Vegan Nutrition Made Easy

Does thinking about the topic of Vegan Nutrition fill you with uncertainty? If so, you are not alone. Nutrition for vegans seems to be one of the biggest assumed obstacles, whether you are 100% vegetarian or considering checking it out. But you may be surprised to learn it is easier than you think. Let's chat about this topic for a bit...

When Jeff and I went vegan back in 1994, the LAST thing I thought about was whether I was meeting my nutritional needs. Why? Because I never gave my nutrition a second thought before I went vegetarian, so why now would I go on "high alert" just because I went vegan?

It was only when people starting peppering me with questions like "Where do you get your protein?" and "If you don't drink milk, where will you get your calcium?" that I began to wonder about it all.

And if you have landed on this page, you are likely vegan (or vegetarian or non-vegetarian thinking about going vegan) and wonder if you can meet your vegan nutritional needs if you go down this path.

Since I have been a healthy and happy Vegan since 1994, and a Vegan Nutritional Consultant with an ever-growing list of healthy and happy clientele, I can say with certainty that you can meet your vegan nutrition needs -- and it's WAY easier than you might think.

But don't take my word for it. Let's see what "the powers that be" have to say about the topic of vegan nutrition...

What the USDA and the HHS Say About Nutrition For A Vegan

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services join forces to put together yearly dietary guidelines.

Here is what the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for America has to say about the vegan diet (p. 45):

Research On Vegetarian Eating Patterns
"In prospective studies of adults, compared to non-vegetarian eating patterns, vegetarian-style eating patterns have been associated with improved health outcomes, lower levels of obesity, a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, and lower total mortality. Several clinical trials have documented that vegetarian eating patterns lower blood pressure.

"On average, vegetarians consume a lower proportion of calories from fat (particularly saturated fatty acids); fewer overall calories; and more fiber, potassium, and vitamin C than do non-vegetarians. Vegetarians generally have a lower body mass index. These characteristics and other lifestyle factors associated with a vegetarian diet may contribute to the positive health outcomes that have been identified among vegetarians."

So Can Our Diet Provide Proper Nutrition For Vegans?

Well, yes and no.

Overall, YES. As long as you are eating a well-balanced diet which includes vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and healthy fats, then you will be on your way to meeting your vegan nutritional needs.

But there are 5 topics about vegan nutrition that I believe all Vegans should pay special attention to. So let's talk about these now...

Vitamin B12

This vitamin causes a lot of confusion, with some vegans wondering if they must supplement with B12, and asking why we can't just get our B12 through fruits and veggies? While Vitamin B12 is found in animal products, it is not because the animals produce it. In fact, plants cannot produce it either. B12 is made by bacteria. But since animals and the food the animals eat are contaminated with the bacteria which produce Vitamin B12, they happen to be a source.

But does that mean we have to eat animals in order to get our B12? No way. Because B12 has been added to meat substitutes, breakfast cereals, and non-dairy beverages. Personally, I don't eat a lot of meat substitutes, breakfast cereals, or non-dairy beverages, so I use a B12 supplement made from methylcobalamin, which is the natural kind of B12 that comes from bacteria.

Learn more about Vegan Vitamin B12 here.

By the way, it is important to note that adding nutrients to our food supply is not reserved just for the vegan population. Over the years, Vitamin D, folate, and iodine have also been added because the general population tends to be low.

EPA/DHA

Most non-vegetarians get these important fats from eating fish. Why? Are fish naturally born with these important long-chain fats? No. But they eat microalgae, the original source, which the fish then convert to EPA/DHA.

But with more and more people moving away from eating fish due to mercury contamination, and since vegans and vegetarians do not eat fish, it is important to understand where you will get your EPA/DHA. In fact, this is a topic that many vegans simply don't know about, so you will be ahead of the curve if you learn all you can about it now.

When we eat foods rich in Alpha-Linolenic Acid (LNA), an essential fatty acid found in foods such as flax and hemp seeds, walnuts, and soy, our bodies then can convert this LNA to EPA and DHA.

BUT, some of us can perform this internal conversion easily; others have some challenges making this conversion. So if someone is deficient in DHA/EPA, this could mean their body is not converting properly, or they are simply not ingesting enough of the raw materials to make this conversion. If you are eating enough flax and hemp seeds, walnuts, and soy, then consuming excess hoping it will cause more conversion than normal may or may not work - either your body converts efficiently or it doesn't.

Fortunately, we have a safety net: Plant-based vegan EPA/DHA supplements which contain these readily-available long-chain fatty acids. They are a little spendy, but some of us out here feel it is worth the cost.

Vegan Essentials (my favorite online vegan store!) has a good option for you. The one that I feel will give you the most bang for your buck is called Opti3, which is what Jeff and I use; it is made by the same people who created VPure (also vegan EPA/DHA which seems to not be available at this time).

If you are concerned about your own conversion from LNA to EPA/DHA, I recommend you supplement your diet. And please continue to research this vast and complex topic as you see fit.

Calcium

It's not that we cannot get the calcium we need from a plant-based 100% vegan diet. But some people wonder if vegans have to concern ourselves with calcium, or they don't know which vegan foods contain calcium or how much of these foods to eat. If this sounds like you, you might be missing the vegan nutrition boat.

Vitamin D

Please note, Vitamin D deficiency is NOT just a challenge some vegans have. As mentioned earlier, Vitamin D, folate, and iodine have been added to our food supply because the general population tends to be low on them. So eating foods which are fortified with Vitamin D will help you get the amounts you need.

Why is it such a challenge for most Americans to get the Vitamin D we need? Because we spend SOOOOO much time indoors so we are not getting the sunlight we need in order for our bodies to make Vitamin D. Furthermore, when we DO go out in the sun, so many slather themselves with sunscreen, which causes further challenges. And of course, in the cloudy, colder, winter months we rarely get any sun at all. :-/

Now, in the summer months, it has always been thought that as long as we get 15 minutes of sun per day, our bodies can manufacture the Vitamin D we need. However, due to the hole in the ozone layer, we are not necessarily getting the ideal rays we need from the sun in order for our bodies to actually manufacture Vitamin D. So whether it is the warm summer months or the cloudy, cold, winter months we are smart to supplement our diet with Vitamin D.

Besides eating foods fortified with Vitamin D, you can also supplement your diet, which I highly recommend. Vitamin D supplements come in two forms, D3 and D2. The D3 form (also known as Cholecalciferol) is usually extracted from lanolin found in sheep's wool, or made from fish oil and are animal-based. The D2 form (also known as Ergocalciferol) is manufactured from plants and fungi, so it is NOT animal based.

Which form should you use, and how much?

Well, how much to use is the easiest to answer. The current recommendation is 4000 IU per day. But I am not a doctor, so you may want to check with yours before you begin taking Vitamin D.

As to which form to use, D2 or D3, is a topic of debate and confusion, quite frankly. There is some concern that D2, the plant-based D, is not as effective as D3. I will leave it to you to do your own research and decide which you will explore.

Fortunately for all Vegans, there is now vegan D3 available. Whoo-hoo! I recommend this Vegan Vitamin D3 made by Global Health Trax, which is registered with the Vegan Society.

If you go with D3, I recommend Carlson Brands drops. They come in different forms, but the drops are easiest to take. The drops come in either 1000 IU or 2000 IU, so you would need 2 or 4 drops per day, depending on which you go with.

A good brand of D2 is made by VegLife, but ask your friendly nutritional supplement consultant for a referral. Most come in 400 IU, so you will see that in order to reach 4000 IU for the day, you will need to take 10 tablets/capsules.

Again, do your research and come to your best conclusions as to whether you should supplement with Vitamin D, and which form you will use.

Choline

Choline is a nutrient that was discovered pretty recently, all things considered. It's very important to keep our brain on track, helps with memory, and assists in the prevention of fat from accumulating in the liver. According to the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, some people may have trouble meeting the proper levels for choline, especially Vegans. Some foods which are good sources of choline? Peanuts and peanut butter, potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, banana, oranges, lentils, oats, barley, corn, sesame seeds, flax seeds, whole wheat bread, and soybeans and soybean products.

So choline really should not be a problem for most vegans as long as you are eating a well-balanced vegan diet. Because if you are, then you will be eating nuts, all sorts of veggies and fruits, lentils and beans, whole grains, and seeds, which as you just learned are sources of choline.

And this just points out how VITAL it is to eat a well-balanced vegan diet. Because you just never know when some new fangled nutrient will be discovered. As long as you are eating from the major vegan food groups on a daily and weekly basis, you should be getting the nutrients you need, paying special attention to the additional points I mentioned above (Vitamin B12, EPA/DHA, Vitamin D, and calcium).

More Vegan Nutrition Tips

It is so easy to eat a vegan diet, that you may wonder what all the fuss and confusion is about. So here are just a few things to keep in mind as you go along on your vegan adventure:

1.

A good place to start is with the Vegan Food Pyramid. It is just like the non-vegan food pyramids you have been seeing your whole life, except all the animal foods have been replaced with plants foods with similar nutrients that are vital for your healthy self. Simply follow this handy dandy guide to ensure you're getting the vegan nutrition you need on a daily basis.

2.

If you choose to eat a vegan diet, you are still eating the foods you should have been eating your whole life long already; namely, veggies, fruits, and whole grains. There, that was easy. :)

3.

The USDA has been recommending beans/nuts/and peas within the protein category for years and years. So simply replace your meat/chicken/fish/eggs with plant-based beans/nuts/peas/and seeds. And to a slightly lesser extent, look to soy protein such as tempeh and tofu.

4.

One place that vegans sometimes miss the boat is with dark green leafy veggies such as kale, Swiss chard, and collard greens/mustard greens/turnip greens. Yes, these veggies might take some getting used to, and I never in a million years thought I would say this (especially since my fave veggie growing up was CORN which is not actually a veggie but a grain), but kale and Swiss chard are now some of my favorite veggies. They can be a bit bitter, but simply balance the bitterness with a touch of sweetness such as maple syrup or Agave nectar when you do your final seasoning of your cooked veggies.

5.

Are you worried about getting enough protein? Protein is truly a non-issue when it comes to vegan nutrition. That's because protein is in just about every whole food out there. But the best part is that a plant-based diet provides a nice amount of protein, not the over-the-top amounts of protein (and acid) that animal products provide. Take a peek at this page devoted to the topic of Vegan Protein Powerhouses where you will learn which foods provide the vegan protein you need, how many servings you should strive for, how to select and prepare these protein-rich foods, and (if you're a real stickler) how to figure out the amount of protein you need.

6.

Check out Sassy's Top 10 Vegan Nutrition Tips to discover some basics that will help you to plan a healthy vegan nutrition-focused diet. Also, the Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG.org) is another good source for information about vegan nutrition. And Dr. Michael Greger has pulled out all the stops with his amazing website NutritionFacts.org chock full of scientific studies which support all the reasons a diet filled with plant-based foods makes sense.

7.

Take A Vegan Nutrition Test that will help you zero in on your very personal and specific nutritional needs. All advice is completely personalized and "YOU-unique". An easy, proactive, hands-on approach.
(Vegan Coach VIPs Only - Click here for your "Backstage Pass".)

8.

Visit my Best Vegan Books page for suggestions on vegan books that you may find helpful on your vegan journey.

9.

And if you need a little one-on-one vegan diet help, check out my Vegan Coaching page.

10.

Finally, if you are the type of person who really likes to focus on the numbers and amounts of nutrients in each and every food you eat, then click here to jump down and learn about a cool tool that will help you figure out the nutritional data for various foods.

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The biggest thing I hope you'll walk away with is that vegan nutrition isn't this big and scary dark place where you have to watch your every move or you could slip up and find yourself withering away forever.

But you have to be proactive. And you have to be smart. Be sure to eat from your main food groups every day, just as you always have (perhaps unknowingly) when you were eating a non-vegetarian diet. Follow the advice I've laid out here for you.

I wish you all the best on your Vegan journey. It's one of the most important decisions I've ever made, and one of the few things in my life I've ever been ENTIRELY sure of. ;O)

Have fun!

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How To Figure Out Nutrients From Any Given Food

Now, the following information might be "overkill", but if you want to learn the major nutrients you get from any specific basic and natural whole foods that should make up the majority of your vegan diet, then you should like what comes next...

You can use this tool to help you along: World's Healthiest Foods

To use this tool, simply click on the food you'd like to investigate. It will take you to a screen like the one below with information about the greatest nutrients you'll gain from eating this food.

I clicked on tofu for an example. As you'll see, tofu is high in protein and calcium, among many other fabulous nutrients.

But if you want to delve even further and view the ENTIRE CONTENTS OF THE NUTRITIONAL DATA FOR THIS FOOD then you're just one click away.

Here's how: Scroll to the verrrrry bottom of this first page you've arrived at (in this example, the tofu page). You'll see this..

Now, do you see the little link that says "In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Tofu"? Click on it and... Voila! There is the in-depth information you're looking for...

For example, in reviewing tofu's nutritional profile we discover that tofu is a wonderful source of protein and polyunsaturated fats, and a great source of calcium (but not such a good source of vitamin C).

Play around with it -- there's a LOT of information contained within the pages of that site that you should find useful. ;O)

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Personalized Vegan Coaching

As a Nutritional Consultant I assist my clients by examining their current diet to figure out areas that might need more attention. It's nice to have someone you can go to for advice that's YOU-nique.

"What is a Nutritional Consultant? Is that like a nutritionist or a dietitian?"

Not exactly. As a Nutritional Consultant, I have studied the basics, the building blocks of proper nutrition. When combined with my vast knowledge of vegan cooking, and my experience as a vegan since 1994, I have a unique perspective on how to create meals that are not only delicious, but nutritionally balanced as well.

"Sassy is a wonder to work with, never letting you down, is always MORE than fair and accommodating. The best part is that she lives this stuff every day."
-- Jennie Haraldson, Spokane, Washington

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"Working with you, I felt at ease right away. You were very concerned with what I was or was not doing and helping me eat right as a Vegan. I felt like you were a good friend and even a family member."
- Aleta J., Claremont, California

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"Last week Sunday, I began following your advice from our coaching call. There was no feeling of coming home and wracking my brain about what to eat, and then passing out before I even make a decision, going to sleep without dinner.

"I've had a fresh and colorful green salad every day, and something good and nutritious to eat in the morning. Thank you so much for your advice. I can literally feel myself getting healthier!"
-- Yvette P., Los Angeles, California

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"You have a bubbly personality and although I have never met you in person, I was very comfortable sharing personal information with the knowledge that you would be able to offer healthful insights.

"Reinforcement of the necessity of eliminating sodas was a huge thing for me, as was the guidelines for purchasing organics."
-- S.S., Roseville, California

For more information about this service, please visit the Vegan Coaching page.

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