You should be able to get most of the nutrients you need from eating a varied and balanced vegan diet.
For a healthy vegan diet:
-eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every daybase meals on -potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates (choose wholegrain where possible) have some dairy alternatives, such as soya drinks and yoghurts (choose lower fat and lower sugar options) eat some beans, and a lot of water of course.
With good planning and an understanding of what makes up a healthy, balanced vegan diet, you can get all the nutrients your body needs, especially so you cannot miss out on essential nutrients, such as calcium, iron and vitamin B12.
Vegan sources of calcium and vitamin D
Calcium is needed for strong and healthy bones and teeth. Non-vegans get most of their calcium from dairy foods (milk, cheese and yoghurt), but vegans can get it from other foods.
Good sources of calcium for vegans include:
green, leafy vegetables – such as broccoli, cabbage, spinach, tofu sesame seeds and tahini, dried fruit, such as raisins, prunes, figs and dried apricots
The body needs vitamin D to regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. These nutrients help keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy.
Good sources of vitamin D for vegans include:
exposure to sunlight, 15min daily is enough, fortified fat spreads, breakfast cereals and unsweetened soya drinks (with vitamin D added) or vitamin D suplements.
*Read the label to ensure the vitamin D used in a product is not of animal origin.
Vegan sources of iron
Iron is essential for the production of red blood cells.
A vegan diet can be high in iron, although iron from plant-based food is absorbed by the body less well than iron from meat.
Good sources of iron for vegans are:
pulses wholemeal bread and flour breakfast cereals fortified with iron dark green, leafy vegetables, such as watercress, broccoli and spring greens nuts dried fruits, such as apricots, prunes and figs, and always try to combine iron rich foods with vitamin c to help the iron absorption.
Vegan sources of vitamin B12
The body needs vitamin B12 to maintain healthy blood and a healthy nervous system.
Sources of vitamin B12 for vegans include:
breakfast cereals fortified with B12 unsweetened soya drinks fortified with vitamin B12 yeast extract, such as Marmite, which is fortified with vitamin B12
Vegan sources of omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids, primarily those found in oily fish, can help maintain a healthy heart and reduce the risk of heart disease when eaten as part of a healthy diet.
Sources of omega-3 fatty acids suitable for vegans include:
flaxseed (linseed) oil rapeseed oil soya oil and soya-based foods, such as tofu walnuts
Evidence suggests that plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids may not have the same benefits in reducing the risk of heart disease as those in oily fish.
Vegan recipes:
1- Vegan falafel salad with a garlic dill dressing For the falafel mixture you’ll need: 400g of cooked and dry chickpeas, 15g of chopped parsley or cilantro if you want, 2 medium shallots minced, 15g of raw sesame seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin, 20-30g all purpose flour, salt and pepper to taste. -Method: Process the chickpeas, parsley, shallot, garlic, sesame seeds, cumin, salt, pepper, You’re looking for a crumbly dough, not a paste, then add the flour 1spoon at a time and mix until you get a mixture that doesn’t stick to your hands, let it rest 30min in the fridge for a ticker texture, or just roll them and cook them for about 5min each side or bake them until golden and that’s it!✨ -For the dressing I just processed 1/4 cup of tahini, 1/2 medium lemon, 1 tsp dried dill and 2 cloves garlic, minced.
2- Brown rice and broccoli with teriyaki tofu
A nutritious and easy meal, I made the teriyaki sauce with 1tbsp of Tamari, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp stevia powder(or you can use raw honey), 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger, salt and pepper to taste, then just stir fry the tofu until brown and voilà it’s done!
3- Vegan chickpea burger
I would say this one and the black bean patty are my two favorites vegan burgers. For the chickpea patty you’ll need: 2cups of cooked chickpeas then mashed, 1 grated carrot, 1/2 minced onion, 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Mix all the ingredients, Form your mixture into patties and lightly pan-fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden brown. And that’s it!
I hope this information can be useful and you like my recipes, for more check out @stayhealthyforyou, any contact or nutrition consult, send me an email, dont hesitate to ask me anything! im here for that.
Lissette xx