How To Follow a Vegan Diet

A vegan diet is not always a healthier alternative- you can technically sit at a fast-food restaurant eating a vegan meal by drinking soda and eating fries.

With global warming on the increase, more and more people are trying to do their bit to conserve the planet.  One of the main drivers of veganism is sustainability.  In a surprising move, New York city mayor recently just announced a plan to reduce beef purchases by 50% and eliminate processed meat purchases in city-operated facilities such as schools, hospitals, and jails.  The plan is part of NYC’s Green New Deal, which aims to save lives and help the environment by reducing the carbon footprint. The carbon footprint of a vegan is about half of a meat lovers’ carbon footprint.

Dr Neil Barnard[1], a respected advocate for the vegan diet, spoke to Radio NZ earlier this year about the benefits of following a vegan diet. The benefits of a vegan diet are enormous; it could reverse heart disease, reduce cholesterol— even blood sugar levels could improve dramatically. He also added that there is no reason that you can’t get sufficient protein and calcium from a vegan diet.

Numerous scientific studies, including the popular ‘China Study’[2], emphasise the benefits of a plant-based diet. But a vegan diet is not necessarily a healthier option.  It is important to educate people the correct way to follow this diet trend. Here are a few ways to avoid common pitfalls.

• Focus on eating wholefoods.  Food found as it is in nature–vegetables, fruit, beans, seeds and nuts. Try to avoid processed foods like vegan cakes, doughnuts and crisps.

• Popeye Superpower.  Make leafy greens the focus of each meal; whether it is a smoothie, vegan pasta or salad. Adding green powder (made from dehydrated leafy greens to smoothies) and vegetable juices is an excellent way to fill up on some greens.

• Iron.  Eating a large number of green veggies will ensure you also get your recommended dose of Iron.  Eat Vitamin C rich foods like a slice of tomato or a squeeze of lemon together with leafy greens and plant-based iron sources to increase iron absorption. 

• Take a vegan B12-Supplements.  B-12 commonly lacks in vegan diets.  Add nutritional yeast to meals—besides a great source of Vitamin B12 it will also give an “umami” or savoury boost to meals.

• Don’t over-consume refined carbohydrates.  Limit the amount of white rice and gluten-containing grains that will raise blood sugar levels and cause inflammation. Be cautious when eating gluten-free bread;  high glycemic ingredients such as tapioca and rice are lurking in most commercial varieties.

• Soak beans, legumes and nuts before eating to break down the phytic acid.  Phytic acids are naturally occurring substance that hinders the absorption of iron, calcium and zinc and needs soaking if you are preparing them from scratch.

• Supplement with a vegan form of Vitamin D3
• Add pea protein or hemp protein to enhance smoothies, porridge or breakfast.  A protein powder is not a necessity but a added benefit is that it can be added to breakfast smoothies. This protein boost in the morning will contribute to a feeling of satiety and control blood sugar levels throughout the day.

• Limit your salt intake.  Since meat and cheese have a natural ‘’úmami” or savoury flavour, it is tempting to add a considerable amount of salt to food with sauces and processed vegan products. Limit your salt intake to about 1 teaspoon a day.

• Calcium. Drink nut milk/rice milk/oat milk that is fortified with Calcium

• Eat a variety of legumes, quinoa, nuts, seeds and wholegrains.  The notion that legumes should always be eaten with a wholegrain to make up a complete protein (a protein that provides all the essential amino acids) is true. However, you don’t need to eat legumes and wholegrain in the same meal and is perfectly fine to eat a combination of legumes and grains throughout the day.

How much protein should I eat?

The Recommended Daily Allowance for adult men is 64g and for adult women 46g. Mark Messina, PhD, an expert on soy and co-author of The Simple Soybean and Your Health suggest that vegans aim for protein intake 10% higher than the RDA. It makes sense since the digestibility of plant protein is slightly decreased compared to animal sources.

Food Item	Protein	Complete Protein
Spinach (1 cup, cooked)	5g	No
French beans (1 cup, cooked)	13g	No
Peas (1 cup, cooked)	9g	No
Buckwheat (1 cup, cooked)	22g	Yes
Brown Rice (1 cup, cooked)	5g	Complete when combined with legumes/beans
Hemp powder (1/4 cup)	11g	Yes
Chia spoons (2 Tablespoons)	4g	No
Soy milk (1 cup)	7g	No
Almond Milk (1 cup)	2g	No
Peanut butter, almond butter and cashew butter (1 1/2 Tablespoon)	5g	No
Quinoa (1 cup, cooked)	9g	Yes
Lentils (1 cup, cooked)	18g	No
Tofu (1 cup firm tofu, cooked)	20g	No
Tempeh (1 cup, cooked)	30g	Yes
Pinto, kidney or black beans (1 cup, cooked)	13-15g	No
Chickpeas (1 cup, cooked)	15g	No

 

Vegan Sample Menu

Breakfast

Spinach, hemp, blueberry and banana smoothie

(1/4 cup hemp and two tablespoons Chia seeds, ½ banana, 1 cup almond milk)

1-2 Slices wholegrain gluten-free bread with nut butter

 

Snack

3 Medium sized Date and Oat Bliss balls and soy milk latte

 

Lunch

2 Cups Quinoa Tabbouleh salad with cucumber, tomatoes and chickpeas

 

Supper

Black bean burger with Beetroot and smashed Avocado on wholegrain bread

1 Slice vegan apple crumble

 

 

 

 

 

[1] An advocate for the vegan diet and nutrition researcher and adjunct associate professor of medicine at George Washington

[2] The China Study: Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health Author: T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. and Thomas M. Campbell II, M.D. Country United States Subject Nutritional science Publisher BenBella Books Publication date January 2005