rich greens (like Kale or Broccoli) in the Vegan Food Pyramid count as a serving in the Vegetables Group AND in the Fortified Soymilks and Alternates. Why? Because they are vegetables which also contains lots of calcium.
• Here's another one. The Bean and Bean Alternates group in the Vegan Food Pyramid takes the place of the non-vegan pyramid's Meat grouping (read: protein).
• A serving of calcium-enriched tofu in the Vegan Food Pyramid, then, would fall into not only the Bean and Bean Alternates Group (soy bean), but the Fortified Soymilk and Alternates Group too (calcium-enriched).
• Final one. A serving of almond butter in the Vegan Food Pyramid will fall into not only the Bean and Bean Alternates grouping (read: protein), but also the Fortified Soymilk and Alternates group because almonds are high in calcium.
  
  If you need help figuring out which foods fall into which groups, then visit my Vegan Nutrition page where you will find a tool to help you figure out the nutritional data for various foods. A little "too much information", but it is there if you need it. ;)

3. Serving sizes in the Vegan Food Pyramid are smaller than you might think.

• Chopped Cooked Vegetables 1/2 cup (1/2 baseball or rounded handful for avg. adult)
• Cooked Dark Green Leafies (kale, chard, collards) 1 cup (1 baseball or one fist for avg. adult)
• Raw Dark Green Leafies (kale, chard, collards) 2 cups (2 baseballs or two fists for avg. adult)
• Salad Greens 2 cups (2 baseballs or two fists for avg. adult)
• Vegetable Juice 6 ounces (3/4 of a cup)
• Cooked Beans 1/2 cup cooked (1/2 baseball or rounded handful for avg. adult)
• Fresh Fruit - 1 medium piece 1/2 cup chopped (1/2 baseball or rounded handful for avg. adult)
• Dried Fruit 1/4 cup (1 golf ball or scant handful for avg. adult)
• Fruit Juice (fresh squeezed!!) 6 ounces (3/4 of a cup) - Drink sparingly, if at all. Fruit juice (without the fiber-filled fruit itself) is very concentrated in natural sugars and can cause a spike in your blood sugar).
• Whole Grains, Pasta, Cooked Cereal 1/2 cup (1/2 baseball or rounded handful for avg. adult)
• Fortified Dairy Substitute (non-dairy milk) 1/2 cup
• Ready-to-Eat Cereal 1 oz. varies from 1/2 cup to 1 1/4 cup (check label)
• Nuts 1/4 cup (level handful for avg. adult )
• Seeds 2 Tablespoons
• Oils or (Non-Hydrogenated!) Margarines 1 teaspoon

When you take all this into consideration, it's easy to meet the suggested servings.

Although it may take a little time to get used to, and you might find yourself measuring out your food for a while, once you begin to experiment with these amounts it will become second nature to you. You'll be well on your way to meeting the recommended nutrition for a vegan.

Now you have a general idea of the various vegan food groups you should be including in your vegan diet, it's time to learn more about each group.

For your convenience and ease, I've broken them into sections...

The Vegan Food Pyramid's Food Groups

Vegetables Group:

Do you have ANY idea just how good veggies are for you? They're one of the most important foods you can eat. Click here to learn all about Fresh Vegetables, including WHY veggies are healthy, a primer on organics, necessary servings, juicing ideas, some general rules about veggies, and more (!), plus how to select, clean, cook and flavor your vegetables.

Beans, Bean Alternates, Nuts & Seeds Group:

Take a peek at the Vegan Protein guide to learn which foods with protein will meet your needs, how many servings you need, and finally how to select and prepare these protein-rich foods.

Whole Grains, Breads, Rice, Pasta, Cereals Group:

Learn about Whole Grains, including how our grains became stripped down to their "whities", how many servings of whole grains you should eat on a daily basis, a list of grains for you to discover, and how to select, clean, soak, cook and flavor your grains to perfection.

Fruits Group:

The majority of the time you eat fruit, try to eat it all by itself. It's just so much healthier this way due to its very quick digestion. However, sometimes you just want to make a fruit recipe, and this page All About Fruits will help you to do just that. Learn which fruits MUST BE organic and which can be conventional. Also learn how to select and clean your fruit, fruit "Vegan Flavor Matches", and nutritional information too. Enjoy!

Vegetable Oils and Fats:

Please visit a special 3-part article entitled Vegan Fats of Life to learn more about which fats you should be including in your vegan diet.

Also, check out these tips on how to choose oils (if you opt to use them in your vegan diet).

---

Be sure to check out my Vegan Nutrition page which is CHOCK FULL of information you need to get started (or continue) on your vegan nutrition path.

Whew! Still hanging in there? Now it's time to turn this information into delicious meals you can enjoy!

Visit the Vegan Cooking Guide where the real fun of being a Vegan comes into play. You'll learn to rely on your intuition as you learn to cook from scratch -- without recipes!

Here's how...

You'll start with a master list of vegan foods. Choose any food to learn proper selection and the suggested cleaning and cooking techniques for each.

But you'll really let your creativity loose when you discover the "Vegan Flavor Matches" that match perfectly with your chosen food. You'll create your very own recipes in no time -- it's quick, it's fun, and it's one of the best ways I know of to stick to the recommendations in the Vegan Food Pyramid.

Vegan cooking just got a whole lot easier! Whoo-hoo!

Back to the top -- Vegan Food Pyramid
Return to the Vegan Nutrition page
Visit the Vegan Cooking Guide
Go to the VeganCoach.com Homepage

New! Comments Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.

Follow us on Twitter!