Nutrition Targets
Last updated
Last updated
Based on the research done to create this Vegan Vigil resource, I have written below some main dietary takeaways.
The plant🌿 emojis indicate vegan-specific information. The globe🌐 emojis indicate that something is relevant for non-vegans as well.
🌐Drink water when thirsty - about 10 glasses of water/day
🌐Eat ~2,250 kcal (2,600 for men, 1,900 for women) per day, consisting of: - 55% carbs - 25% fat - 20% protein
🌐Eat varied, whole vegan foods
🌐Eat complex carbohydrates high in fibre instead of refined starches or sugar.
🌐Consume polyunsaturated fat (instead of saturated fat) that are also good sources of omega-3 but moderate sources omega-6 (aim for a 4:1 ratio).
🌐Use iodized table salt.
�Eat foods high in calcium such as kale, turnip greens, Chinese cabbage, and bok choy while avoiding protein or salt in the same meal.
🌿Eat foods that are sources of zinc (such as oatmeal, chickpeas, lentils, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, squash, sesame seeds, dark chocolate, and peanuts) at the same time as sources of citric acid (such as fruits with vitamin C) - or supplement.
🌿Supplement calciferol (vitamin D)
🌿Supplement cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12).
🌐Generally iron is nothing to worry about. If you are known to have low iron, cook in an iron pan; use an iron fish; consume foods like lentils, hemp hearts, chickpeas quinoa, and soy; add in absorption promoters such as fruits high in ascorbic acid/vitamin C, beta-carotene (precursor to vitamin A), and zinc; and avoid calcium, polyphenols, oxalates, and phytates in the same meal. (This is not vegan-specific advice because vegans typically get more iron than non-vegans and are no more likely than non-vegans to develop anemia. This includes women.)
The Tools page has helpful resources for going vegan or maintaining a healthy vegan diet.
Below are the pages relevant to everything mentioned in these broad recommendations (where the sources can also be found).