Vegan Diet:

The vegan diet, also known as the plant-based diet, is a diet that consists only of food that comes from plants — fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes like beans and lentils.
No animals or animal products are included in the diet at all. This excludes not only red meat and poultry, but also any dairy products such as milk or cheese and even eggs, which are derived from animals.

What is the vegan diet?

The vegan diet is a plant-based diet that does not include meat or any other products from animals. People often adopt a vegan diet because they feel it is healthier, more environmentally friendly and more compassionate than eating animal products.

However, following a vegan diet can be tricky if you’re not sure what foods are available and how to prepare them. If you’d like to learn more about veganism, or even try out a new plant-based diet yourself, here’s everything you need to know about how to follow a healthy vegan diet — plus, how to get started!

Protein in vegan diets

When you’re a vegan, getting enough protein is easy. Legumes, such as chickpeas and lentils, are packed with it. Getting an adequate amount of carbs can be more difficult, however.

Luckily, grains like quinoa and oats contain plenty of carbohydrates and B vitamins to help your body function. Vegans often struggle with calcium intake since dairy products are not included in a vegan diet.

However, leafy greens like kale and broccoli supply large amounts of calcium along with vitamin K2 (often called MK-7). Plus, it’s pretty easy to get calcium into your diet if you include soy products such as tofu or fortified foods in your diet.

How can I get enough iron on a vegan diet?

Iron is an essential mineral your body uses to make red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout your body. If you’re not getting enough iron in your diet, it can lead to anemia, causing weakness and fatigue.

Good sources of iron include lean meats, dark leafy greens, lentils and beans. Eating a variety of these high-iron foods will help ensure you get all of the iron you need.

An alternative option if meat isn’t an option is taking an iron supplement daily with food (avoid on an empty stomach). It’s also important to note that cooking foods in cast iron pots or pans increases their absorption of non-heme iron.

Heme iron comes from animal products like meat, fish and poultry; non-heme comes from plants like fruits, vegetables and grains. The best way to boost your intake of heme or non-heme iron is by eating more plant-based meals!

Can you eat too many carbs?

Carbohydrates are arguably one of the most important nutrients we can eat. In fact, many people would argue that carbohydrates should be your main source of calories since they’re an excellent source of energy and it’s where our body gets its energy from. But there’s a catch to carbohydrates:

they might not be good in high amounts because they can make you fat if you consume them in large quantities. You see, when you eat carbs, your blood sugar rises rapidly.

This causes insulin levels to rise as well. Insulin is a hormone that helps take glucose out of your blood and into cells so it can be used as fuel.

However, after eating carbs, some glucose is stored away in muscles or liver instead of being used as fuel right away—this is what makes us feel full after eating carbs.The problem comes when we start storing too much glucose away—as fat!

If you’re trying to lose weight on a vegan diet, try keeping your carb intake below 150 grams per day (or less) so you don’t gain any excess pounds while still enjoying all those delicious fruits and veggies!

Best plant sources of fat and cholesterol

When cutting back on animal products, people often worry about getting enough fat and cholesterol in their diet. You don’t need to worry about that on a vegan diet, though.

Several plant-based foods provide a rich source of both healthy fats and cholesterol-reducing phytosterols: avocados, olives, sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts and flaxseeds are just a few examples.

Make sure you’re including plenty of these in your everyday meals to keep your body at its best.

Are eggs okay?

Some sources say eggs are vegetarian-friendly while others say they aren’t. As with many things, it depends on your definition of vegetarian.

According to PETA and other animal rights organizations, consuming any products that come from animals is not allowed if you are a vegetarian.

However, there are more lenient definitions of vegetarianism in which people may still consume eggs or dairy products as long as they don’t come from animals raised specifically for slaughter.

If you look up these terms online, you will find ample debate about whether eating meat is acceptable under any circumstances.

What about dairy products?

Dairy products are a staple of most people’s diets, but vegans won’t touch them. Vegans choose not to eat animal products as a way to reduce their personal negative impact on animals, including humans.

In recent years, more people have turned to plant-based diets due to concerns over their health and environmental impacts of meat consumption.

However, if you want to go vegan, make sure that you consume enough calcium—not just through dairy products but through leafy greens and fortified foods.

The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults older than 19 get 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium each day; pregnant women need about 1,300 mg per day and breastfeeding women should aim for about 1,000 mg daily.

Can you get all your vitamins on a vegan diet?

Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to get all your essential vitamins and minerals on a vegan diet. By carefully following an organized vegan meal plan, you can get almost everything your body needs (and even more). Here are some examples of what you might eat on a healthy vegan meal plan:

whole grains such as oats, quinoa, rice and millet; legumes such as lentils, chickpeas and beans; fresh fruits and vegetables in abundance; nuts and seeds; spices such as turmeric and cinnamon; fortified foods including soymilk (protein), tofu (protein) or nutritional yeast flakes (B12); tea or coffee. On top of that, there’s always vitamin B12 supplements!

Is a vegan diet healthy for children?

There’s a lot of discussion around whether or not it’s appropriate to raise children on a vegan diet. Most doctors and dietitians would agree that such a diet can be healthy for kids, as long as there is proper planning in place.

Since most kids are used to getting their nutrients from animal sources, parents must carefully plan and make sure their child is getting everything needed in order to grow up strong and healthy.

Plant-based proteins must be considered, along with essential fats. Even if you follow up your meal with a multivitamin supplement, many recommend using fortified dairy-free milks like soy milk or almond milk rather than drinking them straight since they have little nutritional value otherwise.