How can I make sure I'm getting adequate nutrition on a vegan diet?

Are there any online lists that list foods that contain nutrients normally in animal products?



ie. Iron, Calcium, protein, etc.



Anything would help.

Tips, recipes, anything!



Thank you! (:How can I make sure I'm getting adequate nutrition on a vegan diet?
Hello. I'm a long-term vegan, and have found it to be very healthy for me. In short, add a small vitamin B12 supplement to your diet, get some Omega 3 fats into your diet, and focus on good overall nutrition. Don't eat junk-- eat healthy, focusing your food on a variety of protein sources to ensure you get your essential amino acids, iron, zinc, calcium, and vitamin D from exposure to sunlight (read more about this, as different parts of the world have different UVB radiation from the sun during different parts of the year, and everyone including meat-eaters in those areas benefit from a supplement).



Here's a vegan-directed nutrition site from a registered dietitian, and other professionals:

How can I make sure I'm getting adequate nutrition on a vegan diet?
Wikipedia will give some good sources for most nutrients.



I would also recommend reading "Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis.
Eat more of your foods RAW that way you will have more living enzymes to help you make the most of what you eat.



Raw food is the original "fast food"How can I make sure I'm getting adequate nutrition on a vegan diet?
Protein, Protien, and Protein. To put this in short you need plenty of protein including many different types. On this new vegan diet it is alot harder look up Protein. Study it.
Protein isn't really a big deal. As long as you eat enough food, you'll get enough protein. If you need extra protein for bodybuilding or something, just eat lots of nuts and beans and whole grains, and you can supplement if you really need a lot of protein. For iron, eat lots of whole grains, spinach, apricots, nuts, seeds, and lentils. Eating foods rich in vitamin C, like fruit, at the same time you eat foods with lots of iron, will help the iron be absorbed. Some good sources of calcium are blackstrap molasses, collard greens, kale, tahini, sesame seeds, broccoli, almonds, okra, soybeans, fortified soy products, fortified orange juice, and certain tofu (read the label). Depending on where you live, you might not be able to get all the vitamin D you need just from sunlight, so take a supplement or eat fortified foods. Same with vitamin B12, you need to either take a supplement or eat foods fortified with it. Hope this is helpfulHow can I make sure I'm getting adequate nutrition on a vegan diet?
You will lose more calcium on a meat and dairy diet due to leeching from bones from the high blood acidity caused by the high protein in animal products.



Iron and all minerals are found in the ground, eat plants and you'll get your minerals...even iron!



Protein is everywhere, you can even eat grass and get it...



These sites should be of interset for you;



http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/vn/鈥?/a>

http://notmilk.com/

http://www.peertrainer.com/TeamDetails.a鈥?/a>
soy milk provides MORE calcium usually than dairy milk. and also rice, almond and etc milks offer calcium.



iron is found mostly in green plants spinach, lettuce, broccoli and even tofu.



protein - tofu (which comes from soy beans so also anything w/ soy in it) and beans, broccoli, carrots, oatmeal, wheat bread, nuts



b12: it seems hard to get, but when you are vegan you look for the most nutrious foods. Alot of fruit drinks as well as soy milks and food for vegans (vegan burgers, etc) is fortified with b12.

most of the world has low b12 even those who eat meat. the range is 200-1100 (some measurement) but w/o even trying after being vegan for one month and vegetarian for 7 yrs before, i was at 400. so its not hard. if need be take a b12 supplement to boost it up a bit. (I bought one, even though I am not deficient, but I keep forgetting to take it.)
Eat a variety of fruits, veggies,nuts,beans,and whole grains. Take a weekly B12 supplement.
By eating more soy, seeds, nuts, vegan friendly protein bars, and not just eating one or two kinds of vegetables but a large variety of vegetables. Eat as much raw and organic and always buy as fresh as you can.




I've been vegan for about a year and a half. For the beginning of my vegan life, I took a fantastic supplement, the Enzymatic Doctor's Choice for Female Teens. It's a complete dietary supplement, but, being as forgetful as I am, I kept forgetting to take it, and I haven't taken it in almost a year. And guess what? I feel fine. I eat supplemented foods, such as soymilk fortified with Vitamin B12 and iron, my main two concerns.



"Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina is by far the best guide to vegan nutrition. It's fantastic, giving complete nutritional information on a ton of fruits and vegetables and synthetic products. It's a definite must-read for every vegan.



The most important thing is to eat a varied diet and get enough calories. I'm sure you'll be great. Becoming vegan was the best choice I've ever made.



Happy eating!
There is a very brief guide/list of the sources of nutrients available in a vegan diet here...

http://www.veganhealthandbeauty.com/arti鈥?/a>



Otherwise I'd recommend one of the books available from the Vegan Society called "Becoming Vegan" which is written by two Canadian Dieticians. The Vegan Society website is at http://www.vegansociety.com